Languages of Obanacia

Obanacia is the most linguistically diverse country in the Nesionytan Islands. Several languages belong to different language families, the most significant ones being Kagrash and Iliht-Gao languages. The country has one of the highest number of languages, with a total of over 224 languages spoken.

According to the 1983 constitution, Hajorian in the Kubusa script, Baritoa in the Rathekhi script, and Barashan in the Nesio-Arabic script are the three official languages of Obanacia. Prior to 1983, the country had no official languages, and all these three were classified as 'working languages'. Hajorian is the most widely spoken language in Obanacia, and is the lingua franca along with Baritoa and Barashan. The language has around 3 million native speakers, around 30% of the country's entire population, and 7 million second language speakers. In the mid-1980s, the Mokkhiya policy, meaning oneness, was enacted, implementing all the three languages to be taught in schools. Endangered languages will have stricter implementation on the schools of the regions where the languages are spoken.

History
The Hajorian and Baritoa languages were both developed in Obanacia during the 1st century BC. One of the earliest records of the Kubusa writing system originated here, proving that the writing system was probably invented in the country. The Nesionytan and languages became very important for religious purposes.

Hajorian was the sole official language of the Hajor Kingdom and brutally repressed other languages until 1889, when Raja Tahamirjadasa granted equal rights to all languages. Hajorian, on the other hand, remained the official language until 1942 when Tahamirjadasa was assassinated. With the establishment of the new Republic of Obanacia in 1943, Hajorian's official status was removed. A wave of Sittapinian immigrants in the late 1940s gradually increased the number of Sittapinian speakers in the country.

The country had no official language nor national language and the three most spoken languages, Hajorian, Baritoa, and Barashan, gained working status. Due to British and French influences, both English and French were recognized as the main foreign languages in Obanacia. There were several attempts of making Hajorian the official language of the country, especially during the rise of Hajor nationalism in the 1950s. In 1952, its first constitution stated that no language shall have official status, and that English and French will have foreign status.

In 1964, a referendum was held in making English and French the official languages of Obanacia, in which 98% strongly opposed the decision, stating that none of the both are Obanacian languages. After the constitution was rewritten in 1983, Hajorian, Baritoa, and Barashan were granted official status.

In 2011, the government enacted the Lahimurttua policy, which enforces the use of endangered and moribund languages in their native regions. All schools in those regions must teach those languages in order to avoid extinction.

Foreign languages
The Obanacian constitution recognizes both and  as the main foreign languages of the country. English is the most common language among the both, spoken approximately by 2 million Obanacians according to 2015 census. The number later increased to 5 million in 2021 as a result of the widespread exposure of the language through social media.