Termic languages
| Termic | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: | Ekuosia and Akulanen |
| Linguistic classification: | Ngerupic
|
| Proto-language: | Proto-Termic |
| CWS code | – |
The Termic languages are a branch of the Ngerupic languages which originate in the Terminian Isles. The most widely spoken Termic language, Terminian, is also the most widely spoken of all Ngerupic languages and one of the most widely spoken languages on Sahar. The Termic languages are the only Ngerupic family native to Ekuosia, and are highly divergent in both phonology and structure from other Ngerupic varieties. They range in size from Terminian, with over 300 million speakers worldwide, to beleaguered minority languages such as Bilemã with approximately 100 speakers.
The modern Termic languages derive from Old Termic languages, of which Old Terminian is the only directly attested member; these were spread in several waves across Ekuosia and Akulanen in a period know as the Terminian Expansion. By the the Middle Termic stage several new literary languages had emerged, of which Middle Terminian, Classical Baridus and the Old South Terminian languages are the best understood. Several varities of Modern Terminian spread across the world as a consequence of the influence of the Terminian Empire and its aggressive policy of colonialism; notable groups of speakers outside the Terminian Isles include parts of Parshita and eastern Boroso.
Modern status
Classification
History
Proto-Termic
The traditional view by Termic scholars was that all modern Termic languages descended from Old Terminian; as a result, the terms Proto-Termic and Old Terminian were treated synonymously. More recent discoveries have led to the discovery of several archaic features apparently lost in Old Terminian but preserved in smaller Termic vernaculars; evidence for these features may be found in certain Old Terminian texts in the form of presumed spelling ‘errors’, though there is significant controversy over what constitutes an archaism and what constitutes a phonological innovation on behalf of the speaker.
Old Termic
Middle Termic
New Termic
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