I talk this way, You talk that way

[ShadowCatJen]

Got to love the language widgets. They add that little bit of immersion to the game that has and can do quite a bit. Everything from passing a few secret words to ticking another race off and have them tell you to shut it and speak common. The widgets have added all of that and then some.

To add another level to this RP devise a player can have it that the character doesn't speak each language the same as they do in their birth language or in common. An elf raised speaking elven could speak it in an easy manner, but have his common be a bit rigid or stilted. This same elf might have also just picked up gnomish, but he speaks it very basically and to an adult gnome he sounds like he's speaking like a child.

This can also add a further depth to the character as one might have to ponder how they came about learning certain languages. Especially the bonus ones where "he was raised with it" isn't too deep of an excuse. A whole story can come up for the character just on languages alone. If they were raised as a scholar where learning such languages was easily at the ready, you can ask yourself why they chose those specific languages.

Maybe the elf has an interest in odd gadgets and the few people he can speak to about it are gnomes. Or maybe his mage mentor was a gnome and he learned to speak it while he learned the Art from him. Or, heck, maybe he got insulted in gnomish once, was horribly embarrassed and made it a point to learn how to speak it to get back at them.

There are lots of options to go with that can be as little or as heavily detailed as you care to have it.

[Ehver]

You're completely right - I absolutely love how much depth the language widgets add to each character, and I'm curious to know how everyone else has incorperated their languages into their characters. Ehver, for example, is a self-titled elf hater and thus completely refuses to speak in elven at all, whatsoever, despite the fact that it is her native tongue. She grumbles in dwarven instead. XD I find it amusing that you mentioned the 'insulted and thus decided to learn the language' method, because that's exactly how it was with Ehver. After traveling with a dwarf so long she got annoyed by the fact that he would always complain about her in dwarven so that she wouldn't understand. Learning the language was her form of revenge.

So yup! Language widgets - an amazing, often underaprecciated, facet of the game.

[ShadowCatJen]

Well, here's mine for Mynian:

Myn's common... is a bit uncommon. She was raised in a city run and upheld by pirates. People who are not quite known to be very elegant in their speech patterns. She learned to speak a little bit more concisely under her Uncle and his assistant and also a bit more politely while in the Silver Marches, but the accent she grew up with just doesn't go away.

Illuskan is a language she grew up with and to a listener who understands it she speaks it very comfortably and very normally.

Chondothan she also learned a bit of while young, but she didn't speak it more fluently until she traveled more of the North. Her Chondothan is almost passable as a native tongue for her, but on occasion she'll either get verbiage wrong or not know the word for a more abstract concept.

Elven she learned from her Uncle's assistant who wasn't elven himself. As a result her elven is very precise, horribly proper in form, and she tends to articulate the words as if trying not to trip over them. Her time in the Marches and with her husband (who was elven) smoothed out her speaking a little bit and increased her vocabulary. However, she doesn't use contractions, so she will say "do not" instead of "don't" or "would not" instead of "wouldn't".

(Side note: Of course, one could argue that contractions don't exist in the elven language, but that's a whole other kettle of worms. )

The thieves cant that she knows is strictly the cant that is used in Luskan. Even more specific, it's a cant used by the people that worked under her Uncle. Should anyone try a thieves cant about her that isn't based on either, she may pick up that something is being communicated, but not know what it is exactly. My own theory being that a pull of the left earlobe may mean "hit up" in one thieves guild, but could mean "be careful" for another.

Dwarven she learned from some fellow dwarven merchants that she's worked with over the years. She knows a lot of their terminology in regards to smithing, weapons making, and haggling. She likes dwarves in general so she keeps an ear open for key phrases they use often and has picked up on a few of those. However, her dwarven is a bit rough around the edges and to the dwarven ear she speaks very simplistically.

[lowstorm]

I've a question about this...

What DO the different dialects sound like? And, on top of that, how would you go about emoting a accent. My newest character's 'normal' language is Draconic. Therefore, her other languages should have a touch of that accent, but.. I don't know where to go with it.

[ShadowCatJen]

Well, thing about that is there is no solid source to reference any of it with. Based on the way certain civilizations are rooted in, however, lots of people have come up with ways the dialect do sound.

For instance, I don't think it says anywhere that Moonshae folk speak with Scottish accents, but many folk RP their Moonshaen characters with a Scottish type accent. The same thing can be said for those from Rashemi. I've heard lots of PCs have their characters use "z" in place of "th" and the like. Very 'gypsy' like in speech, but again, nothing in the sourcebooks say it's this way.

As an example:

Words like this... "This is my normal speaking voice. I speak this way."

For a Moonshaen would be... "This be me normal speakin' voice, lass. Ah speak this way."

For someone from Rashemi, "Zis iz my normal speakink voice. I speak zis vay."

