What is Farland?
Conlangs—short for constructed languages—are artificially designed languages with their own grammar, syntax, and phonetics, created for artistic, scientific, or practical use. From Tolkien’s Elvish to Cameron’s Na’vi, conlangs add depth and authenticity to fictional worlds, shaping the cultures, histories, and identities of the people who speak them. In Farland, language is more than just a tool for communication—it is a weapon, a political force, and a cultural marker, influencing diplomacy, warfare, and mythology across its civilizations.
The Samult and Mez languages play a central role in the shifting power dynamics of Farland. Samult, with its distinct Northern and Southern dialects, reflects the fractured nature of its speakers, where language itself becomes a battleground for identity. Mez, an agglutinative language, shapes the worldview of its speakers through its intricate word-building structure, mirroring the complexity of their society. These languages not only ground the world in realism but also serve as a testament to the way language shapes culture, memory, and history.
Explore the linguistic backbone of Farland below—dive into the grammar, phonetics, and structure of its conlangs and see how language shapes worldbuilding.
Farland is an original epic historical fantasy series set in a world shaped by the rise and fall of empires, linguistic evolution, and cultural struggle. Blending intricate worldbuilding with deep sociopolitical themes, the series explores power, identity, colonialism, and resistance, told through the lens of characters caught between shifting alliances and the weight of their own histories. Rooted in a richly developed linguistic and cultural landscape—where languages like Samult and Mez shape diplomacy, warfare, and mythology—the narrative mirrors real-world historical transitions, evoking a tone akin to late antiquity and early medieval history, with civilizations vying for dominance, cultural survival, and self-determination in a rapidly changing world.
Samult
Phonetics & Alphabet
Samult follows a structured phonemic system with sounds carefully constructed to evoke its linguistic heritage. The Samult alphabet corresponds to the following IPA sounds:
Vowels: /a/, /ɛ/, /i/, /o/, /u/
Consonants: /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /ɸ/ (w), /β/ (wh), /f/, /v/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/ (ś), /ʒ/ (ź), /ʁ/ (r), /ɬ/ (lh), /j/, /l/
Samult pronunciation differs slightly between its Northern and Southern dialects, with Northern Samult favoring more voiceless consonants (e.g., /s/ instead of /z/) and Southern Samult incorporating more vowel elongation and glottalized stops for emphasis.
Grammar & Morphology
Samult is non-agglutinative, except in its noun declensions, meaning word forms remain relatively fixed except for case endings.
Noun Declensions
Samult nouns (and adjectives) decline based on case and number, with distinct endings for masculine, neuter, and plural forms. Below are some declension examples, but not an exhaustive list:
Masculine Singular:
Nominative: -ø (Me te pawo tur – "This is an old house")
Accusative: -ta (Alm fatmojake pawoata turta – "I paint an old house")
Dative: -eng (Alm fatmojakjak pawoeng tureng – "I painted for an old house")
Genitive: -ka (Ropt pawoaka turka – "The old house’s servant")
Neuter Singular:
Nominative: -e, -u (Me te ruse śawhe – "This is a red wagon")
Accusative: -te, -tu (Alm fawhole ruste śawhte – "I ride a red wagon")
Plural (All Nouns):
Nominative: -jala (Gawhliojala lhetekejala – "Central markets")
Accusative: -to (Alm aźaźinjak gawhlioto lheteketo – "I bought the central markets")
Dative: -gip (Alm źine su’ugto gawhliogip lhetekegip – "I sell fruits to the central markets")
Syntax & Sentence Structure
Samult follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure but allows for flexibility in poetic and rhetorical contexts.
Verb Conjugations & Tenses
Samult verbs conjugate based on tense and aspect, with specific suffixes distinguishing past, present, and future.
Present Passive: -e (Fatmojake – "paints")
Present Progressive: -inge (Fatmojakinge – "is painting")
Past Perfect: -jak (Fatmojakjak – "had painted")
Past Imperfect: -omre (Fatmojakomre – "was painting")
Future Unlimited: -dzźi (voiced consonants, vowels) / -sśi (voiceless consonants)
(Fatmojaksśi – "will paint")
Auxiliaries differ between dialects: Northern Samult uses "dzźi", while Southern Samult prefers "sśi" with additional phonetic shifts (e.g., "blueng" for "water").
Dialectal Variations
Samult is divided into Northern (Desert) and Southern (Jungle) dialects, each with phonetic, grammatical, and lexical differences.
Northern (Desert) Samult
More conservative consonants (retains original /z/ and /ʒ/ sounds)
More auxiliary usage (Awo dzźi jal ruweng tureng – "You will bring water to the house")
Prefers structured, hierarchical syntax
Southern (Jungle) Samult
Softens consonants (e.g., /z/ → /s/, /ʒ/ → /ʃ/)
Simplifies auxiliary verbs (Awo sśi jal blueng tureng – "You will bring water to the house")
Uses more vowel shifts and phonetic elision
Cultural Influence & Linguistic Identity
Language in Farland is not just a tool for communication—it is a marker of power, identity, and historical change. Samult speakers, particularly those in the South, see linguistic unity as a sign of cultural strength, whereas Northern Samult speakers use dialectal rigidity to assert historical continuity. The tension between these dialects mirrors political and territorial struggles, embedding language deeply within the narrative of Farland’s shifting civilizations.