Uajiren is a language originating in Jirenes, and the majority native language on that continent. With Taragat and Qarsa, it is an official language of the Second Gishefa, and one of many official languages of the Union of Human Worlds. Modern Uajiren has a distinctive history as a planned language, constructed through substantial modification of the natural language Old Uajiren. The language's modernized form was codified in the Third Jirenes Linguistic Convention, held shortly after the foundation the First Gishefa. It is spoken as a second language by some 90% of Menem's population. Uajiren was the first language of Menem used to communicate with inhabitants of another world, chosen by a controversial Parliamentary decision as the sole language in which to response to the historic first probe sent from Earth (its own messages transmitted in more than a dozen Terran languages).
Features[]
Syllable Structure[]
The language allows syllables of structure V, CV, VN/CVN and VL/CVL (syllables ending in nasals and liquids), with some limited cases of other consonant endings, and limited consonant clusters.
Word Order[]
Uajiren sentences are typically ordered VSO, but its complex case inflections allow substantial flexibility in word order.
Consonantal Roots[]
A majority of Uajiren words are derived from inflecting consonantal roots with meaningful infixes. The language features mostly three-consonant roots, with many two-consonant roots as well, which are infixed with a series of di-vocalic roots. For example:
| Root (Meaning) | i-e- (identity) | a-i- (locative) | eu-i (personal) |
|---|---|---|---|
| g-s-f (union) | Gishefa (the Union) | Gashifa (place of the Union) | geushifa (citizen) |
| h-f (star) | hife (star) | haifa (outer space) | heuifa (alien) |