Fywnti
A language as old as Huswat, Fywnti has not had the same degree of influence over Erwa. It remains the main language of communities living in Daïdänt mountains and its historic influence on the surrounding countries is clear in the names of rivers, cities, and provinces.
Although Fywnti is not the primary language of any country, Aberych and Marad recognise it as an official language, along with Olmivera. Fywnti is spoken extensively throughout the western Orstad Kingdoms, in what used to be the Thywian Kingdom, but - for historic reasons - the country does not recognise it as an official language.
Vocabulary
Fywnti is fairly limited in its vocabulary, relying on context to provide meaning. Where Huswat has several words for varying levels of 'good', each with their own degree of nuance (eg: good, great, excellent, masterful, etc), Fywnti only has "ty", which can mean 'good', 'great' and 'wonderful', but also 'sexy', and 'warm'. Contemporary Fywnti, therefore, includes a number of loanwords from its nearest physical neighbours: Hrimar and Olmivera.
This limited vocabulary produces a large number of compound words, kennings, and idioms. Combined with the lilting accent of the Daïdänt region, this has lead to Fywnti being romanticised as a 'poetic' language. A number of phrases and idioms have been adopted into common use in other languages.
- taking the goats' path (doing something the hard way)
- without a billy, billy-less (naïve, open to being taken advantage of)
- a hot egg (a contentious topic)
- that's no hill for a climber (that's easy if you have experience)
- I don’t chew my cabbage twice (I won't repeat myself)
- piece (small, young - "I was a piece of a girl")
- fox-footed (someone suffering from insomnia, a sleepwalker)
- frog-haired (bald)
- soul-shape (emotion)
- head-leaf (lettuce)
- shower-sign (rainbow)
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