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Message: <blockquote data-quote="wingsandsword" data-source="post: 3020449" data-attributes="member: 14159">It also goes on to mention that there are over 80 distinct languages spoken in Faerun, excluding local dialects (and 6 alphabets used: Espruar, Dethek, Draconic, Celestial, Infernal, and Thorass), and 7 dead languages that still see use in academic circles or are often found in ruins or on relics.  Even though people speak Common, it's almost always as a second language, with languages like Aglarondan, Chondathan, Alzhedo, Chultan, Damaran, Dambrathan, Durpari, Uluik, Halruaan, Tuigan, Shaaran, Tashalan, Lantanese, Illuskan, Mulhorandi, Rashemi, Netherese, Turmic, Untheric and Tethyrian, or a racial language as a first language.Also, it's clear that Common is specific to Faerun, it isn't used in Maztica, Zakhara, or Kara Tur (Nexalan, Midani and Shou are the local equivalents).  It's not like Common has replaced all other languages in the world, it's a de-facto trade language on one continent that is spoken by the human population to by a significant portion of the nonhuman population.Now, I think part of this argument comes from debating exactly what common is.  To some people, it's a language that replaces all others, every sentient being speaks fluently, and is everybody's first language.  To others, it's a language that is widely understood throughout the world and people "speak" it with widely varying levels of skill, and is merely a de-facto Common among many other languages.  The fact that D&D is not a detailed simulation of the cultures and linguistics of a fantasy world means that the PHB RAW are simplifed and assume a common language just to sidestep linguistics issues, and it probably never comes up in most campaigns.So, what if you were playing in a campaign where there were dozens of widely spoken languages throughout the world, with most kingdoms and realms having a local language, but one language, the language of a former world-spanning Empire a century ago and a different kingdom which is the most powerful in the world, is spoken worldwide as a very common second language, which almost everybody in trade, diplomacy, magical research, or world travel understands at least enough to muddle through, and bards are fond of singing songs and telling stories in this language worldwide, and it's called "Common".  Would you say that there is no "real Common" in this setting because it's not like the RAW from the PHB, or could you accept that not every setting will be just like the PHB, and "Common" can vary from setting to setting?You're not going to be able to shoehorn the real world into D&D RAW very easily, no easier than you can make a bar fight work in 5-foot squares, but the basic concept of a widely spoken language that is the de-facto language of travel, trade and diplomacy does exist in the real world as English.</blockquote>

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