Jasost

General Information
Jasost is the Father-language of Jasos. Jasost is also the most widely spoken West-Paal language and the most widely used language among traders.

Jasost 'proper' is spoken predominantly in the capital peninsula, Jalihin, with three primary dialects: the northern Jaqquin dialect; the southern Javaat dialect; the language of the nomadic Hijypso. Constant trade with other kingdoms and peoples contributes largely to the dynamic shifts in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.

The saying below is a common one that describes the fluid nature of the language:

qona anloha ua ma rig - I don't even understand my neighbor

History
Attempts to record the history of Jasost as a language have always been fraught with inconsistencies and flaws; the language has always been in flux (av'aja - tidal.) Now, most scholars define three distinct periods of the language: Elm (Low), Ihbra (High), and A'e (Restored.) 

The most significant change to Jasost was the A'e movement by the last Prince of Tides, Alyazuvi (Al'asuvi.) The changes were made to the written language not only to beautify it but to create a stronger national and cultural identity. The changes were:

1. Removal of geminate vowels indicating syllabic stress:

beaaha --> beaha

sgaii --> sgai

2. Collapse of voiced/un-voiced consonant pairs into single consonants:

p, b --> b

f, v --> v

s, z --> s

k, g --> g

t, d --> t

3. Introduction of new letters to take the place of sounds formerly represented by digraphs:

th, dh --> d 

kv, gv --> q

ya --> '

kh, gh, hr --> h

4. Formalization of stress to first syllable (a change which had been occurring gradually through High Jasost.)

Compare the above saying written in both High and Restored Jasos:

<p style="text-align:center;">kvona anlohra uua ma riik - qona anloha ua ma rig