D20 Linguistics

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

I've been considering writing a book (or at least a fairly sizable document) on Linguistics for use with D20 games, particularly D&D, and I want to know how much interest this would generate. The work would almost certainly be free, rather than distributed through a publisher.

This work would include such topics as:
The IPA (international phonetic alphabet) and how to use it.
The basic rules of articulation, including what types of sounds are pronouncable/distinguishable for humans or various other possible creatures.
An exploration of orthography (writing systems [alphabets])
A primer on morphology (word-building) and the forms it takes in real-world languages.
A similar primer on syntax (sentence and utterance building) and grammar.
A discussion of historical linguistics, the evolution of languages over time, and the genetic relationships of languages.
How to make a constructed language (perhaps including one or more sample constructed language fragments, e.g. dwarven, undercommon, celestial, and giant)
Some rules options for the Speak Language Skill and for spells like Comprehend Languages and Tongues.

If anyone has any other suggestions as to what they'd like to see in a book like this, I'd love to see them, but mainly, I'm just interested to know whether this is something the ENWorld community would download and read; whether it is something you'd use in your game.

If something of this nature appeared in Dragon Magazine, what from the list above or your own imagination would you be interested in seeing?

 

[Incenjucar]

There's a website along these lines, though not specifically fantasy-related.

The hardest part about dealing with fantasy languages is you need to consider the physical parts of the creatures involved.

 

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

any idea where I can find this site?

 

[Lyriel Aelorothi]

any idea where I can find this site?

I would also be interested in this link...

 

[johnsemlak]

A d20 Fantasy book on Linguistics might want to also tough on aspects of magical writing, and magical words that form verbal componets.

 

[Knight Otu]

any idea where I can find this site?

He might mean this site, the "Language Construction Kit".

 

[Piratecat]

Most people here haven't been around long enough to remember Forrester and his rant about the spelling of fantasy names. It's fair to say that he had very shameful things to say about names using an apostrophe, and names that substituted a "y" for a vowel. An elf named Ly'inne would have been excoriated.

This is one of those subjects that for me would be better treated with a mini-pdf or a Dragon article; I'm interested in knowing more, but not to the extent of buying a whole book on the subject.

 

[Incenjucar]

Nope, that's not it. Someone on here posted a link. I may have it in my pile of links, but I just got back from an extremely lovely 8 hour date, so my brain's a little too endorphine-blasted to search.

In the mean time, I will give a suggestion in regards to letter construction (though, I remind, that's hardly the only way to write).

A method I've been using myself for runes, as was done with many symbol-heavy languages, like Chinese or some forms of Japanese, makes for interesting symbols. What you do is you take an important concept and make a graphic out of it (say, a tiger, a person in a hat, or intestines with a spoon dipped in them), and put it in some sort of pose (or try different poses). Then, draw that same thing in an increasingly simplified manner, based on how you think your fantasy culture would do it (If they'd draw something in one long stroke, several small ones, curvy, blocky, etc). Twist some of the lines about in odd ways (like trying to depict a circle as a slash-mark), and you'll eventually get something letter-looking, or at least rune-looking. I've already got a rune for 'creature that causes two species to merge' and 'lust-absorbing spirit entity', that barely look like the original thing, but which I can trace back to their original. Also, keep in mind that you don't have to depict the whole thing. Don't be afraid to simplify like mad. If people are defined by their ability to walk upright, for instance, just drawing legs is fine and dandy.

Also, consider how the creatures themselves could write. For instance, I tend to have clawed creatures use some sort of cuniform, which they can merely dip their claws in to clay for.

 

[Wolf72]

Most people here haven't been around long enough to remember Forrester and his rant about the spelling of fantasy names. It's fair to say that he had very shameful things to say about names using an apostrophe, and names that substituted a "y" for a vowel. An elf named Ly'inne would have been excoriated.

This is one of those subjects that for me would be better treated with a mini-pdf or a Dragon article; I'm interested in knowing more, but not to the extent of buying a whole book on the subject.

iirc, he loved mythril too ... or was that mythral ...

 

[Pseudonym]

Most people here haven't been around long enough to remember Forrester and his rant about the spelling of fantasy names.

Does anyone have Forrester's anti-elf essay archived? I had it in my files, but unfortunatly lost it when my harddrive died.