Orc (Grisaire Supplement)

Orc, or otherwise known as Orcish, is the language of the eponymous race of orcs in Grisaire.

Script

Dwarvish script is used for Orc writing, as Orc itself lacks a writing system. Orcs, having lived in mountains in proximity to giants and dwarves, are believed to have culturally assimilated the script.

Simplicity

One of the common trademarks of Orcish tongue is how simple the grammar structure is. Common verbs like "to be" do not exist. Nouns can connect with nouns simply by being next to each other in a sentence. The simplicity of the language is deceptive as it requires the complete understanding of intention and context. For example, Orcish only has a few pronouns, and these are not necessary to form a complete sentence. The subject of a sentence can be left off almost entirely. Pronouns are also not gendered and so one has to be aware of what someone is talking about without much clues if in a mixed group.

Vocabulary Range

Something that makes orc both simple and complex is the limited vocabulary. There are less words in Orc than, say, Elvish. This is because Orc reuses vocabulary words for similar concepts. It is wholly dependent on context what something means if there are two meanings. As such, beginner, non-Orc speakers will often trip on perceived double-entendres. On the other hand, there are less words to learn.

• A good example of this is how Orc has the same word for "sweat," "broth," "braise," and "soup." That is because the word refers to a concept of heat and liquid. So, if you aren't careful, you might mistake a soup restaurant for a sauna since they both use the same words.

Orc Grammar Crash Course

Orcish has the following basic grammar properties:

• Lack of articles ("a", "the", etc.)
• No present "to be" verb
• No gendered pronouns. Orc can be a bit confusing for this reason, as the speaker and any other subject in a sentence could use the same pronoun. Thus, however, use of pronouns is also avoided. Proper nouns are preferred to prevent confusion (Instead of "I and he went on a picnic", you would say "[MyName] and [HisName] went on a picnic", eg.)
• Despite no gendered pronouns, there are gendered nouns, like for mother. Orc has two genders, that being feminine and neutral.
• There are two tenses in Orc: past and present. There are three cases: dative (done for something), accusative (done to something), and instrumental (done using something).

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