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K'hylia · **04-07-2015, 02:20 PM**

Hey everyone.

Just wondering if there's any hints in game to support that the different races have their own languages or not? I've wondered a few times if perhaps there's a common tongue and a language that say... Miqo'te use, and Lalafel use etc.

Any credence to that? Or does everyone just speak the same, one language?

Warren Castille · **04-07-2015, 02:23 PM**

(04-07-2015, 02:20 PM)Khylia Wrote: Hey everyone.

Just wondering if there's any hints in game to support that the different races have their own languages or not? I've wondered a few times if perhaps there's a common tongue and a language that say... Miqo'te use, and Lalafel use etc.

Any credence to that? Or does everyone just speak the same, one language?

I don't -think- there's any hard confirmations of other languages. I know people will immediately say

Quote:BUT DOMA

but all the ninja quests show is that they have specific words for some things. It might be an entire language. It might be.

My biggest "argument" for there being a unified language: The Ishgardians speak the same language we do, and they're xenophobic racists. The Garleans, who hate us, speak the same language we do. Even the White Raven himself, insane planet-murderer who wanted to see us all killed by a meteor, talked to us in the same tongue we speak.

**Unnamed Mercenary** · **04-07-2015, 02:27 PM**

We can see some references to old or past languages in the naming conventions.

Seekers of the Sun Wrote:The first name is always proceeded by a letter representing their tribe. In the mass exodus which occurred during the Fifth Umbral Era, 26 Seeker of the Sun tribes crossed the seas (which had frozen solid as a result of the Calamity) to Eorzea in search of food and warmer climates. The names of these tribes contained many sounds which were difficult to represent with the existing Eorzean alphabet; but the fact that there were the same exact number of tribes as letters in the Eorzean alphabet was taken as a sign that they were destined to make the new realm their home, and so assigned each tribe with a letter/sound that was closest to its name. Over time, this resulted in the changing of the pronunciation to more closely resemble the pronunciation of the Eorzean letter than that of the original word.

The tribe names are originally based on traditional beastkin, scalekin, or cloudkin totems, which are said to protect the tribe.

Roegadyn Sea Wolf Names Wrote:Sea Wolf names are actually all formed from two words taken from the ancient Roegadyn language that the race's ancestors spoke before they came to Eorzea

But do these languages get used in common speech among people of the same race? Probably not. At least, not within Eorzea. There does seem to be some form of a common language used amongst all the people. How much of this is magic Echo-enabled Warrior of Light ability, who knows?

Hammersmith · **04-07-2015, 02:31 PM**

(04-07-2015, 02:23 PM)Warren Castille Wrote:
(04-07-2015, 02:20 PM)K Wrote: Hey everyone.

Just wondering if there's any hints in game to support that the different races have their own languages or not? I've wondered a few times if perhaps there's a common tongue and a language that say... Miqo'te use, and Lalafel use etc.

Any credence to that? Or does everyone just speak the same, one language?

I don't -think- there's any hard confirmations of other languages. I know people will immediately say

Quote:BUT DOMA

but all the ninja quests show is that they have specific words for some things. It might be an entire language. It might be.

My biggest "argument" for there being a unified language: The Ishgardians speak the same language we do, and they're xenophobic racists. The Garleans, who hate us, speak the same language we do. Even the White Raven himself, insane planet-murderer who wanted to see us all killed by a meteor, talked to us in the same tongue we speak.

The only "alt" language we have confirmed (I think) is whatever the Ascians speak in their cutscenes.

Beyond that all we have are hints of other languages. Â Like the Sea Wolves' "Old Tongue" of the Roe, or Doma's ninja stuff, or the Empire's latin-based naming conventions.

***Maril*** · **04-07-2015, 02:33 PM**

Not really an answer, but a suggestion:Â
It wouldn't be too unlikely that there'd be some really old-as-heck words that used to be used a lot, but are now used so rarely that most people would look at you weirdly, or not understand it. Imagine walking up to a youngster in this day and age and address them in fancy old posh English.Â
I would imagine magical types that have access to old-as-heck books might know some words like that, which could add some flavor to your characters language. Like old cursewords maybe? Though I'd be something you'd have to create for your character.

Aya · **04-07-2015, 02:33 PM**

I like to think the world is as linguistically diverse as our own.Â I also realize that tends to frighten game developers.Â Oh well Smile

K'hylia · **04-07-2015, 02:33 PM**

Oh! That's all cool to know, at least! I didn't want to use it in game (how would you?!) so much as put in in backstory for things, or perhaps refer to it now and then. Nice to see miqo have/had their own words. Smile

Sounsyy · **04-07-2015, 02:40 PM**

The Naming Conventions for Miqo'te and Roegadyn, as well as some fishing lore for Lalafell mention that each of these races have their own language, which - for the most part, has been forgotten by most Eorzean members of those races. This language may still be spoken in other parts of the world, but in Eorzea, most of the languages have been lost or drowned out in the common tongue.

