bolish

Bolish is a constructed language developed for fictional contexts, particularly in world-building, gaming, and speculative literature. It is not a natural language with native speakers but is described in guides and fan resources as a fully fledged language with its own phonology, grammar, and writing system.

Origin and classification: The name Bolish derives from the fictional homeland Bolia. In the project, Bolish is grouped in the Bolic language family, a small set of related conlangs created for the same world. The design draws on Slavic and Baltic phonotactics to evoke a certain cultural flavor while remaining distinct.

Phonology: Bolish uses a Latin alphabet with 26 letters. The phoneme inventory includes p, t, k, b, d, g, m, n, s, l, r, f, v, h; vowels a, e, i, o, u, with occasional length distinctions in some dialects. Syllables are typically CV or CVV; stress falls on the penultimate syllable.

Grammar: The basic word order is SVO. Nouns show case through suffixes: nominative -o, accusative -a; adjectives follow nouns and agree in number with the noun via the plural suffix -n. Verbs mark aspect with suffixes: -li for imperfective, -ra for perfective; tense is indicated by particles before the verb: ta for past, ki for present, fu for future. Pronouns include mi I, tu you, ea he/she, ni we, vi you (plural), lon they; Bolish distinguishes inclusive and exclusive in the first-person plural via separate forms.

Writing and usage: Bolish is typically written with a Latin alphabet, though an ornamental script exists in some materials. It has published dictionaries and phrasebooks within the conlang community, and is used in novels, games, and role-playing campaigns to convey culture and setting.

Example: Mi laka bolish. gloss: I speak Bolish.