Surneni

Surneni is a fictional ethnolinguistic group and the name of their language, created for encyclopedic reference. In the imagined setting, the Surneni inhabit the northern coastal strip of the continent of Eldara, where their communities have long engaged in fishing, seaborne trade, and small-scale agriculture along river deltas.

The ethnonym Surneni is said to derive from the clan ancestor Surn and a plural suffix -eni used in their language, a formation pattern mirrored in neighboring groups.

Historically centered around the ports of Khael and Durhaven, Surneni communities are now spread across urban districts and smaller towns in Eldara's northern states. The language is spoken by an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 people, primarily in Eldaran coastal towns.

Surnenic, considered an isolate within the regional linguistic area, shows features typical of maritime contact, including loanwords from neighboring languages and a predominantly subject–verb–object word order. The writing system uses the Latin alphabet with diacritics for vowel quality.

Traditional Surneni culture centers on the sea. Coastal rituals, boat-building crafts, sailing songs, and a summer sea-festival mark the calendar. Social structure emphasizes kin groups and council-based decision making; crafts such as mat weaving and net-making are common economic activities.

Origins are traced to early seafaring communities that expanded with regional trade networks. In modern times, Surneni communities face language endangerment and cultural assimilation pressures, with efforts focused on bilingual education and cultural preservation.