wingsandsword
Legend
This is an in-game treatise I wrote on languages for my campaign. I started with the idea of addressing why "Common" is the pretty much universal language no matter what world or plane you go to, and why some continents can have different langauges, so you can have more in common linguistically with a completely different culture from a different world than the normal language of another continent on your own world. It is written from a Faerunian point of view, but it could easily be adapted to other worlds or settings.
I thought some people here might get some use or enjoyment out of my thoughts on the issue.
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One of the truly amazing things about the multiverse is how common various languages are, and how despite living across dozens of worlds, across all the known planes, there is a remarkable amount of linguistic similarity. While countless local languages not found anywhere else are found in virtually every world, there are also a relatively small number of languages that are spoken identically (or nearly so) virtually anywhere in known reality you try to travel. Why are there so many languages that are held in common throughout the multiverse?
The language known as “Common” is often misunderstood on it’s surface, despite being spoken by most people in the known worlds and planes. Common is a trade language, a pidgin of various regional languages from several continents across several worlds, concepts and ideas from elemental and planar languages, and borrowed expressions from racial languages such as Dwarven and Draconic. Some expressions and words are taken from otherwise extinct languages, while some unique expressions and words from the traveling and trading communities that have no origin in another language.
Common isn’t the first language of anyone. In virtually every place where it is spoken, there is a local language which is used by locals in everyday speech. Common is used in trade and diplomacy with those from a place that speaks another language, conveying foreign concepts, or as a generally neutral language when use of another language may have unwelcome political or religious connotations.
There isn’t a single true “Common”. Many millennia of travel between countries, continents and worlds has created the language known as “Common”, how it is spoken in any one region varies significantly. There is typically one dialect of Common to a single Continent or Material World (such as Faerunian, Ansalon and Greyhawk dialects). These local dialects show more influence of local languages and are often written in local scripts. As Common has no written language unique to itself, it is always interpreted in local scripts. Interplanar travelers speak the Planar Common language, which is more heavily influenced by languages of the inner and outer planes, and has a large amount of specialized expressions and a distinctive accent (the accent is believed to originally be the local accent of the planar metropolis of Sigil). Planar Common is expressed in a unique alphabet which was designed by a group of planar travelers several centuries ago and specially designed to be easy to learn and resemble as many widely used material alphabets as possible. Those travelers who go directly between material worlds via magically powered sailing vessels have their own Spacefarer’s Common, which is has fewer words from the outer planar languages, but also includes specialized vocabulary and an accent derived from the seagoing cultures of material worlds.
Common isn’t spoken everywhere. If a culture has few connections to other continents or planes then it is not generally part of the interchange of languages that lead to the development of Common. Examples include the continent of Zakhara on Toril, with it’s Midani language that has very little shared with the Common tongue (other than a few shared words from Elemental languages, since the culture of Zakhara has some ties to the Elemental planes). Elsewhere on Toril, use of the Shou language dominates the entire continent of Kara Tur, which uses a complex system of pictographs and syllabary (derived from Draconic), and the language itself is quite unique, only having a small amount of concepts and words taken from Celestial (because the pantheon of Kara Tur is commonly known as the “Celestial Bureaucracy” and resides largely in the upper planes).
There isn’t even one single “Common” language. While “Common” is spoken on the surface of many worlds and across many planes, there is actually a second “Common” that is spoken beneath the surface of countless worlds, across some of the lower planes, and to a lesser extent on the Elemental Plane of Earth. This is the language known as “Undercommon”. This language is far more standard across known worlds and planes, because it is derived almost entirely of planar and racial languages. It has encountered the same drive toward standardization thanks to travel between worlds and planes, but the root languages started as far more common, with Drow (itself derived from Elven with heavy Abyssal influence), Terran, Dwarven, Kuo-Toa and Draconic intermingling. A speaker of Undercommon can generally use that language in the underdark of many worlds, and it is at least understood in most major planar metropolises. It largely doesn’t even suffer the large amount of regional dialects that Common does (aside from the occasional world-specific term or local accent).
Then there are the racial languages. Language spoken essentially unchanged across myriad worlds, but only by those of a specific people. Elven, Dwarven, Orc, Goblin, Gnomish, Halfling, Giant and Draconic being the most common, but doubtless more exist. These languages spread from world to world as races migrated in through planar travel and spelljamming, reinforced by unified pantheons, cultures and deities that kept linguistic drift in check and encouraged peoples to retain their traditional language. These languages have a certain amount of localization in dialects like any language, but are all mutually intelligible. The Sylvan language spoken by Fey and intelligent animals and plants is akin to this, but crosses some lines of species and culture. The lack of a single racial patron pantheon for humans and the lack of a single known human origin is both responsible for the lack of a human racial language, and one of the greater mysteries of the multiverse.
