RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

FreelanceWizard · **08-20-2014, 09:37 PM**

Fernehalwes, everyone's favorite lore dev, is back with two new lore posts.

A description of the Sylphic language, Old High Sylphic

A translation of the text on Hunt Bills, and some notes on Eorzean literacy (or the lack thereof)

allgivenover · **08-20-2014, 10:03 PM**

Quote:As I (think I may have) mentioned in a past post, literacy rates in Eorzea are quite low. The only people who can read/write are usually the educated writing for the educated.

I don't recall him ever flat out stating this, but anyway...

SWEET VINDICATION AT LAST.

Edit: This was a big deal for me as I got into some heated discussions back around launch about how being able to read in Eorzea should be considered a BIG DEAL that was largely ignored or written off. All that time spent with an illiterate character that is in awe of people that can read feels so worth it now, even if it seemed like NO BIG DEAL to most everyone else.

Val · **08-20-2014, 10:24 PM**

(08-20-2014, 10:03 PM)allgivenover Wrote:
Quote:As I (think I may have) mentioned in a past post, literacy rates in Eorzea are quite low. The only people who can read/write are usually the educated writing for the educated.

I don't recall him ever flat out stating this, but anyway...

SWEET VINDICATION AT LAST.

Edit: This was a big deal for me as I got into some heated discussions back around launch about how being able to read in Eorzea should be considered a BIG DEAL that was largely ignored or written off. All that time spent with an illiterate character that is in awe of people that can read feels so worth it now, even if it seemed like NO BIG DEAL to most everyone else.

We should make a club of people that can't read. Val can't do it either and always thinks it's strange or gets pissed off when people laugh at him for it Sad

DreamedReality · **08-20-2014, 10:53 PM**

This will certainly change how I RP literacy now... Good to know.

Aysun · **08-20-2014, 11:30 PM**

I've always treated the fact that Aysun can read and write as a bit of an anomaly IC. She knows it's an abnormal skill to have.

..I mostly made her literate because I wanted to journal.Â Angry

FreelanceWizard · **08-20-2014, 11:40 PM**

I'd always had in my mind that it was low but not quite as low as Fernehalwes just confirmed. So, I'll need to rejigger some background stuff and have L'yhta be pleasantly surprised when people who aren't spellcasters (her proxy for "learned") can read. She enjoys seeing people exhibit rare expertise she doesn't expect, and now I know to put literacy into that category.

Stormsrage00 · **08-20-2014, 11:48 PM**

Is it me, or does that poem resemble the Oath of the Green Lanterns? O.o

Zyrusticae · **08-21-2014, 12:42 AM**

Hmmmmm.

Now I need to figure out how to explain why T'rahnu, who came from a sort of backwater hick-like background, learned how to read.

This is going to take some thinking.

Marisa · **08-21-2014, 02:07 AM**

Well that's a relief! Ryoko can hardly read anything, but at least I know she's not alone now!

thesunalsorises · **08-21-2014, 02:50 PM**

I always figured T'khai would be illiterate, considering he grew up in an isolated hunter-gatherer village. Ophelie will still be literate, because she's Ishgardian nobility, though most of what she reads is religious in nature.

My only qualm with this is, each city-state has it's own newspaper. Which implies the printing press has already been invented, meaning that there is easier access to books which increases the literacy rate. Although maybe the printing press is rather new to Eorzea, so maybe people are only starting to learn to read. But still who's reading those newspapers?

Verad · **08-21-2014, 02:54 PM**

That explains why Verad did so well when it came to selling blank books and illustrated editions.

But it also explains why nobody reads his memoirs. :C

Melkire · **08-21-2014, 03:02 PM**

(08-20-2014, 11:48 PM)Stormsrage00 Wrote: Is it me, or does that poem resemble the Oath of the Green Lanterns? O.o

It does, and I'm not surprised. Most folks in game development are, by their nature, One of Us. Many of said folks happen toÂ read comic books. So yeah. Fernehalwes, a GreenÂ Lantern fan? Not surprising to me.Â

(08-21-2014, 02:54 PM)Verad Wrote: That explains why Verad did so well when it came to selling blank books and illustrated editions.

But it also explains why nobody reads his memoirs. :C

Osric has been trying, damn it, but he never had a proper education. Frustrated

In light of this confirmation of low literacy rates... hmmm. Time to revamp my character's early childhood. Shouldn't take much of a change. I assume the usual tabletop shenanigans: PCs happen to fall into the literate crowd by default, whereas the majority of NPCs fall into the illiterate category. Epsecially given one of Fernehalwe's replies:

Quote:
Quote:Huh, didn't know that. So all those "No Entry" signs are pretty useless then.
Those are for adventurers.

Coatleque · **08-21-2014, 03:09 PM**

(08-21-2014, 02:54 PM)Verad Wrote: But it also explains why nobody reads his memoirs. :C

Roen and Coatleque did. Granted, there was NOTHING else to do at the time...

Lillith Cale · **08-21-2014, 03:55 PM**

I've always imagined Lillith to have a basic grasp of reading and writing, not a highly educated one, but enough to get by in the military, and know if she's getting screwed over in a mercenary contract. Unless it's a merc contract written using a lot of big words...then she's kinda screwed.

Does that make sense?

Seriphyn · **08-21-2014, 08:57 PM**

I'm surprised people think it's surprising literacy rates are low in Eorzea. There is no formal education system like we have today.

« Next Oldest \| Next Newest »
Pages (2): 1 2 Next »

Lore catches: Sylphic language, hunt bill translations, and literacy

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes