Jelbic | |
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Geographic distribution: | Barmenistan, Pontesi, Jelbania, Vanuku, Beiteynu, Deltaria, Selucia |
Linguistic classification: | Jelbo-Tukaric |
Subdivisions: |
The Jelbic Languages (Jelbijék or Jelbijé Knsag'ad) are a subdivision of the Jelbo-Tukaric (OOC: Altaic) language family, and are therefore distantly related to Panmuan, Bianjie, or Turjak. The Jelbic languages are spoken over a wide area covering most of Nort-West Majatra, and Jelbic speakers comprise a majority of the population in Jelbania, Vanuku, Pontesi, and Barmenistan, with significant minorities in Beiteynu, Deltaria, and Selucia. Old High Jelbic, an archaic Jelbic language, is the classical and formal standard of the Jelbic languages, and in time four national varieties of Old High Jelbic developed, namely Jelbek, Brmek, Wrnukaek, and Pntek, and with the exception of some specialized vocabulary all four are mutually intelligible. Old High Jelbic was developed during the Nrljogad (Jelbic Enlightenment) in the 23rd century as a result of a language reform aiming to modernize and purify Classical Brmek, the language of culture and the lingua franca of the Jelbosphere.