Old Asurans

The term Old Asurans refers to the inhabitants of the continent of Asura who predate the arrival of the later Cataisuran and Liiduro-Nausikaan peoples. This is essentially a chronological description applied to a given population and does not imply an ethnic, cultural or linguistic relationship between any of the groups to whom it refers.

The accepted groups who are considered Old Asuran are the Brillian people of Brilliania, Kavalerish people, Similian and Laphnaric people of Tudonia and neighbouring countries, the disperse Veyene people and the Vrnallian people. Of these groups, the only well-accepted relationship is that between the Similian and Laphnaric peoples, who speak related languages; even in this case however genetic evidence for a relationship is inconclusive.

Relationship between Old Asuran groups

The term Old Asuran is not typically used to imply that there is any kind of a relationship between the designated groups other than that of all having inhabited Asura before the arrival of later, more dominant peoples. That said, it is sometimes held that there is an ethnic relationship between the Old Asurans. The most widely held is that of a Simo-Laphnaric connection; see the appropriate section for details. However, most scholars are at best skeptical of such a proposition. Genetic evidence, aside from being complicated by racial admixture, is not consistent enough to suggest a common ancestry, while the linguistic evidence is usually explainable as chance resemblance at best.

Language

The only demonstrable linguistic connection is that of the Similian and Laphnaric languages within a Simo-Laphnaric language family. In other instances, although there are occasional resemblances between given languages, these are typically held as being nothing more than coincidental. There are few if any elements of grammar or lexicon which apply to all of the languages of the Old Asuran peoples. Similarities such as, for example, the sharing of ergative-absolutive alignment between Vrnallian and Brillian are held to be mere coincidences and not indicative of a relationship. Moreover, the existence of Kavalerish and Simo-Laphnaric within the Continental Alemannic Sprachraum creates issues of its own due to the influence of an Alemannic superstrate on these languages.

Simo-Laphnarics

The Similian and Laphnaric peoples primarily inhabit the Kingdom of Tudonia in the Alemannia region. It is well-accepted that their indigenous languages, Similian and Laphnaric respectively, are related languages within a small Simo-Laphnaric language family. As a result of this, many researchers hold that the groups are ethnic relatives. However, actual evidence for this theory beyond the linguistic is inconclusive. Genetic testing of the groups do not resolve the issue as for centuries the Laphnaric people have intermarried with both the Similian and Alemannic peoples of the region. What genetic similarities exist between Similians and Laphnarics therefore cannot definitively be ruled out as due to this mixing, while conversely any genetic difference cannot be ruled out as being due to mixing with Alemannic people.