Marchan
Machann | |
|---|---|
 Unofficial flag of Marchans | |
| Total population | |
| c. 7.5-8 million (2023) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Regions | |
| Northwestern Alaoyi | 7.3 million |
| Languages | |
| Marchann | |
| Religion | |
| Orthodox Christian | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Gagians | |
The Marchan (Marchan: Marchann) are a Galian ethnic group. They are descended from Gagians, a Stratean ethnic group, and emerged from the burgeoning colonial cities of Alaoyi. Most Marchans still live in ethnic enclaves in northwestern Alaoyi, where they make up roughly 12-15% of the population. These enclaves began as trading quarters purchased from Alanna and Alaoyi, called "Gagian Quarters" or "Marchan Quarters".
Marchans speak a creole of Gagian and Ndibeanyan called Marchan, which has a few regional accents, varying city to city. Most can also speak Fluvan or any of the Alaoyian languages. Although its vocabulary largely derives from 18th-century Gagian, its grammar is that of a the Northeastern Galian language branch, particularly the Ndibeanyan and Ikhetese languages. It also has influences from Spanish, Fluvan, Onslander, Niagaran, and Inglaterran. It is not mutually intelligible with standard Gagian, and has its own distinctive grammar. Marchans are the largest community in the world speaking a modern creole language.
Estimates of contemporary Marchan populations vary widely. The Alaoyian census of 2014 reported over 7.3 million Marchans in Alaoyi, based on self-declared ethnic identity. However the Alaoyian Encyclopedia estimates that there are at least 500,000 of Marchan ancestry in Alaoyi, which would include many who declared their ethnic identity for the census as Onslander, Diash, or other. Additionally, an unknown number of Marchan immigrants have immigrated to the Furbish Islands or Gagium in the past and may have lost their Marchan identity over time.