vieajam

Vieajam is a constructed language designed for the fictional Viean Archipelago. Created by linguist Arin Vale as a lingua franca for inter-island communication, Vieajam aims for clarity, learnability, and expressive nuance. In the worldbuilding of several novels and a contemporary game, it functions as a neutral medium used by speakers from diverse communities.

Phonology and script: Vieajam features five vowels and about eighteen consonants. Syllables typically follow the pattern (C)(C)V(C). Stress falls on the penultimate syllable, and there is a mild pitch accent in connected speech. The standard writing system is a Latin-based alphabet with diacritics to mark vowel quality; an ornamental syllabary known as Vie Script appears in inscriptions.

Grammar: The basic word order is subject–verb–object. Nouns show number and demonstrative or definiteness markers; articles are optional in casual speech. Verbs mark aspect and mood through prefixes and suffixes, while pronouns distinguish person and number. There is limited inflection; word formation relies primarily on affixation and compounding.

Lexicon and usage: The core lexicon covers several thousand roots, designed for broad utility across everyday talk, science, and trade. New terms are created by affixation or compounding, with borrowings from neighboring fictional languages. In the fictional world, Vieajam is taught in schools and used in official contexts, while local languages preserve regional identities.

See also: constructed language; conlang; worldbuilding; linguistics in fiction.