The closest thing that points to these dialects is the Faerunian Names chart on page 12 of the FRCS. For instance, names in Mulhorand such as Ehput-Ki, Ramas, and Nephis, have very Egyptian flavors. Names in Damaran like Igan, Natali, and Sergor make me think of the Russian area. Where it gets tricky is the racial languages.

Now, I'm going strictly by the names of dragons found in the various source books and I would guess (so please don't quote me on this) that Draconic would have rumbling/rolling R's, hard K's, and long hissing S's. So what you could do on occasion is have her roll her R's or extend her S's. Not all the time, as that could get tedious, but maybe if the R or S is at the end of a sentence or it's the only S or R in the sentence.

But, that is just my opinion on it. Someone else may interpret it differently.

Like, my character's "Luskan" accent. It's nothing official based on any source books, but I'm figuring if it's pirates then something cockney based with some twists could work. Essentially I pulled it out of my hat.

[brian333]

I've inadvertantly done this in _not_ giving my dwarf a 'Gimli' accent. My dwarf was raised to be, among other things, an intermediary between his clan and the local humans: he was taught the common tongue by a human tutor at an early age and is comfortably bilingual.

[cloakedandhooded]

I ain' take inta considerashun none th' stuff 'bout Faerunian names 'er nothin'. I jus' figured I wan'ed t' do an accen' an' I cou' do an Appalachian accen' well 'nough. Acourse if yer comparin' Faerun t' Europe 'en Appalachia ain' fit in nowhere.

M' character growed up on th' Trade Way, an' folks alon' th' Trade Way speaks Common real reg'lar. This accen' ain' come from speakin' t' little common bu' speakin' it t'much with other folks speaks it all a'time.

Acourse 'e a'so speaks few other languages an' 'e speaks 'em perfec'ly fine. Growin' up where 'e did, he had plen'y oppertun'ties fer speakin' a folks a diff'ren' ton's.

Since m' character keeps 'is face hidden from jus' 'bout ever'body, havin' a distinctive accen' 'elps folks t' rec'nize 'im af'er 'e star's talkin'.

[guest]

www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sg/20060908a

The above is kinda a cool link that explores this thing with speech as well.

I also found this a while back as I was trying to figure out what kind of "accents" to give some speakers.
The race of an individual is revealed in the speech patterns and inflections used:

* Gold elves tend to speak a very structured correct Elven.
* Moon elves speak a more casual Elven interspersed with words they have picked up in their travels or studies from other languages (especially human tongues).
* Green/copper elves speak a slower and softer (`more rustic') Elven possibly with some faerie words if they interact with these smaller sylvan races.
* Elven as spoken in the Yuirwood contains many words and phrases common to the Seelie Court.

[catmage]

In Draconomicon it is mentioned that there are six "accents" of draconic, one for metallics, and one for each of the Chromatics, which are essentially like regional accents. And Jen is right, draconic is full of hard consanants and sibiliants. If someone really wants it, and a DM, who may or may not be Munroe, doesn't post before I do, I can give the little section on langauge from Draconomicon for more specific rules in draconic.

For my character's part, Ailren was born naturally speaking draconic, with a red dragon dialect. He takes great pride in this, and avoids using slang or poor grammer. This is in direct contrast to his elven, which he speaks as if he barely knows the tongue, though he is fluent in it.

According to Tyrants of the Nine Hells, Infernal only has one way to properly convey any one meeting, and so of course he would only speak it in that strict way.

Damaran he speaks in a heavily accented, low brow way, though he can write and read more complex terms. This is because his greatest exposure to Damaran was from living near a small trade village in the Moonsea, and while working as an aid to a caravan along the Zhent controled black market road through the Anarouch, so he knows the complex written forms, but has rarely had a chance to speak it in a formal setting.

Mulhorandi is the Thayan variant, and he is unable to read the variant used in Mulhorand, which uses a different alphabet. He speaks it in a very formal way, owing to the formality of his tutor.

Since he just finished learning to speak and read Abyssal, I haven't decided quite how he'll speak it IC yet. Since he learned it from an imp contracted to teach him, and devils hate demons, I figure it'll likely be in as close to formal as a langauge of CE outsiders can be, and carry a good deal of contempt for both the langauge itself and for the person(s) he's talking to that would also choose to learn such a tongue.

[Munroe]

Jun 6, 2008 2:51:45 GMT -5 catmage said:

In Draconomicon it is mentioned that there are six "accents" of draconic, one for metallics, and one for each of the Chromatics, which are essentially like regional accents. And Jen is right, draconic is full of hard consanants and sibiliants. If someone really wants it, and a DM, who may or may not be Munroe, doesn't post before I do, I can give the little section on langauge from Draconomicon for more specific rules in draconic.

Mmm... My Draconomicon is in my closet and I don't want to get up.

