If you are looking for some interesting inspiration as far as period swears and what not, dig into some of the writing process notes for the HBO Series Deadwood. While a decision was made not to be 100% accurate with the scripts so that things seemed more familiar, the writers did research a LOT of what people's swears words and curses at the time were and came from. The answers were various Bible and religious references mixed with various historical events based on location. Really very interesting stuff.
Andy Wuhl's series "Assume the Position," while done for comedy/entertainment, also has some great tidbits. It includes a whole bit about how the origins of "fuck you" were rooted in the Battle of Agincourt, essentially being diluted shifted from the words "pluck yew." Though this supposedly has more to do with the meaning of the the back handed peace sign in England. Still, the series has a bunch of neat little tidbits like that for the curious.
When determining how you want you character to speak, anything really goes. Having your character talk should not be a chore. With that said, it IS fun to spice junk up with the unfamiliar. Personally, I probably use a lot more of the Planescape speech with Yssen than I am willing to admit. Which is a whacky fantasy slang based a bunch of real world stuff, but sounds just super fun when spoken/read. Give one a true sense of "was that even english?!?!?!"
Andy Wuhl's series "Assume the Position," while done for comedy/entertainment, also has some great tidbits. It includes a whole bit about how the origins of "fuck you" were rooted in the Battle of Agincourt, essentially being diluted shifted from the words "pluck yew." Though this supposedly has more to do with the meaning of the the back handed peace sign in England. Still, the series has a bunch of neat little tidbits like that for the curious.
When determining how you want you character to speak, anything really goes. Having your character talk should not be a chore. With that said, it IS fun to spice junk up with the unfamiliar. Personally, I probably use a lot more of the Planescape speech with Yssen than I am willing to admit. Which is a whacky fantasy slang based a bunch of real world stuff, but sounds just super fun when spoken/read. Give one a true sense of "was that even english?!?!?!"
