The Zurvár Language (Surfarian)

The Takal - traditional symbol of the Zurvár people

Zurvár (or 'Surfarian' as is it occasionally known) is the language of the venerable, probabatialy nomadic Zurvár people. While it has been spoken in some form for at least 1000 years (the earliest known records dating back to 1002 AD) it has only become generally known to mon meneq (humans) over the last 30 years - since the settlement of Zurvár Arèáná ('Surfaria') in the 1960's.

This website is maintained by the Institute for Zurvár studies, currently Earth's leading body in Zurvár and Zurvár related research. While the financial situation of the Institute is stable, we still receive nowhere near the funding necessary to properly foster Human-Zurvár relations. As such our work requires an over-reliance on the work of volunteers and - even worse - undergraduates from the linguistic departments of nearby colleges and universities. As a result we are currently unable to present all of our research in online format, and cannot guarantee that that which has been put online hasn't been corrupted by typographical errors, absent mindedness, sloppy formatting, or as some kind of purile student joke.

Our financial status also makes it impossible for us to provide field researchers on Zurvár Arèáná with more than token funding, a situation that results in a depressing number either dropping out of sight or doing so well in their efforts to support themselves that they quit linguistics entirely in favour of sitting on the beachfront in Gorat Bárkalif Ganalû drinking mon daqirè while the money rolls in. The few who persevere tend to do so either through extreme eccentricity or sheer bloody mindedness - qualities that naturally affect both the quality and frenquency of their reports. The worst trash is generally weeded out of their submissions before being posted to this website, however the accuracy of this information cannot be relied upon until confirmed by follow-up research.

UPDATE: The Institute is pleased to announce that our relationship with the Gárþoaq Sponge Fishing Combine (first established in 2005) continues, with not just the generous use of one of their fleet - the Lòtò Ceþrò Gibz - during the off season, but an ongoing stipend sufficient to keep a full time researcher in Gorat Karaþ Dárgurn. We would like to thank Mikel Gárþoaq Ašlinavik for his continuing interest in our work (and for the sponges) and pledge to continue supplying DVDs of the entire NCIS franchise for as long as they keep making them.

Zurvár Arèáná (Surfaria)