Tikhtai

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This article is maintained by the Amin Duum Taijis Nil Historical Complex Staff.

Tikhtai was the official language of the Empire of Tikhtai as recognised by the The Council of the White Tree. While the Empire of Tikhtai covered a wide geographical area and encompassed many other languages (including Tagluk), the Council selected the language spoken by Tikhtai's aristocracy in official documents. According to Council rules, all documentation had to be reproduced in all five imperial languages (Basati, Keshwari, Yao, Turati, and Tikhtai). This is the only means by which the language survives today.

Geographical Distribution

Tikhtai was spoken exclusively by the Tikhtai aristocracy (those belonging to the Tikhtai tribe) in the southernmost region of Tikhtai, close to the border with White Tree. As the empire was the second to fall to the Empire of Basat during The Rending War, much of its poetry, fiction, and creative material was lost without ever being recorded. As such, the only elements of the language available for study are surviving papers from the Council of the White Tree.

It should be noted that, as the Council largely worked in the languages of the three dominant empires (Basat, Keshwar, and Turat), it is unlikely that Tikhtai was ever spoken or used extensively. Research published by the Rad Ulgesh Historical Complex suggests that Tikhtai documents were written by second-language translators, not native speakers, and that inaccuracies or infelicities of translation occurred. As such, the surviving evidence of the language should be treated with caution.

Header image credit: Tithi Luadthong

Spoken by

• Tikhtai