Author: Stef (---.mindspring.net)
Date: 06-30-2002 10:35
As with many articles by this writer, I find the reasearch wonderful, the writing entertaing, and at the end I find myself wailing and wanting to rend my clothing.
I understand presenting a set of theories, even a set of notes. I even understand open ended discussions. The trick that's attempting to be slid under the door here, the fallacy of Common as simple convient plot device, like Babellfish or Translator Microbes, only works if you look at game settings as Meda...mediv... long time ago Europe with elves, dwarves and a few Tolkeinian terms thrown in. It's a time that never was, so having a language that never was (in the context) is only natural.
But the premise only works if your gameworld is just that, namely a mismash or real cultures thrown together with a fantasy term or two. I have no problem with game worlds that are like that, mind you. But there are other levels. Lemme see if I can add a point to this ramble.
You don't have to develop a language really, just a reason for there to be one. Languages don't develop in vacumes. A world may have never had a common proto language, but it may have a trade tongue. It's not so far fetched. If you were an engineer a couple of decades back, it was very helpful, if not required, to speak German. Speaking English is becoming common today in other countries for trade reasons as well.
Eventually someone going to want to translate gold into services or dinars into sheckles and they will need to be able to negotiate in the local lingo.
If you want to simulate communications between people who are talking in language only understood by a few of a party, pass notes. It's no different than playing a spy thriller genre game and having people speak in Arabic or French, without requiring that a player know said languages. It's a nice touch if they do, but not neccesary. Hell, start talking random and develop a vocabulary over time. Have it be the basis for why a character learns a new language.
In Europe, it's more common and practical to be multilingual than in America. We have Canada to the north, speaking English and Mexico to the south, speaking Spanish. Mexican Spanish, to be more precise. But even in America, go from the Northeast to the Southeast, and suddenly there is a language barrier, both in polite speech and in slang. East Coast to West Coast, same thing. Heck, go from Jersey to Queens and you may as well have stepped into Botswana. Oh, and not to mention the growing influence of Mexican Spanish in the Southwest US, such that certain xenophobes have suggested a national language is neccessary.
American English is a nice mish mash. Other , more extreme, examples would be found in Sci-Fi: street tongue in Blade Runner, Portu-Greek of Waterworld (rotten movie, great RPG setting). Why American is such a mish-mash is the same as why there are so many flavors of Christianity in this country. The United States is primarily poplulated these days by people who's ancestors as few as a generation or two back didn't grow up speaking English. People brought their language, culture and way of doing thing with them when they came to the Great American Melting pot. There are Greek neighborhoods, Mexican neighborhoods, and certain streches of roads in my home of Atlanta (in the deep south no less) that you can of for a mile before you see a sign in the English alphabet, much less in English.
How does this relate to Fantasy RPG's? If you have international trade, you'll have a common tongue or at least one or two common languages, corresponding with the most prosperous or at least wide travelling and trading nations. Same if you have aggressive expansionists, like Americans or Romans. If you don't have these, if your societies are more isolated, then you won't nor should you have a common tongue. If you want an example, yeah you could look to American English and look to various cultural references that are now recognized worldwide. (Listen to the song Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers for a reaction to such inundation of US culture elsewhere)But for whatever reason, if your world has a common tongue, know the reason it has to be there be it, trade, conquest, babblefish or even if it's an acknowledged "we don't want to waste half the evening passing notes explaining who can say what to who because we're all from different cultures".
As for the article, thank you for your time. You have a very broad spectrum of knowledge and your efforts do merit praise. Please if you would, give us a thesis statement sometime before the last section the next article your write. Perhaps even put it before repeated statements that indicate you're talking about fantasy setting specifically based in Judeo Christian Europe circa 1200-1500. Much appreciated.
Peace
Stef
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