Xhati

Xhati is a term used in speculative fiction to denote a language family, its speakers, and related cultural practices on the continent of Lumara. In various world-building texts, Xhati serves as a cohesive cultural-linguistic group with shared history, ethics, and art forms.

Linguistic overview: The Xhati languages are described as agglutinative and primarily SOV, with a developed case system and a set of glottal or implosive consonants. Scholars in the in-universe grammars distinguish North Xhati, Central Xhati, and South Xhati, noting mutual intelligibility to varying degrees.

Geography and demographics: In the fictional setting, Xhati-speaking communities inhabit the highland valleys and plateaus of northern Lumara. Estimates place total speakers in the low hundreds of thousands, with language vitality varying by region and generation.

Culture: Xhati society emphasizes oral storytelling, textile craft, and mountain agriculture. Clans or lineages typically govern local communities, with councils for dispute resolution and land use. Festivals often recount ancestral hero tales and seasonal cycles.

Writing and scholarship: In-world, a native script is described in some texts, though many materials use Latin transcription. Grammars outline a rich evidential system, verb serialization, and nominal case marking; contact with adjacent languages figures prominently in phonological change.

Fictional status: This article describes a fictional construct used in speculative fiction. It is not a record of a real language or people.