D&D (2024) The changes to languages are a good start

[Epic Meepo]

Yes, and if they're going to do a "Common Sign Language" why not do a Dwarvish Sign Language and an Elvish Sign Language and so on? Just like how there's American Sign Language, French Sign Language, NZ Sign Language, and so on in the real world. It feels kind of tokenistic to have just one sign language.

As for Draconic being the language of magic - I don't mind it, but I can see your point of view too. There are many different kinds of magic, not all of which would have come from dragons, so yeah, maybe magic needs its own language too.

Random sign language trivia: There was a Dwarvish sign language in the 2e Complete Book of Dwarves, and a character in one of the Forgotten Realms novels uses (non-drow) Elvish sign language.

 

[lall]

Evereskan finger talk too in Forgotten Realms.

 

[deadman1204]

I think the best change would be eliminating common. That ruins any concept of language and culture. Everyone can always talk to everyone, and all other languages are just secret codes that some people know.

 

[Epic Meepo]

Evereskan finger talk too in Forgotten Realms.

Yep. I believe that's the Evereskan term for what's more generally described in the novels as "making the Elvish sign for" a word, or language to that effect.

There's also the Trade Tongue of Kara-Tur, which is a pidgin made up of borrowed words and gestures. So that's another Realms language with a sign vocabulary.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Or a Ranger language as they would roam and meet each other often.

Broadening out Druidic and Thieves Cant to some sort of generalized "code language" might make sense, so that groups where it'd make sense -- rangers, changelings, etc. -- could have mechanical support for such a thing built into the PHB.

 

[overgeeked]

I think the best change would be eliminating common. That ruins any concept of language and culture. Everyone can always talk to everyone, and all other languages are just secret codes that some people know.

I couldn’t disagree more. Look at history. The development of lingua franca shows culture, it doesn’t erase culture. Giving humans their own languages would help. Giving other races more languages would help. Creating more broadly useful lingua franca would help. Not removing them.

 

[cbwjm]

I'm somewhat ambivalent about the changes but I am curious how often languages make a difference in peoples games. For instance, In my games it's typically only when listening in or reading something that it matters (ie, eavesdropping on a couple of goblins when you can't speak the language means you've no idea that they're talking about their mother's stewed rat recipe). But otherwise, they're kind of an afterthought.

 

[lall]

Pretty much. I was planning on having my 5.5 character not know Common. He would rely on Comprehend Languages, Tongues, and anyone in the party that could translate. But since 5.5 characters have to know Common, that got put in the trash.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm somewhat ambivalent about the changes but I am curious how often languages make a difference in peoples games. For instance, In my games it's typically only when listening in or reading something that it matters (ie, eavesdropping on a couple of goblins when you can't speak the language means you've no idea that they're talking about their mother's stewed rat recipe). But otherwise, they're kind of an afterthought.

I think it's highly campaign/group dependent. We use languages quite a bit in my games.

 

[TravDoc42]

All this talk about languages has me worried about the bigger issue:
What if troglodytes don't speak Troglodyte in the new Monster Manual???

Joking aside, I love the weird niche languages that only some creatures know, like Slaad, or Sphinx, or Giant Eagle. I recently DMed a campaign using the Deck of Many More Things, and one of the PCs had his character gain a few languages. I made sure to add Troglodyte in there!