Spoken in: Risari Empire (extinct)
Region: Risay
Language Extinction: TBD
Language Family: possible language isolate, but some suggest ties to Murian
Ancient Risari is an extinct language, which was spoken by the ancient Risari. It was an official language of the Unogonduri Empire. The last written records in Ancient Risari appear about the time of the conquest of the Komali Empire by Gamaei.
Ancient Risari Scripts
Proto-Risari is the oldest known writing system from Risay. It was used during a brief period of time; clay tablets with Proto-Risari writing have been found at different sites across Risay. The Proto-Risari script is thought to have developed from an early form of cuneiform writing (proto-cuneiform). The Proto-Risari script consists of more than 1,000 signs and is thought to be partly logographic. Since it has not yet been deciphered, it is not known whether the language it represents is Risari or another language. It has been suggested that some early writing systems, including Proto-Risari, may not relate to spoken language in the way that modern writing systems do.
Linear Risari is a writing system from Risay attested in a few monumental inscriptions only. It is often claimed that Linear Risari is a syllabic writing system derived from Proto-Risari, although this cannot be proven. Linear Risari was used for a very brief period of time; it has not been deciphered, despite the efforts of notable scholars.
Risari Cuneiform script is related to Sakuri Cuneiform. The Risari script consisted of about 130 symbols, far fewer than most other cuneiform scripts.
Linguistic Typology
Ancient Risari was an agglutinative language, meaning it’s grammar featured case agreement between nouns (Suffixaufnahme). It also had a class of animate nouns with separate markers for first, second, and third person.
Relations to Other Language Families
Ancient Risari is mostly thought to have no close relation to the neighboring Baklunish languages, or to the Oeridian languages, even though it adopted the Suloise syllabic script.
Sample Risari Lexicon
Common: Risay
Risari: hari-sari
Meaning: land of the gods