Read Bizaken
Four graded readers. One continuing story. A whole world to discover.
Learn a Language. Follow a Story. Discover Carthage.
Imagine learning a new Romance language by following the lives of a family in a city that history might have given us.
The city is Karthagine, capital of a Latin-speaking kingdom in medieval North Africa. The language is Bizaken, descended from the Latin of Roman Africa.
Your companions are Maximu, a cloth merchant, his wife Tazrint, and their children Marku and Titrit.
You first meet them in the streets and markets of Carthage. Their concerns are familiar: family, work, money, neighbours, and the small surprises of everyday life.
But their world does not remain small.
A stranger makes a tempting business offer. A comedy brings laughter to an ancient Roman theatre. Rumours arrive from Constantinople. A royal marriage promises a new alliance. And eventually, war threatens the kingdom.
As the story grows, so does the language.
From your first simple sentences to extended literary prose, the four Bizaken readers take you on a continuous journey from A1 to B2.
Every Bizaken sentence is followed by its English translation, so you can enjoy the story from the beginning and gradually learn to read without assistance.
A1 — Discover Carthage
Your first steps into a new language and a familiar world.
Meet Maximu and his family as they go about their daily lives in Karthagine.
Visit the market, walk through the streets, follow the family on its errands, and discover the ordinary pleasures and difficulties of life in a Mediterranean city.
The language begins with short, clear sentences. Familiar words, repeated structures, and immediate English translations help you understand what you read without first having to master a grammar textbook.
A concise grammar introduction provides the essentials, but the real learning happens through the stories themselves.
No previous knowledge of Bizaken or Latin is needed.
Bizaken A1 Reader — Learn Bizaken in Carthage
A2 — The Merchant's Promise
An opportunity too good to miss—or a promise that cannot be trusted?
Maximu has cloth to sell. Ships are arriving in the harbour, bringing merchants, goods, and news from distant lands.
Then a stranger offers to buy a large quantity of cloth.
There is just one problem.
He shows no money.
Should Maximu trust him?
Return to familiar characters as a simple business opportunity develops into a story about promises, judgement, and trust.
The sentences grow longer, conversations become more natural, and the story begins to flow with fewer interruptions. English translations remain directly beneath every Bizaken sentence.
You know the language's foundations. Now begin to follow a story in it.
Bizaken A2 Reader — Learning Bizaken in Carthage
B1 — Comedy and Rumours
The laughter of the theatre. The whispers of a changing kingdom.
A storm has passed over Karthagine. The streets fill again, the markets reopen, and the city prepares for a new comedy.
On stage, a clever servant, a troublesome young man, an attractive neighbour, and rather too much wine create a succession of misunderstandings and unexpected complications.
But beyond the theatre, another story is unfolding.
A ship has arrived from Constantinople.
And with it comes a remarkable rumour: an imperial princess may soon be coming to Carthage.
At B1, Bizaken becomes a language of lively dialogue, humour, extended scenes, and increasingly complex storytelling. The familiar family remains at the centre, but the world around them is growing larger.
You have learned how Bizaken works. Now discover what it can do.
Bizaken B1 Reader — Step into a Living Carthage
B2 — Carthage Waits for News
A royal marriage. A new alliance. The shadow of war.
The prince of Carthage has married a princess from Constantinople.
Crowds celebrate their return. The city rejoices, and the alliance between the two kingdoms seems to promise a more secure future.
Then comes news of war.
Armies are moving. Soldiers march south. Ships put to sea. Families wait for news from distant places.
For Maximu, Tazrint, Marku, and Titrit, the affairs of kings and empires are no longer distant rumours. They have become part of their own lives.
As the kingdom faces an uncertain future, the language reaches a new level of expression.
Longer passages, richer vocabulary, extended dialogue, description, reflection, and emotion allow you to experience Bizaken as a language of sustained literary storytelling.
The bilingual format remains, but by now you may find yourself reading entire passages before looking at the English.
The earlier books teach you how to read Bizaken. B2 lets you begin simply reading in it.
Bizaken B2 Reader — Learning Bizaken in Carthage