Symmerian language
| Makedonian | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Makedonian Empire |
| Era | ~600 BCE-1800 CE |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
The Makedonian Language was the language of the Makedonians, from the 7th Century BCE up until around the 19th Century. The Makedonian language was the lingua franca of much of Syara during the Makedonian Empire, before it declined in use and was gradually replaced with the Svinian-inspired modern Syaran language.
The Makedonian language descended from the Erani-Eracurans and shares a the same root language as the Nordic languages of Acrea, Shalum, Delkora, and Æþurheim, Ossorian, Cacertian, Hayren, and the Erani-Ridevan family. Makedonian was derived from the Khotoi who settled Syara sometime in the 4th-3rd Millennia BCE, who later formed the Aleitians. The Makedonian tongue is widely considered to have been a sibling to the language of the Kydonian League, though remained distinct enough to be considered a separate language. Makedonian gradually overtook Kydonian linguistics due to the rise of Makedon, and by the 1st Century CE was the predominant spoken language within Syara. It remained so despite the Hayren Migration in the 5th Century CE.
Makedonian began to decline in usage following the Burning Plague, which killed around a quarter of Syara's population. The lack of formal efforts to educate the Syaran populace in the Makedonian tongue paved the way for the proto-Svinian language of the Kingdom of Dragovita to take hold after the Empire established trade relations and formalized an alliance. The explosion of Dragovitan merchants and traders into Syara paved the way for proto-Syaran, heavily inspired by early Svinian, to take root and became a common language among the merchant class and urban dwellers. Following the formation of the Makedonian Khanate in 1305, the Makedonian language became increasingly restricted to the Royal Court in Parilla. By the time of the Syaran Successor States Makedonian was largely extinct outside the Kingdom of Makedon, but it remained in declining use as its utility in communication across Syara had ceased to exist.
The last population to speak Makedonian as a native tongue were likely isolated communities in the Lycian Mountains along the border with Galania, and by the time of Unification the Republic of Syara formally established the Syaran language as its official tongue. The closest remaining relative to the Makedonian language is spoken by Hellene Gylians.