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Thread : Known World vocabulary
Started at 05-14-05 01:39 PM by Spellweaver
Visit at http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=429743
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[Post 1]
Author : Spellweaver
Date : 05-14-05 01:39 PM
Thread Title : Known World vocabulary

I was just reading a very old Dragon Magazine about making races and cultures spring to life in a fantasy world. And one of the things the author pointed out was that it was a very effectful thing to have all races and cultures have a distinct language and use some of these words in the game.

I.e. every race or culture should have their own word(s) for "yes", "no", "hello", "goodbye", orders (attack, do it, attention), terms of endearment (lover, friend, etc.) and insults (orcs should have lots of those!) and these words should be used in the game. Having an orc call a PC "a filthy dorzag" rather than "a moron" will be a lot more colourful - especially if the PC doesn't understand orc!

The Rockhome gaz has something akin to a dwarven vocabulary but I was wondering if anyone has invented other terms for other races or cultures in the Known World that they would like to share with us?

:-) Jesper

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[Post 2]
Author : Agathokles
Date : 05-15-05 05:44 AM

The Rockhome gaz has something akin to a dwarven vocabulary but I was wondering if anyone has invented other terms for other races or cultures in the Known World that they would like to share with us?


Nice idea. Indeed the dwarven vocabulary in the GAZ is nice. Human cultures usually have little need of special vocabulary, since Mystaran cultures are usually based on RW cultures, so you would just pick from appropriate RW languages.

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[Post 3]
Author : Sheridan
Date : 05-15-05 07:45 AM

I kind of fancy having the elvish word for a negative expression ("No", "Not", "Negative", "Refuse", "Deny", etc.) be "dwarf".
And, of course, vice-versa.  :) 
I've also been in campains where certain races have used the word "halfling" to mean "bait" or "meat".  :D 
*Sheridan

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