Slokaisian Language
Slokaisian (Slokaisian: Bahasa Slokaisian) is a language spoken primarily in Slokais Islands. Slokaisian was created during the 1940s although modifed and adopted as a national language in 1973. Today, the language is spoken by around 58 million people, with most being in Slokais and additional minorities in Haesan, Laeral, and Mallacaland.
History
The Slokaisian Language originates from the founding of the Slokais Islands in the 1890s. Due to the many language groups found in Slokais, politicians at the time suggested the creation of a "common language"[a] At the time, English and Spanish were widely accepted as the two recognized languages. However, this was not cemented officially by law. In the 1930s, a group of political thinkers, linguists, and religious leaders established the Slokaisian Language Organization (SLO). The SLO held several meetings across Slokais, gathering public input for the structure of a new language. In 1940, the SLO adopted Bahasa Slokaisian and its corresponding alphabet and structure as a declared "language for Slokais".
Basha Slokasian saw limited use in its early years and was largely used by academics or highly educated social progressives. The first school for the language opened in 1943 in New Liverpool and was known as Sekolah le Slokais or "The School of Slokais" and operated classes for grade and college-level students. In 1947 the school's first graduates helped write the Slokaisian Language Dictionary or "Kamus Bahasa Slokaisian" the text becoming a key part of a growing group of collegiate classes in the language. In 1954, Juan Costa declared the Slokaisian Language as "an elitist form of communication" and banned the dictionary from public sale. Later several teachers were arrested on charges of "faulty teaching credentials" as teaching the language led to banishment from the Slokasian Reformist Teachers Union.
Commission on the Slokaisian Language
After United Federation forces captured New Liverpool in 1966 and declared a new government, the first meeting of the United Federation Parliament was held. At that meeting Speaker Howard Xiang stated in his opening remarks “I want to create a new united Slokais, a common tongue, a common name and a common goal”. This statement was actually taken from a pre-war nationalist book[b], yet was still well received by many. Just a few months later, the UFP passed a legislation to establish a sub-committee to build national unity known as The Parliamentary Sub-Committee on a Common Language (PSC-CL). In 1967, the PSC-CL passed a set of rules around language, a highly debated topic, known as the Language Act of 1967. Included was the creation of a the Commission on the Slokaisian Language to create a new national language in addition to the national languages of English and Spanish.
The Commission on the Slokaisian Language was made up of 27 members, with representatives languages from each major language group as well as linguistic scholars from several universities. Included in the committee were some surviving Basha Slokasian experts who largely pushed for the existing system to be implemented. However it was argued by Professor David Yuen, the Slokasian Bashra system largely relied on the San Fernando dialect of Spainsh and didn't include representation for Mandarin or speakers of indigenous languages. The work of the committee was largely focused on expanding the Slokaisian Language Dictionary from around 1,000 words to about 10,000. These words were often developed from existing words with balance given to major languages. In addition, each Commission member was trained to speak the language during development so issues with grammar could be addressed as they arose. Eventually after 3 year's, the Commission released a report for language implementation with January 1st, 1973 being declared as the start date for it's use as one of the three official languages.
Implementation
Slokasian was launched as a mandatory class for all students enrolled in public institutions for 5 years. After 1978, Slokasian was allowed to be designated as a Second Language by provincial educational bodies. Classes were developed by the Commission on the Slokaisian Language in cooperation with educators and focused on reading first, listening second, speaking third, and writing fourth. There was initial pushback from parents who worried that the language being pushed upon young children would lead to difficulties with their native languages at home, especially those who spoke Mandarin. In fact, enrollment in private Mandarin-speaking schools tripled between 1975 and 1985.
In addition to teaching children, funding was given for provinces to provide 5 years of programming for adults. Some provinces, such as San Fernando South, invested heavily in the language itself, with local TV having nightly programs for several decades. Public libraries began holding weekly classes in Slokasian across the country, although the program was not standardized, with participants filling out worksheets or holding reading practices. In 2000, David Chiang wrote in his book "The Language of Youth", "the failure of Slokasian Bahasa was its focus on youth and programs for adults made adult learners feel lesser then." Chiang's claim is supported by the fact that in the 2000 Census, only 40% of those over 30 considered themselves speakers of Slokasian, with less then 5% claiming it as their first language.
By 1983, when predictions had placed nationwide usage of Slokasian as a primary language of communication at 50%, less than 15% actually did, with numbers heavily drifting towards youth who had used the language in school. Additionally, language creolization occurred quickly as various dialects appeared, influenced by the speaker's original native language. In fact, proficiency exams had low rates of success until 1990 due to students and educators disregarding grammar rules. President Pablo Smith defunded the Commission on the Slokaisian Language in 1989, signaling the end of the government's experiment with a national language.
The Dialect Revolution
While the national government abandoned the language, Bahasa remained in official status across several provinces, especially those with large indigenous and Meszito population's. New Liverpool began to publish all government documents in English, Pindai Mandarin, and Slokasian in 2003, as students began to learn Slokasian as a mandatory second language for all years of public schooling. Additionally, the city also began to open Mandarin language charter schools, which taught Mandarin primarily. As those educated in the 70s and 80's began to become the primary demographic of working-people and these people began having children, three dialects emerged nationally. Bahasa Traditional, Bahasa Arabi, and Bahasa Urbano. Traditional was common in provinces where indigenous languages had once been common; it took on structure and form based on the original CSL textbooks and was adopted as a primary language among indigenous people. Bahasa Arabi was influenced by Arabic grammar rules and became popular in Bimhjar and Kaijan as a form of communication between locals and non-locals. Bahasa Urbano was the most slang-heavy and used Spanish-style personal pronouns, although regarded as unprofessional due to its usage in Jalencalle and S-Rap music in San Jose, San Fernando, and New Liverpool.
By 2010, 55% of the population used Slokasian as a language of communication and 20% as a primary language. This led to Bahasa Slokaisian being adopted as an official language once again in 2017 by Joseph Chavez, who had grown up a speaker due to his education in New Liverpool's public school system.
Writing System
Slokaisian is written in direct Latin script to be understandable for English and Spanish speakers, and also uses 24 letters. Although unlike Spainsh there are no accent markings with a limited number of sounds for each word to improve readability quickly. For official document usage
Examples
| Bahasa Traditional | Bahasa Arabi | Bahasa Urbano | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haloah | Salamat | Hola | Hello | Hola |
| Selamat Tingal | Salamat Tingal | Adios | Goodbye | Adios |
| Saya | Sayakun | Yo Saya | I am | Yo soy |
| Nasional | Bangsa | Nacionalle | Nation | Nacional |
| Anda | Anda | Tua | You | Tu |
| Pulau | Jazira | Islau | Island | Isla |
| Air | Ma'air | Aguila | Water | Agua |
| Dari | Dari | Akande | From | De |
| Federasi | Federihad | Federani | Federation | Federación |
| Tuhan | Allah | Dios | God | Dios |
| Presiden | Presayiana | Presidani | President | Presidente |
| Kami | Kamiahn | Kamotros | Us | Nosotros |
| Uang | Uang | Markneros | Money | Dinero |