Ventrish

Ventrish is a fictional language created by author Brandon Sanderson for his *Stormlight Archive* series. It is primarily spoken by the Ventane, a group of nomadic desert-dwelling people who inhabit the fictional continent of Roshar. The language is designed to reflect the Ventane culture, which values individualism, freedom, and a deep connection to the natural world, particularly the desert and its storms.

Ventrish is a synthetic language, meaning it was constructed rather than evolving naturally. Sanderson drew inspiration from various real-world languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, and other Semitic languages, as well as elements of English and other Indo-European languages. The language features a phonetic script, the *Ventrish Alphabet*, which consists of 22 letters, including consonants and vowels. Unlike many written languages, Ventrish is written left-to-right and does not use spaces between words, relying instead on context and punctuation.

The grammar of Ventrish is relatively straightforward, with a subject-verb-object structure and a limited use of verb conjugations. Nouns do not have grammatical gender, and adjectives typically follow the nouns they modify. The language also includes a rich vocabulary related to desert life, storms, and the Ventane’s spiritual beliefs, particularly their reverence for the *Stormfather* and *Stormmother*, divine entities associated with the desert’s cyclical storms.

Ventrish is not fully transliterated in the books, but Sanderson has provided some key words and phrases, such as greetings like *Sahal* (hello) and *Shal* (goodbye). The language plays a cultural role in the series, reinforcing the Ventane’s identity and their distinct way of life amidst the harsh desert environment. Its use in dialogue helps differentiate the Ventane from other cultures in Roshar, such as the Kholinarites or the Highprimes.