1 - A trade tongue developed by traders. Would imply it dates from the Age of the Sorcerer-Kings and their great caravans, because in the Green Age they had commerce just like on Earth, but we never developed a trade tongue...
2 - A slave tongue. Explained in the Wisdom of the Drylanders accessory. Would probably date from the Age of the Sorcerer-Kings to. Does the nobility speak it? If not, then what?
3 - A globalized religious language, like latin, instituted in all the lands that followed the creeds of the Great Pantheon. Since Godshold was the Great Pantheon's center far to the north-west and that the center of civilization during the Green Age comprised Giustenal, Tyr and Bodach (far-off locals compared to Godshold), we can assume that the Great Pantheon was far-reaching, and thus so the language it might have instituted.
The Common of the Seven Cities would probably not be the same as that of other regions, say, east of the Silt Sea. At least we can imagine.
Thoughts??
Originally posted by Pennarin
Many possible sources or combinations thereof:
1 - A trade tongue developed by traders. Would imply it dates from the Age of the Sorcerer-Kings and their great caravans, because in the Green Age they had commerce just like on Earth, but we never developed a trade tongue...
Not strictly speaking true. Several "trade tongues" have been developed over the millenia, usually called "pidjins". Also, certain languages got "adopted" as the default language - in the past, French and Latin have done that, and English is the de facto "trade" language on our planet at the moment. So if it was originally spread by traders, it could have been an existing language of the time that spread.
2 - A slave tongue. Explained in the Wisdom of the Drylanders accessory. Would probably date from the Age of the Sorcerer-Kings to. Does the nobility speak it? If not, then what?
The nobility would want to speak it, as it's the language they need to communicate to their slaves in, and the language traders use. In my campaign, there is also a language, peculiar to each city, that the nobles and Templars use as a "high" tongue. That way they can have conversations and not have the "lower" classes understand.
I'm thinking of the situation in Norman England, where the Saxon peasantry spoke a different language to the Norman nobles, increasing the divide. And again, there's a lot of cultures where there's a "high" tongue and a "low" tongue.
3 - A globalized religious language, like latin, instituted in all the lands that followed the creeds of the Great Pantheon. Since Godshold was the Great Pantheon's center far to the north-west and that the center of civilization during the Green Age comprised Giustenal, Tyr and Bodach (far-off locals compared to Godshold), we can assume that the Great Pantheon was far-reaching, and thus so the language it might have instituted.
Assuming there was a Great Pantheon to begin with, of course...
And you can always combine all three. Originally the religeous language of the Great Pantheon, it spread amongst a small section of the Tablelands. Gradually, traders began to use it as a "lingua franca", and it spread further. As trade in slaves increased, taking peoples from one City-State to another, where their local language was now useless, the "Common tongue" became the language of slaves, and the common freeman...
Originally posted by Korvar
Not strictly speaking true. Several "trade tongues" have been developed over the millenia, usually called "pidjins". Also, certain languages got "adopted" as the default language - in the past, French and Latin have done that, and English is the de facto "trade" language on our planet at the moment. So if it was originally spread by traders, it could have been an existing language of the time that spread.
I didn't consider that the trade language would be an existing athasian language, coopted by traders until it served no other function but as a trading tool, followed by its default institution amongst trading cities over king's ages...
That's an interesting thought.
My first thought was more straightforward, and limited in a sense, as I was basing it on science-fiction ideas, where it is feasible to create a language from scratch.
I'll try and purge those SF ideas from my mind. :D
The nobility would want to speak it, as it's the language they need to communicate to their slaves in, and the language traders use. In my campaign, there is also a language, peculiar to each city, that the nobles and Templars use as a "high" tongue. That way they can have conversations and not have the "lower" classes understand.
Brax had something good when he wrote the following:
Wisdom of the Drylanders, by Brax
My predecessor theorized that COMMON was developed by merchant houses, but the idea is absurd. The oldest merchant houses have their own languages; and the theory is belied by the richness and flexibility of COMMON speech. Most importantly, the dune traders make it a matter of pride to master the languages of the people that they encounter -- it would be utterly against the character and interests of the merchant houses to create and share a language that would make it easier for city-states to communicate with each other! Merchant houses make their living by serving as the bridge between isolated cultures. Breaking that isolation is the very last thing that a merchant house would want to do.
