lendab

Lendab is a constructed language developed for use in a science fiction universe. It was created by linguist A. K. Ren in 2012 to accompany the fictional culture of the Lendab people, who are described as inhabiting a coastal region of the Veridian Continent. In-world, Lendab is presented as a living, evolving tongue with a documented history and standardized reference materials.

Phonology and writing system. Lendab has a five-vowel system (a, e, i, o, u) and a consonant inventory that includes p, t, k, b, d, g, m, n, s, z, l, r, f, v, h. The language uses a Latin-based alphabet with diacritics for vowel length and certain phonemes. Stress is typically on the penultimate syllable. Lendab is not tonal.

Grammar and syntax. The language is described as largely analytic with agglutinative morphology. Basic word order is subject–verb–object (SVO). Noun phrases favor numerals and demonstratives before the noun, while adjectives generally follow the noun they modify. Plurality is marked on the noun with a suffix, and verbs carry affixes to indicate tense, aspect, and mood. Postpositions are used rather than prepositions. Lendab includes evidential markers to indicate source of knowledge and confidence. Pronouns distinguish inclusive and exclusive first-person plurals, but there is no grammatical gender.

Vocabulary and sources. Most of the core lexicon is presented as native roots, with a controlled set of loanwords from neighboring fictional languages within the same universe. Dictionaries and grammar guides are published within the series’ materials, including an official reference grammar released by the Lendab Council in the mid-2010s.

See also: conlangs, fictional languages, Veridian Chronicles.