Wiqta Languages

The Wiqta languages (Vikti: paracas cioltin Vikti, Höt: paratlas coåtyn Mihtatyn, Tuai: palaka kiotin Bitti, Vata: paratfa tiorathin Vingtha) are a group of linguistic varieties including Old Vikti and the languages descended from it. It is the largest language family on the continent of Taraot.

Languages

 * Old Vikti
 * Liturgical Branch
 * Vikti
 * Colloquial Branch
 * Höt
 * Tuai
 * Vata

Shared Features
The Wiqta languages all descend from Old Vikti (kior wiqta-ya /kiɒr w̃iqta-j̃a/), and therefore share a majority of its vocabulary. Furthermore, all Wiqta languages arrange sentences in SOV (subject-object-verb) order. Wiqta vowel inventories are characteristically small, ranging from 3-6 oral vowels in a given language.

Liturgical Branch
The Liturgical Branch consists primarily of Standard Vikti, considered to be the modern, literary form of Old Vikti. It started as the form of Old Vikti used in Avitras temples and scriptures. It is used by most of the Wiqta people across Taraot for the liturgical purposes of Avitras religious studies, worship, and other services. Historically, the language was synonymous with literary knowledge—anyone who knew how to write was writing in some form of Vikti. As time went on, the language was standardized as the lingua franca of Wiqta science, law, and society. Vikti differs from the Colloquial Branch in that verb conjugation according to person and number was kept from Old Vikti. Phonetically, Old Vikti /q/ became glotallized to /ʔ/ intervocalically. It is native to Southern Taraot. Vikti is also unique in its adverb-like postpositions.

Colloquial Branch
The Colloquial Branch consists of three major languages: Höt in the North, Tuai in the East, and Vata in the West. These three languages started as a common dialect continuum outside the sphere of religion, eventually diverging. The languages of the Colloquial Branch are all spoken on the mainland of Taraot along with liturgical Vikti, but are distinguished by the complex, and in some cases dramatic, shifts in phonotactics from Old Vikti. All languages in the colloquial branch lost verb conjugation according to person and number and underwent velarization of Old Vikti /q/ to /g, ɣ, ŋ/, respectively. These languages feature many more borrowings from neighboring, unrelated languages like Saa influences in Tuai and Tuuma influences in Höt and Vata.

Comparison
The Wiqta languages are comprosed mostly of cognates due to the unifying nature of the Liturgical use of Vikti, with some differences in phrasing, grammar, and fringe vocabulary. A trans-Wiqta dictionary can be accessed here.