Kislovan
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This section contains canon Ravenloft information from officially published sources; see the References below. |
Kislovan is the local languange spoken by those on the island of Kislova.
Background
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This section contains server-canon Ravenloft information from the Time of Unparalleled Darkness server; see the References below. |
Kislovan represents the local language of the indigneous people of Kislova. While the people would say that it is pure and unchanged, the reality is that it has adapted considerably many loanwords. The real-world analogue of the language would be Suomi (finnish) - but it borrows tracts from Spanish, Norweigan (Lamordian), Russian (Vorostokovan), and old Church Latin (Darkonian). The grammar would remain largely Sumoi however. The Spanish elements in the language are often called "the Baron's" - for it is their family that brought those elements.[1]
In all but one of the city-states, Kapen, it is law that only trade-speak (common) and Kislovan can be spoken in public spaces there.[1]
Mutual-Intelligibility
Kislovan is mutually-intelligible fully only with Vistani Patterna, as all languages are.[1]
However, it has passing mutual-intelligibility (25%) with Lamordian, Vorostokovan, and Darkonian. One could gather the basic tone of conversation but that's about it other than specific loan-words.[1]
Gothic Earth Finnish is mostly interchangeable and mostly intelligible (75%) with Kislovan, but not entirely. The many loan-words somewhat confuse complete comphrehension.
Reach
Anyone whom does business in Kislova learns at least some basic Kislovan, if they can help it - for it is an easy way into the local's good books. However, excepting those international traders, and perhaps the Vistani, it does not reach outside the islands borders at all.[1]