Then there are seven languages that are generally considered “Planar” languages, the languages spoken by the native inhabitants of the inner and outer planes. Ignan, Terran, Aquan and Auran are spoken by natives of the 4 elemental planes and the rest of the inner planes. Elements of these languages have drifted into other widely spoken languages because of general relations, such as Dwarven adopting a number of Terran expressions. Celestial, Infernal and Abyssal are spoken by natives of the outer planes, and are very ideologically charged languages. Celestial is the language of the upper planes, from Arcadia to Ysgard, and is clearly meant to be spoken by those pure of heart. Celestial has a wide variety of ways of describing love, charity, mercy and justice, and the language is almost entirely free of profanity, a string of profanities in Celestial sounds almost comical when literally translated into common (“You no-good, bad, naughty person!”). On the other ends, there is the Infernal Language, spoken from Acheron to Hades, with literally fiendishly complex grammar, a harsh guttural sound, and a very large and unwieldy set of vocabulary. On the other end of the lower planes is the Abyssal language, spoken from Pandemonium to Hades, with more irregularities and fluid word order than almost any other language known, with a remarkably deep variety of words describing pain and suffering and literally hundreds of profanities. It is notable that there is no known native language to the Grey Waste of Hades, the Yugoloths apparently speak both Abyssal and Infernal fluently and use both interchangeably. If they have a native language of their own, they keep it strictly to themselves . There is also the Axiomatic speech of Modrons and the Anarchic speech of Slaad, but since they typically cannot be comprehended by nonnative speakers without magical assistance, they are not normally counted as normal languages for most scholarly purposes.
Then there is the special case of the Druidic language. This language is considered to be a secret of the druidic orders and priesthoods, and this secrecy is respected across lines of ideology, faith, and geography. How one single language could unite so many faiths, only loosely related in their portfolio, across so far was long a mystery. Through research and divinations, it is believed that countless millennia ago on some forgotten material world (its name known only to elder Druids, if it’s still known at all) a civilization collapsed, with a druidic priesthood being the only educated and literate group of survivors. These ancient Druids took the responsibility of preserving language and learning of this culture, and kept their language to themselves as their culture descended into barbarism. What happened to this civilization is unknown, but when the druids of this world traveled the planes and worlds, they spread their language to other druids, and with the spread of the language came the spread of the secrecy. While Druidic can be understood through divination spells and deciphered by linguists, it is a serious breach of a Druid’s faith for them to spread the language or condone it being spread outside their faith, and some Druids have been known to kill those who learn the language outside of Druidic channels and instruction.
Thus, we have Common, Undercommon, Ignan, Auran, Terran, Aquan, Infernal, Abyssal, Celestial, Druidic, Sylvan and a dozen or so racial languages as the languages that are understood across virtually all the known planes.
I thought some people here might get some use or enjoyment out of my thoughts on the issue.
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One of the truly amazing things about the multiverse is how common various languages are, and how despite living across dozens of worlds, across all the known planes, there is a remarkable amount of linguistic similarity. While countless local languages not found anywhere else are found in virtually every world, there are also a relatively small number of languages that are spoken identically (or nearly so) virtually anywhere in known reality you try to travel. Why are there so many languages that are held in common throughout the multiverse?
The language known as “Common” is often misunderstood on it’s surface, despite being spoken by most people in the known worlds and planes. Common is a trade language, a pidgin of various regional languages from several continents across several worlds, concepts and ideas from elemental and planar languages, and borrowed expressions from racial languages such as Dwarven and Draconic. Some expressions and words are taken from otherwise extinct languages, while some unique expressions and words from the traveling and trading communities that have no origin in another language.
Common isn’t the first language of anyone. In virtually every place where it is spoken, there is a local language which is used by locals in everyday speech. Common is used in trade and diplomacy with those from a place that speaks another language, conveying foreign concepts, or as a generally neutral language when use of another language may have unwelcome political or religious connotations.
There isn’t a single true “Common”. Many millennia of travel between countries, continents and worlds has created the language known as “Common”, how it is spoken in any one region varies significantly. There is typically one dialect of Common to a single Continent or Material World (such as Faerunian, Ansalon and Greyhawk dialects). These local dialects show more influence of local languages and are often written in local scripts. As Common has no written language unique to itself, it is always interpreted in local scripts. Interplanar travelers speak the Planar Common language, which is more heavily influenced by languages of the inner and outer planes, and has a large amount of specialized expressions and a distinctive accent (the accent is believed to originally be the local accent of the planar metropolis of Sigil). Planar Common is expressed in a unique alphabet which was designed by a group of planar travelers several centuries ago and specially designed to be easy to learn and resemble as many widely used material alphabets as possible. Those travelers who go directly between material worlds via magically powered sailing vessels have their own Spacefarer’s Common, which is has fewer words from the outer planar languages, but also includes specialized vocabulary and an accent derived from the seagoing cultures of material worlds.
