Barzuna (language)

A langua Barzuna (the Brezondian language) is a language spoken in Brunant (more specifically in Brezonde, Cape Cross and Carrington) for nearly 1000 years. It is regulated by the Anstitut nalla Langua Barzuna (Institute of the Brezondian Language). Historically a "creole" of Arabic, it has evolved and has had a greater input from romance languages to consider it a separate language.

Old Barzuna
The origins of Barzuna (Barzuna antigue) begin in the 9th century when the Arabs took over Brunant. They came from various places: North Africa, Sicily, Spain and even Malta. Due to linguistic variation, they began to develop an Arab dialect to foster common understanding (like Siculo-arabic in Sicily). This language borrowed heavily on Arabic and to most romance language speakers (except maybe Maltese) it would seem very incomprehensible.

No texts remain from this era (perhaps lost during the Aragones occupation), though some medieval books reference the old language, stating that it was written in Arabic.

Middle Barzuna
Middle Barzuna (Barzuna medival) wasformed from the 13th century onwards. The arrival of the Aragonese and other romance-speaking peoples led to an increasing "romanization", as well as the advancement of that language. Soon romance languages like Catalan (and other Spanish languages) and even Italian dialects were contributing to the vocabulary and Grammar of Barzuna. The Venetians contributed (minimally) to the language, but much of it was lost by the 16th century. At its peak in the late 14th-century, around 12,000 (over half the population) spoke the language fluently. Usage of Brezondian fell drastically with the adoption of Dutch by the majority of Brunanters. Official records stated that by 1670 there were about 800 speakers, mostly in the town of Brezonde.

Modern Barzuna
In the late 18th century there came an era known as the "Brezondian renaissance". There was a huge interest in Brunant's Arab history, culture and architecture, and as a result of that the Barzuna language. Some people (mostly the rich) began to learn the language and though its use was greatly curbed during the Carrington era, it was seen as a symbol of national identity and was repatriated after his death. By 1810 the Royal University of Koningstad and Grijzestad University were teaching it, and it gained status as one of the "classical" languages alongside ancient Greek and Latin. In 1864 the Anstitut nalla Langua Barzuna was established and they published a comprehensive dictionary in 1869, still published to this date (18th edition, 2008). They standardized what is now modern Brezondian (Barzuna moderna), dropping archaic latin and Arabic remnants. In 1888 the language gained official status in the Town of Brezonde and in 1925 gained official recognition in Cape Cross Parish.

Brezondian today
As of 2010 there are about 25,000 native speakers of Brezondian and another 10,000 who speak it at a non-native level. Most non-native speakers learn/use it in academics, for studying linguistics, the old Arab culture and history. Unlike most of the country, Brezonde and the countryside have retained heir unique Arab-romance culture and language. It is used locally used more often than Dutch and until the 1960s most people (and until today many of the older generations) spoke nothing but Barzuna. In Brezonde, it is more important than English are allowed to take it instead of English (though English must be taken at later levels). In the rest of the parish (and country) it can be studied as a third (historic or foreign) language.

Brezondian culture
There has been for many years the belief that the Brezondian language forms part of the Brezondian culture, a distinct people in Brunant (like the Dutch or English). Historically, Brezondians are not one single people (the term officially refers to people from the town of Brezonde) but in fact to people of various origins united only by language. But, the gradual assimilation of Barzano-speaking (and romance-speaking) peoples and the linguistic encroachment by Dutch and English led them to develop what can be considered a culture unique from Brunant's.

Standard Modern Brezondian
Standard Modern Brezondian (Barzuna moderna or Barzuna Cap-Crusana) is the Brezondian deemed official by l'Anstitut nalla Langua Barzuna. This is spoken throughout northeast Cape Cross and Koningstad (there is a small community that lives in the Arabian Quarter, numbering about 500). This is the version taught in schools, colleges and universities and other language academies.

Southeast/southwest Brezondian
Southeast/southwest Brezondian are regional varieties that are over 90% standard Brezondian. Only a few local terms and pronounciations differ it from the standard.

Variezà Carneza
The Carrington variety (Variezà Carneza) is a version of Brezondian spoken in Carrington. Due to 400 years of isolation from the main Brezondian linguistic areas, this has adopted more (local) romance and English-influenced words and is spoken with a softer (less Arabic) accent).

Articles
The definite and indefinite articles take the following forms:

Prepositions
Barzuna uses various prepositions in the language. Some common ones include:

abazu- below, under

a costa- beside

de- from

en volta na- around

en, ena, ens- a, an

entre- between, within

fora- outside, outside of

foste- among

na- of, belonging to

par- for

sen- without

sest/sesta- is

subre- over

unti- until

val- worth

zim- on, on top of

zima- above

Example phrases
Talia! En elfante.
 * Look! An elephant.

Maria sesta a costa na Pieter.
 * Maria is beside Pieter.

Eus marzane sem foste-nos.
 * The martians are among us.

Dove e eu libre? Eu libre e zim (abazu, al costa) na tafla. Par quen sest eu libre? Sest par mi tio Luis.
 * Where is the book? The book is on the table. Who is it for? It's for my uncle Luis

Nouns
Nouns in the Brezondian language are categorized into three broad categories: masculine, feminine and neutral. Tangible objects/persons are usually placed in masculine or feminine. Conceptual terms like color and numbers are neutral (ex. el oransa or el zara, for orange and time). Usually an "a" at the end of a word denotes it being singular but it is also used for feminine words. Masculine words generally end in "o" or "e", and plural words end in "e". (ex. a zaftuna becomes as zaftune, even though "zaftune" is a pluralization) Likewise, eu Barzuno becomes eus Barzune. There are a few exceptions, as when tafla becomes taflis and banc becomes bancs.

Vocabulary
See also: Dictionary of Brezondian Brezondian vocabulary draws a lot from Spanish languages (primarily Aragonese and Catalan/Valencian) and Arabic. To a lesser extent it is influenced by Italian, Maltese and even Portuguese.