Editing LetsBuild5e:Languages
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
=What languages do people speak?= | =What languages do people speak?= | ||
| − | In | + | In the starting region, there is a widely-spoken common tongue, alongside some cultural languages and some primarily racial languages. (Decision: [http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?761590-D-amp-D-5e-Let-s-build-a-setting!&p=19301424#post19301424]) |
| − | Eight languages feature prominently in the starting region; the names they have at present are | + | Eight languages feature prominently in the starting region; the names they have at present are temporary. A sample paragraph in English is provided, which has been translated into each language: |
:''"The king and queen ordered the warriors to defend the town. The good warrior shoots the fierce dragon with his bow and arrows. The bountiful queen will reward the great warrior."'' | :''"The king and queen ordered the warriors to defend the town. The good warrior shoots the fierce dragon with his bow and arrows. The bountiful queen will reward the great warrior."'' | ||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
Each language's translation follows, along with pronunciation notes and gradually-growing linguistic information: | Each language's translation follows, along with pronunciation notes and gradually-growing linguistic information: | ||
| − | ==Common | + | ==Common== |
| − | This is the language of the | + | This is the language of the largest racial groups across the whole starting region, and is an effective ''lingua franca''. It wasn't always so; Old Imperial used to be more widespread. Common is written using a short curvilinear alphabet; it used to be written boustrophedonically (ie back-and-forth) but is now written left-to-right and punctuated. |
This language is pronounced with main stress on the penultimate syllable. The Gs are all hard, and double vowels are generally diphthongs - 'ai' as the vowel in the English word ''high'', and 'ua' as the vowel in the French word ''roi''. All vowels are pronounced; ''e'' is the vowel in the English ''dress'' if unstressed, and the one in the English ''face'' if stressed. | This language is pronounced with main stress on the penultimate syllable. The Gs are all hard, and double vowels are generally diphthongs - 'ai' as the vowel in the English word ''high'', and 'ua' as the vowel in the French word ''roi''. All vowels are pronounced; ''e'' is the vowel in the English ''dress'' if unstressed, and the one in the English ''face'' if stressed. | ||
| Line 19: | Line 19: | ||
==Elvish== | ==Elvish== | ||
| − | This is the language of the nation | + | This is the language of the nation which hugs the shores of the inland sea to the north of the starting area. It is part of a larger family of elvish tongues; the dark elves speak a different dialect to the northerners. |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
This language is pronounced with main stress on the antepenultimate syllable, moving forward in words with fewer than three syllables. All double consonants are geminated - that is, they are given a longer pronunciation than single instances of the same consonant. ''E'' is the vowel in the English ''dress''; ''ë'' is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwa schwa]; and ''é'' is the vowel in the English ''face''. | This language is pronounced with main stress on the antepenultimate syllable, moving forward in words with fewer than three syllables. All double consonants are geminated - that is, they are given a longer pronunciation than single instances of the same consonant. ''E'' is the vowel in the English ''dress''; ''ë'' is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwa schwa]; and ''é'' is the vowel in the English ''face''. | ||
| Line 37: | Line 33: | ||
::''!k’kethek esst se!ess !kssa!ek sthepthath!k. Essessk kezhith k!th k’pess !ss !kv’vess v’e kethek va’eth p’essi!k. Kethek li’ith ssa!ek p!azheth !hav’thi!k.'' | ::''!k’kethek esst se!ess !kssa!ek sthepthath!k. Essessk kezhith k!th k’pess !ss !kv’vess v’e kethek va’eth p’essi!k. Kethek li’ith ssa!ek p!azheth !hav’thi!k.'' | ||
| − | == | + | ==Collegiate== |
| − | This language is the native language of a far-off land where the great bard colleges are based. In | + | This language is the native language of a far-off land where the great bard colleges are based. In the starting region, it is spoken almost exclusively by bards and others who specialise in the arts. The language is written using a wide range of ideographs; the clusters of words that represent entire actions or entities are written in cartouches (shown as hyphenated sets in the transcription below). |
This language is tonal. Vowels with acute accents are pronounced with a rising tone, those with grave accents with a falling tone, and unmarked vowels with a level tone. This language has no inherent distinctions of syllable stress, as most words are very short. | This language is tonal. Vowels with acute accents are pronounced with a rising tone, those with grave accents with a falling tone, and unmarked vowels with a level tone. This language has no inherent distinctions of syllable stress, as most words are very short. | ||
| Line 56: | Line 52: | ||
This language was developed by half-orcs from a human language which was brought to the area at the last flip. It is structurally distinct from Orcish, but has taken on some of the sound and content of that tongue. | This language was developed by half-orcs from a human language which was brought to the area at the last flip. It is structurally distinct from Orcish, but has taken on some of the sound and content of that tongue. | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
This language is stressed on its antepenultimate syllables. As in Dwarvish, the vowel ''ö'' has the same value as in Swedish. | This language is stressed on its antepenultimate syllables. As in Dwarvish, the vowel ''ö'' has the same value as in Swedish. | ||
| − | ::''Bazelum ek denengum aniv yugita viktunn dönelk garti. Skilto viktum tuniv | + | ::''Bazelum ek denengum aniv yugita viktunn dönelk garti. Skilto viktum tuniv vöstir bruga vumum dem etz pör ek irraz. Vytentzo denengum velliv böni vöra viktum.'' |
==Orcish== | ==Orcish== | ||
| Line 67: | Line 61: | ||
This is the speech of the mountain orcs, who have spoken it in some form since before the world last flipped. It has co-existed with Old Imperial for many generations, and although they are structurally different, they have come to have similar pronunciation and overlapping vocabulary. | This is the speech of the mountain orcs, who have spoken it in some form since before the world last flipped. It has co-existed with Old Imperial for many generations, and although they are structurally different, they have come to have similar pronunciation and overlapping vocabulary. | ||
| − | + | As in Draconic, an apostrophe here represents a glottal stop. ''Aw'' is pronounced to rhyme with English ''how''. The stress is on the antepenultimate syllable. | |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | As in Draconic, an apostrophe here represents a glottal stop. ''Aw'' is pronounced to rhyme with English ''how'' | ||
::''Vurwa’arog b’vurzhirog watira vurgbrak ghbirka m’hol. Vban vurbrak atra furg khabist got vafidra b’vagpyaw. Viggr vurzhirog vipirza mob vurbrak.'' | ::''Vurwa’arog b’vurzhirog watira vurgbrak ghbirka m’hol. Vban vurbrak atra furg khabist got vafidra b’vagpyaw. Viggr vurzhirog vipirza mob vurbrak.'' | ||
