User:Yanied/Brainworms
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Fantasy Languages and Equivalents[edit]
Disclaimer, I think fantasy languages should just be... well, fantasy. They aren't really meant to be able to be made into an equivalent of our world's language, nor should they be expected to conform. These languages often already have their own alphabets and histories written in the massive story of DnD. For example, in the case of Quenya, Tolkein made use of various real-world languages to construct it. However, Quenya itself is not any one particular language. It is an amalgamation of various grammars and writing. Tolkein was an actual linguistics professor and I'm just a dumb polyglot-wannabe, so this isn't going to be anything nearly as impressive. But I want to fancy a bit of real world and fantasy bridging a bit, hence this page. As a preface, these are all my own interpretations using what I know of languages and DnD canon. However, if you know your DnD, you will know that the languages already have real-world inspirations and what they are. So, feel free to make your own assumptions.
- No 1-1 Ratio
Even though Quenya is primarily influenced by Finnish, it is not entirely Finnish. Same as the chaos language of Yoko Taro's Nier franchise, these made-up languages utilize various human cultural products for various purposes. Human constructed language has this advantage of being able to pick out certain aspects in linguistics and focus on them. In contrast, natural languages evolved, well, naturally. They are shaped by culture and history, not simple use and logic. But that's also extremely colorful and can sometimes help when deciding what languages might provide the best framework for a fantasy tongue. The most important factors I will be considering are (1) grammar and phonology, (2) history, (3) utility, and (4) canon societal similarity. I will NOT be considering things like popularity of a language or its status of dead or alive.
Common[edit]
The essential lingua franca of DnD, Common is, per Forgotten Realms, actually one of about 50 languages spoken by humans. But it is the second language of many non-humans and allowed for many interactions between various nations and groups. Due to its spread, it has over a thousand dialects, depending on where it was being spoken. Its alphabet is Thorass, which is an alphabet like that of English, only written in fantasy runes (inspired by Untheric, which has roots in Rauric). It also does have its own number writing system, which we will ignore for now :3
- Top Candidate
- English
The primary reason for English as Common's top candidate is mainly the fact that they are both lingua franca, or bridge languages. In the event Mandarin or Spanish take the place of English's place, then they would be the top candidates. The main point is that it should be a language many people know around the world, regardless of where they are. English, like Common, is spoken as a second language in many places that are not traditionally English speakers.
Orcish[edit]
- Top Candidate - Russian
Elvish[edit]
- Top Candidate - Quenya (duh)
- For your consideration - French
Dwarvish[edit]
- Top Candidate - German (spoken) and Old Norse (written)
Giant[edit]
- Top Candidate - Proto-Norse
Gith[edit]
Tir'su
- Top Candidate - Urdu
Gnomish[edit]
- Top Candidate - Dutch
Halfling[edit]
- Top Candidate - Toki Pona
Draconic[edit]
- Top Candidate - Mandarin
Deep Speech[edit]
- Top Candidate - Ithkuil (written)
Qualith[edit]
Supernal and Dark Speech[edit]
Celestial[edit]
- Top Candidate - Arabic
Infernal[edit]
- Top Candidate - Hebrew
Abyssal[edit]
- Top Candidate - UNLWS (written)
Goblin[edit]
- Top Candidate - Pan-Slavic/Slovio
Primordial[edit]
Ignan[edit]
- Top Candidate - Spanish
Aquan[edit]
- Top Candidate - Italian
Terran[edit]
- Top Candidate - Romanian
Auran[edit]
- Top Candidate - French
Tabaxi[edit]
- Top Candidate - Yucatec
Leonin[edit]
- Top Candidate - Ancient Egypt
Minotaur[edit]
- Top Candidate - Greek
Loxodon[edit]
- Top Candidate - Hindi
Sylvan[edit]
- Top Candidate - Sámi (maybe proto-Sami)