Common isn’t spoken everywhere. If a culture has few connections to other continents or planes then it is not generally part of the interchange of languages that lead to the development of Common. Examples include the continent of Zakhara on Toril, with it’s Midani language that has very little shared with the Common tongue (other than a few shared words from Elemental languages, since the culture of Zakhara has some ties to the Elemental planes). Elsewhere on Toril, use of the Shou language dominates the entire continent of Kara Tur, which uses a complex system of pictographs and syllabary (derived from Draconic), and the language itself is quite unique, only having a small amount of concepts and words taken from Celestial (because the pantheon of Kara Tur is commonly known as the “Celestial Bureaucracy” and resides largely in the upper planes).
There isn’t even one single “Common” language. While “Common” is spoken on the surface of many worlds and across many planes, there is actually a second “Common” that is spoken beneath the surface of countless worlds, across some of the lower planes, and to a lesser extent on the Elemental Plane of Earth. This is the language known as “Undercommon”. This language is far more standard across known worlds and planes, because it is derived almost entirely of planar and racial languages. It has encountered the same drive toward standardization thanks to travel between worlds and planes, but the root languages started as far more common, with Drow (itself derived from Elven with heavy Abyssal influence), Terran, Dwarven, Kuo-Toa and Draconic intermingling. A speaker of Undercommon can generally use that language in the underdark of many worlds, and it is at least understood in most major planar metropolises. It largely doesn’t even suffer the large amount of regional dialects that Common does (aside from the occasional world-specific term or local accent).
Then there are the racial languages. Language spoken essentially unchanged across myriad worlds, but only by those of a specific people. Elven, Dwarven, Orc, Goblin, Gnomish, Halfling, Giant and Draconic being the most common, but doubtless more exist. These languages spread from world to world as races migrated in through planar travel and spelljamming, reinforced by unified pantheons, cultures and deities that kept linguistic drift in check and encouraged peoples to retain their traditional language. These languages have a certain amount of localization in dialects like any language, but are all mutually intelligible. The Sylvan language spoken by Fey and intelligent animals and plants is akin to this, but crosses some lines of species and culture. The lack of a single racial patron pantheon for humans and the lack of a single known human origin is both responsible for the lack of a human racial language, and one of the greater mysteries of the multiverse.
Then there are seven languages that are generally considered “Planar” languages, the languages spoken by the native inhabitants of the inner and outer planes. Ignan, Terran, Aquan and Auran are spoken by natives of the 4 elemental planes and the rest of the inner planes. Elements of these languages have drifted into other widely spoken languages because of general relations, such as Dwarven adopting a number of Terran expressions. Celestial, Infernal and Abyssal are spoken by natives of the outer planes, and are very ideologically charged languages. Celestial is the language of the upper planes, from Arcadia to Ysgard, and is clearly meant to be spoken by those pure of heart. Celestial has a wide variety of ways of describing love, charity, mercy and justice, and the language is almost entirely free of profanity, a string of profanities in Celestial sounds almost comical when literally translated into common (“You no-good, bad, naughty person!”). On the other ends, there is the Infernal Language, spoken from Acheron to Hades, with literally fiendishly complex grammar, a harsh guttural sound, and a very large and unwieldy set of vocabulary. On the other end of the lower planes is the Abyssal language, spoken from Pandemonium to Hades, with more irregularities and fluid word order than almost any other language known, with a remarkably deep variety of words describing pain and suffering and literally hundreds of profanities. It is notable that there is no known native language to the Grey Waste of Hades, the Yugoloths apparently speak both Abyssal and Infernal fluently and use both interchangeably. If they have a native language of their own, they keep it strictly to themselves . There is also the Axiomatic speech of Modrons and the Anarchic speech of Slaad, but since they typically cannot be comprehended by nonnative speakers without magical assistance, they are not normally counted as normal languages for most scholarly purposes.
Then there is the special case of the Druidic language. This language is considered to be a secret of the druidic orders and priesthoods, and this secrecy is respected across lines of ideology, faith, and geography. How one single language could unite so many faiths, only loosely related in their portfolio, across so far was long a mystery. Through research and divinations, it is believed that countless millennia ago on some forgotten material world (its name known only to elder Druids, if it’s still known at all) a civilization collapsed, with a druidic priesthood being the only educated and literate group of survivors. These ancient Druids took the responsibility of preserving language and learning of this culture, and kept their language to themselves as their culture descended into barbarism. What happened to this civilization is unknown, but when the druids of this world traveled the planes and worlds, they spread their language to other druids, and with the spread of the language came the spread of the secrecy. While Druidic can be understood through divination spells and deciphered by linguists, it is a serious breach of a Druid’s faith for them to spread the language or condone it being spread outside their faith, and some Druids have been known to kill those who learn the language outside of Druidic channels and instruction.
Thus, we have Common, Undercommon, Ignan, Auran, Terran, Aquan, Infernal, Abyssal, Celestial, Druidic, Sylvan and a dozen or so racial languages as the languages that are understood across virtually all the known planes.