Quote:The first name is always proceeded by a letter representing their tribe. In the mass exodus which occurred during the Fifth Umbral Era, 26 Seeker of the Sun tribes crossed the seas (which had frozen solid as a result of the Calamity) to Eorzea in search of food and warmer climates. The names of these tribes contained many sounds which were difficult to represent with the existing Eorzean alphabet; but the fact that there were the same exact number of tribes as letters in the Eorzean alphabet was taken as a sign that they were destined to make the new realm their home, and so assigned each tribe with a letter/sound that was closest to its name. Over time, this resulted in the changing of the pronunciation to more closely resemble the pronunciation of the Eorzean letter than that of the original word.

-Miqo'te Naming Conventions

Quote:Sea Wolf names are actually all formed from two words taken from the ancient Roegadyn language that the race's ancestors spoke before they came to Eorzea.

-Roegadyn Naming Conventions

Quote:Monke Onke
A giant freshwater fish found in the tepid rivers and lakes of the Black Shroud. Gridanian records state that the first monke onke was brought to the Black Shroud by the realm's first Lalafellin settlers, the name monke onke meaning "friendship" in the settlers' native tongue.

We can assume the other races have their own native tongue as well. As for Domans, they have various Japanese words which they use and likely speak "Doman" when in Othard, but this would more closely represent a national language instead of a racial language, since Domans aren't a race. While it is possible that at some point, every nation in Eorzea and beyond spoke their own language, "Eorzean" seems to be the prevalent common tongue - at least to Eorzea and foreign merchants/refugees who have chosen to live here.

EDIT: Damnit Franz.

There's also all of the Beastmen languages.
Sylphs speak High Sylphic.
Sahagin have Bloodcant, which several Reaver pirates picked up and learned to speak in 1.0.
The Dravanians have their own language.

So I think it's highly likely (seeing as how Fernehalwes is an avid linguist) that each of the races or city-states had their own language at some point in history, however recently or not. As for the Roegadyn language, though much of the words have been forgotten, it's still common enough knowledge passed down that each of their children is named using words and phrases from their old tongue, so I'd say it could be still in use in some parts of the world.

Dasair · **04-07-2015, 02:57 PM**

In terms of cavern dwelling Duskwight Elezen in particular, I imagine that they might have something of their own language as well, if not several variants. I think it was mentioned somewhere before (I want to find the source for this) that they may have various signals between sort of echoing cave wall-tapping like Morse code almost. I'd think too, they could have different spoken languages considering their seclusion from the outside world. And then if you figure in the potential for individual clans... I can see them having either dialects, or entirely familial-specific languages.

If you merely live among the same group for generations, without much outside contact (depending on the degree of seclusion) I figure it'd be pretty conceivable to have a language sort of evolve that only particulars of that group can fully grasp.

But that's mostly speculation, and likely dependent on conditions.

allgivenover · **04-07-2015, 03:31 PM**

There are definitely traditional languages by race/culture in the setting, however I really doubt they are in common use in the present. It's possible they're nearly lost.

All of the Doman children speak fluent Eorzean, so I'm doubtful about Domans speaking something analogous to Japanese, Seekers and Keepers have ancient languages that's only real remnant is found in their names, etc.

I do think that there is a unified "common" tongue.

S'khai Nunh · **04-07-2015, 11:20 PM**

'Amaljic' is a think mentioned along the MSQ, though it only specifies that it is written and says nothing on whether or not it's a spoken language as well.

Goblins also have their own language from which Gobbiespeak is derived.

Lekka Meyren · **04-08-2015, 04:43 AM**

I've occasionally included "racial language" in my RP, not as full conversational sentences; but rather just "<roegadyn swear>" or similar.

And I feel like that's a nice solution for those whose characters are either from more tribal/distant areas I.e didn't grow up in one of the big eorzean cities; or just for a little flavour in that likely only other roegadyn would understand the word meaning.Â
(Though I'd assume inflection in swearing works much like it does in all earth languages, you can tell when someone's angry/in pain.)

Could also work fine if your character speaks more of this language than the common folk of Eorzea would. You wouldn't speak it unless you were speaking to someone who didn't understand common eorzean, but dropping a word here and there makes sense from a bilingual perspective.
(Personally speak a few languages, and I always find myself struggling for the word in one language, but knowing it in others.)

Mercurias · **04-08-2015, 10:22 AM**

M'sato was raised in a tribe that occasionally engaged in trading with outside merchants while they traveled on their nomadic routes, and as such he was raised speaking both Eorzean and his tribe's dialect. He's been living away from most anyone who speaks his dialect for, oh, nigh on six years now, and so he largely only slips into it when he's drunk too much, he's swearing something that doesn't translate well into Eorzean, or he's trying to explain a concept he doesn't have a comfortable Eorzean equivalent phrase for.

Coatleque · **04-08-2015, 10:28 AM**

"Old tongues" is just that. Old tongues. Even if the languages -did- exist, walking around speaking in them would be like you speaking Latin today.

It's a dead language that only you and the occasional doctor might understand.

**Unnamed Mercenary** · **04-08-2015, 10:32 AM**

(04-08-2015, 10:28 AM)Coatleque Wrote: "Old tongues" is just that. Â Old tongues. Â Even if the languages -did- exist, walking around speaking in them would be like you speaking Latin today.

It's a dead language that only you and the occasional doctor might understand.

And the Church of Ishgard? /halfjoking

Racial Languages?

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