Shireroth

I was recently wondering how I could actively use a local language, other then English, for bureaucratic paperwork (decrees, names of institutions, etc.) to add some cultural diversity. It should be a conlang that I can easily learn and use (which I can't with most of those that around as there isn't a good vocabulary around). Then I came up with the idea, how could I have forgotten: why shouldn't I add Dutch as second language of Greater Audentior? I have been writing about Batavian colonists for over... err... at least 500 ASC years... and (in fictional history) they could have taken their language with them.
While Shirerithian English and Audente stayed the language of the plebs, Dutch became increasingly popular fort the elites. A kind of Shirerithian Dutch was developed which slightly differed from the real Dutch (it's the older Dutch, e.g.: 'I' is 'ik', but in Shirerithian Dutch it's written in the oldfashioned way: 'ick'). We have come to a point in which the elites demand to make Dutch one of the official languages.

Why do I do it? First of all: it's easier for me, I don't need to put weeks in developing my own language which likely nobody will use. Secondly, it's easier for others: Google has a translator that isn't that bad (this is an advantage for non-Dutch speakers).

Imperial Republic of Shireroth = Keizerlijke Republiek Shireroth
Duchy of Kildare = Hertogdom Kildare
County of Greater Audentior = Graafschap Groter-Audentior

I suppose I might as well learn dutch anyway. Shouldn't be too hard, considering my background in germanic languages.

Falkner van der Sluijs wrote:I suppose I might as well learn dutch anyway. Shouldn't be too hard, considering my background in germanic languages.

I'm pretty sure you will understand the basics fast if you have / know a germanic language. But I can assure you that the language can be very tricky when it becomes more detailed: there are a lot of rules (mostly for spelling), which change almost every 5 years, which don't make any sense.

Well, I hear the way my last name is spelled has changed since my family moved to america in the early 1600s.

Also, I've studied several germanic languages (german, swedish, icelandic, old english), on top of several other languages, so I should be fine.

Falkner van der Sluijs wrote:Well, I hear the way my last name is spelled has changed since my family moved to america in the early 1600s.

Also, I've studied several germanic languages (german, swedish, icelandic, old english), on top of several other languages, so I should be fine.

Hehehe. About your name: it's typical older Dutch (your predecessors probably lived near a sluice, but you probably know that already). These days 'sluijs' is simply 'sluis'... Falkner van der Sluis.

My family is from Harlingen, yes, they were probably around a lot of sluices

From Friesland? Poor boy. So to the north...

Perhaps I should start lobbying for making it the second language of Kildare, uniting the elites of whole the Dutchy (come on, you could have seen that one coming )!

Aaaaaargh! Why does dutch have so many weird vowel sounds!

Falkner van der Sluijs wrote:Aaaaaargh! Why does dutch have so many weird vowel sounds!

Ah yes, I forgot to tell you about that... and we have also some nice grammar surprises... like: 'I become' = 'ik word', but 'you become' = 'jij wordt'.
But when you ask it: 'word jij?' (we call it the dt-rules which is sometimes tricky, even for us )