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'''Common Directian''' (often simply '''Directian''') is the everyday language of [[Directionland]] and much of [[Mundus|Mundus’s]] trade and administration. It developed over several centuries from '''[[Ruulden]]''', which is described as the oldest surviving language on Mundus and now reserved chiefly for rites, ancient texts, and formal diplomacy.

== Historical development ==
Early imperial records describe Ruulden as once widespread across Directionland. As the realm expanded and local speech diverged, a vernacular branch—later called '''Common Directian'''—emerged, simplifying Ruulden grammar and adopting a more flexible word order. By the time of [[the Great Unification]], Directian was the de facto tongue of daily life, while [[Ruulden]] remained the ceremonial and high-register language of courts and sanctums.

== Status and use ==
In modern [[Directionland]], Common Directian is the '''primary language''' of government, commerce, education, and the press; [[Ruulden]] persists in '''religious liturgy''', '''ancient scholarship''', and select diplomatic formulae. 

== In culture and education ==
Directian is the medium of instruction in imperial schools and the language of civic ceremonies (anthems, oaths), with Ruulden optionally incorporated for quotations, mottos, or sacred passages. The coexistence of the two tongues—Directian for '''public life''', Ruulden for '''tradition'''—is a hallmark of Directionlandic identity.