[Masterbard Alyster Darkharp]

[glow=red,2,300]Language[/glow]

The language of dragons is one of the oldest forms of
communication. According to the dragons themselves, it is
second in longevity only to the languages of the outsiders,
and all mortal tongues are descended from it. Its script was
likely created long after its spoken form was standardized,
since dragons have less need to write than other races. Some
scholars believe the written form of Draconic might have
been influenced by dwarven runes, but the wise don’t
express this opinion within hearing of a dragon.
Many reptilian races (including kobolds, lizardfolk,
and troglodytes) speak crude versions of Draconic, and
present this as proof of their kinship with dragons. It is
equally likely that these races were once taught or
enslaved by dragons, and it is even possible that they took
Draconic for their own simply to make a claim to common
ancestors.



The Draconic script is also used when a written form is
needed for the elemental languages Auran and Ignan. However,
this use of the written form does not make it any easier
for someone who knows Draconic to learn the languages of
air and fire creatures.

Slight variations exist in the language used by the various
kinds of chromatic dragons. These differences are similar to
regional accents, with some slight differences in pronunciation
from one version to the next. The accents do not
hamper communication, but they are sufficiently obvious
for a native speaker to know whether someone learned to
speak Draconic from (for instance) a red dragon or a green
dragon. The various metallic dragons have similar accents,
but without any differences in pronunciation. The Draconic
language has not changed significantly for hundreds, if not
thousands, of years.

The spoken form of the language sounds harsh to most
other creatures and includes numerous hard consonants and
sibilants. It includes sounds that humans generally describe
as hissing (sj, ss, and sv), as well as a noise that sounds a great
deal like a beast clearing its throat (ach).

Words that modify other words are placed before and after
the word they modify. The most important modifier is always
placed before the word, and it might be placed directly after
the word as well if additional emphasis is desired. A speaker
of Draconic who wanted to say a big, black, evil dragon was
approaching and doubly emphasize its evil nature would say,
“Malsvir darastrix turalisj vutha gethrisj leirith” or even
“Malsvir darastrix turalisj vutha malsvir gethrisj leirith.”
Most Draconic words are spoken with emphasis on the
first syllable. Important ideas are often expressed in spoken
Draconic by emphasizing the beginning and the end of the
word. In the written form, important words are marked
with a special symbol of five lines radiating outward, similar
to an asterisk (*). This form of emphasis is most often used
by dragons when referring to themselves. The dragon Karajix,
for example, might pronounce his name Ka-raj-ix and
write it as *Karajix*. This form of emphasis is also sometimes
used when commanding, threatening, warning, or
making a point.

Draconic has no specific word for “my” or “mine,” instead
using several prefixes depending on the exact meaning. The
name of a physical object claimed as a possession by a dragon
speaker would begin with “veth” or “vethi”; the name of an
individual with a relationship to the dragon (such as a friend
or relative) is expressed by the prefix “er” or “ethe”; and all
other forms of possessiveness are represented by putting
“ar” or “ari” before a word. Thus, for a dragon to say “my sword”
or “the sword is mine” he need only say “vethicaex” (“vethi”
plus “caex,” the word for sword), and “arirlym” translates as
“my enemy” (“ar” plus “irlym,” the word for enemy). When
indicating possession by another, the name of the possessor
is combined with the object possessed into a single word
that starts with “ar” or “ari.”

Pidgin Draconic

Here are some sample sentences and their translations into
Draconic.

Mialee, talk to the ugly elf.
Mialee, ukris vaecaesin nurh.

The elf says the magic sword we want is in the lich’s tomb.
Vaecaesin ner levex caex levex yth tuor persvek arikaegrowaere.

He’ll take us to the mountain of the tomb if we pay him.
Vaecaesin tuor aurix clax yth ekess ariloexokarthel verthicha.

The cave is evil and dangerous. We should go.
Sauriv waere korth. Yth *gethrisj*.

Shut up you stupid coward! Get in there!
Thric ner, *pothoc* wux faessi! *Gethrisj* persvek!

Tordek, hit the orc with your axe.
Tordek, vargach ghik mrith aritordekgarunt.

A red dragon! Scram!
Charir *darastrix*! *Osvith*!

Krusk is dead. He died with much bravery.
Krusk loex. Loreat mrith *sveargith*.

Yeah, bad luck for him.
Axun malsvir arikruskhaurach.

Check out all this gold! Tomorrow we’ll be kings!
Ocuir throden *aurix*! Earenk yth *maekrix*!

I am not a thief!
*Thric* virlym!

The secrets of the dragon’s treasure are on this scroll.
Ardarastrixrasvim irthos shafaer sjir.

Dragon’s blood flows in a sorcerer.
Aridarastrixiejir gethrisj persvek vorastrix.

Please don’t disembowel the dwarf.
Martivir thric gixustratt tundar.

From Draconimicon: The Book of Dragons