Lore:Old Maelan
Old Maelan is a language created by the Men of Jevreth.
History
In 416 MA, the language of Maelan (which will become known as "Old Maelan" in the future) began to overtake Noralar as the language of the people. Maelan is less complicated than Noralar and thus draws the more common people to its use. Also, in that same year, the language of Kingsword is created (based off of the Maelan language of this time).
By 515 MA, the Maelan language has evolved from its inception nearly 100 year prior. The more common, modern version of the language becomes known simply as Maelan. The former, older version of the language becomes known as Old Maelan, which will then be primarily used only for naming (especially in Althas's northern regions).
Pronunciation Guide
The following is a list of the Old Maelan vowels and dipthongs, and how they should sound in Maelan:
| Old Maelan Vowel | Maelan Pronunciation |
| a | ah |
| á | aah |
| æ (ae) | ay |
| e | ey |
| é | eey |
| i | ih |
| o | oh |
| ó | ooh |
| u | yoo |
| ú | yew? |
| y | ee; ie as in "tier" |
| Old Maelan Dipthongs | Maelan Pronunciation |
| ea | ehah |
| eo | ehoh |
About Old Maelan
Unrelated to Lore: The following is information that is unrelated to Althas lore.
Old Maelan is based on the real-world Old English language. The word "Maelan" comes from the Old English word mælan ("to speak").
