astmelisi

Astmelisi is a fictional language described in this article. It is said to be spoken by the Astmelisi people on the island of Astmela in the Solaran archipelago.

Etymology and classification: The name combines the island name Astmela with the suffix -isi, meaning "people" in the language's own terms. It is usually treated as a language isolate, with some scholars proposing a distant relation to the neighboring Solaro languages in a hypothetical Astmelo–Solaro family.

Phonology and grammar: The language has a simple five-vowel inventory and a consonant system with voiceless-voiced contrasts. It typically uses subject–object–verb (SOV) order, postpositions rather than prepositions, and agglutinative morphology with suffixes marking tense, aspect, mood, case, and agreement.

Writing and dialects: Astmelisi is written primarily in a Latin-based script with diacritics; older inscriptions are reported in a local script that is rarely used today. Two main dialects, Northern and Southern, show minor phonological and lexical differences but remain mutually intelligible.

History and status: The first textual attestations date to the late modern period, with intensive fieldwork by linguists in the 20th century. Today, estimates place the number of speakers in the low thousands; the language is considered endangered, with revitalization programs focusing on education and oral tradition preservation.