THE MEMORY OF THE CITY
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Lilitika Grammar
Lilitika Grammar IV
Morphology and syntax of late Lilitika
The first decades of Lilitic presence on the planet Tlem (later known as Thessia Major) were, in stark contrast to the settling of Illera, linguistically unproductive. With the recent death of Sarthía fresh in the minds of poets and writers, and the bitter memory of how Illera's colonization was tied to the painful memories of the widespread Illeran geolect, there was considerable hesitation to continue the past trend of innovation until Thet proved itself viable as a long-term home.

This changed rapidly after contact with the Lyrisclensiae (1076 lilpo), Telai (84 iky), and Hatel (207 iky). An extreme fascination with the languages of other post-human species, particularly the Neohellenic Glissía of the Lyrisclensiae, provoked the importation of numerous words and affixes (tagged late Lilitika in the dictionary), along with fundamental changes to inflection schemes and the patterns of verb formation.

This was not technically the first time Lilitika was influenced by other languages: after disappointing adoption rates of Íomanazinení in the first century lilpo, Survika designed the Zeyetaní and Sarasí registers to use inflection schemes closer to those of Oksirapho, most visibly in the transition toward marking person and number on verbs. However, it did mark the beginning of a steady and sustained downfall for the linguistic identity of Lilitika, which would become functionally extinct on Thet by the fifth century iky, thereafter reserved only for academic use, mainly in the study of Lilitic literature, and in ceremonies by the few remaining religious institutions in Lilikoisa. Genuine, naturally-evolving dialects of the language (derived from Illeran) continued in use on Wanisin unabated, however, and following the recolonization of Illera in 1924 iky, a New Illeran fabrolect was established as the state language, blending elements of late Lilitika, Ketalan, and Illeran. New Illeran, Wanisini, and Wanisini Sarthian Illeran continue to be in use to this day.

Rokéa II argolect




Haplenía argolect




New Illeran


In keeping with the major goals of the second Illera colony, New Illeran is a much more conservative variety than the other post-contact languages described above. However, like all linguistic conservation initiatives, its success depended on the willingness of the colonists to tolerate regressive changes to the language they already used, Academic Lilitic, which was much more stable than Lilitika: it was borne of studying long-dead languages and bolstered by the rich vocabulary of Glissía, whereas Lilitika during its heyday was the fluid product of constant tinkering by grammarians and poets, moulded by a community of speakers who were well-educated in linguistics and took pride in their ability to navigate opaque etymologies that could involve multiple blendings or clippings. Although paradigmatic and syntactic identities demand that New Illeran be classified as a variety of Lilitika, even in its earliest incarnations it is more mutually intelligible with the Lilitic of the day than any form of Lilitika.