It is less important how the COMMON speech originated, than how it spread and came to be shared by so many very different human and humanoid societies. Clearly the operating factor here is the inter-city slave trade -- huge groups of slaves traded from one city to the next. These slaves have to communicate with local templars and overseers, and also with other slaves who come from various city-states. This situation requires a shared language -- if the COMMON speech had not existed previously, then a language would have developed to fill this need!
In contrast to GULG, RAAM is the city most open to the COMMON tongue; only a few RAAMIN nobles speak other tongues, and these tongues are not called RAAMIN, but specific to a noble family. In other cities, nobles and artisans (both slave and free) speak the language associated with the city: TYRIAN, BALICAN , URIKITE, DRAJI, GULG, or NIBENESE. Most Drylander nobles and artisans speak COMMON as well, depending on whether or not it is convenient to speak to a given stranger.
I'm thinking of the situation in Norman England, where the Saxon peasantry spoke a different language to the Norman nobles, increasing the divide. And again, there's a lot of cultures where there's a "high" tongue and a "low" tongue.
The above Brax quotes go in that direction, and its what I think to. Probably that slaves would speak common and nobles/templars their city's language or something other.
Assuming there was a Great Pantheon to begin with, of course...
Page 107 in the Revised Boxed Set, in the Godshold entry. I don't know if the words (with capital letters) Great Pantheon appear in anything official though. It may be the term was coined by Lawkeeper Efkenuu in his Bodach Story, set in the Green Age/Cleansing Wars period. Soon to be availlable on Nyt's website.
And you can always combine all three. Originally the religeous language of the Great Pantheon, it spread amongst a small section of the Tablelands. Gradually, traders began to use it as a "lingua franca", and it spread further. As trade in slaves increased, taking peoples from one City-State to another, where their local language was now useless, the "Common tongue" became the language of slaves, and the common freeman...
I'm sure an angle with Green Age religion could be cooked-up around this...
Brax doesn't mention that possibility in his text, at least in what I've read.
Originally posted by Pennarin
Brax had something good when he wrote the following: (BraxBits snipped)
Yeah, that's mainly where I stole the idea from
The only thing I don't like about it is that it would probably mean that each City-State languages would only be the languages of the nobilities and upper-classes, since they are the only ones who could perpetuate this language with proper education and little fear of being enslaved all the time. Slaves and traders would use common, and so most citizens probably would to. Then you would have common, with variations for every city-states, which allows everybody there to understand each other.
However, Gulg is described as having a high and low tongue. It seemed to stand out compared to other City-States just for that fact. Hmm... but the way I read it, its more the way its spoken, not the language. More archaic form.
Hmm... I dunno...
A compromise? Elvish. Elves are wanderers and never stay in one city for long. No matter what city you go to, there would be someone who speaks elvish. It's also likely that, while there are many tribes, there is a (semi-) common elvish language.
The city-states, apart from Gulg, appear to have enough trading of slaves between them to have a "common" tongue emerge amongst the slaves - either a pidgin/creole or simply one language gaining the upper hand.
Note that if the City-State languages are those of the upper classes, those of the middle classes (the freemen) will want to learn them, to better deal with their patrons. So there'll be a mix.
Quite frankly, if we were to go ultra-realistic on this, the languages would be quite confusing to deal with; I suspect most people (like myself!) want a "common tongue" just to make running the game easier!
Yeah, there should be a common tongue, but I think it should be slightly guarded, maybe only given to the trader class or elves in tribes that regularly travel. Could even be two different types of "common," too (or more). I'd say do what works with your players.
Say his crafstman underlings are also dwarven, he might have learned Dwarven to.
Total: Common, Nibenese, Shom, Dwarven.
Similar to ancient times. I know nothing of the period, but I suspect there were regions of the world where people knew 5 or more languages from dealing at the crossroads of huge empires with conquered populations.
If you don't really want to bog down on the details, you can have a common tongue and leave it at that.
I tend to run a combination of the two, with the common tongue being well-known to a few and being a higher-language, one that can get past complex ideas and thoughts. I actually make most of my players take a skill in it to know it, though: it's not free. Traders get it for free since it's actually a trade tongue created (or maintained) by the trading houses. If a player does not take a skill in common tongue, then it is assumed they speak the language of their local area and no others.