Common Languages

Mixed tongues are those which blend two or more roots to the point that it is hard to say which is the root and which provides loan words. Many of these are, deliberately or fortuitously, comprehensible to a wide group. Those designed, or at least widely used, as trade tongues to facilitate communication between different lineages, are known as common languages. After millennia of cross-pollination, the various common languages share many features, such that speakers of one can generally understand speakers of the others, provided that they do not deliberately drop into obfuscating slang.

Hybrids

• Ophidian, the language of the Virin-yal, synthesises anthric, Regime elvish and petaran. It is spoken in three variants: The highly formal and embellished Courtly; the precise and archaic Ritual; and the informal and irregular Vernacular.
• Aerian, a simplified version of the Sono language of the Featherfolk, combines Aquan, Titanic and Draconic Languages. It has a widespread influence thanks to its use in negotiating with 'barbarians'.
• The Smoothfolk language, Aranic, is based in a blend of Draconic and Primordial. Different populations use different dialects, and although they speak the same language as their neighbours, the different sublineages tend to sound very different. Thanks to the use of a large part of the chest and throat as a resonating chamber, not only do smoothfolk sublineages sound very different indeed, but they will often revert to the accents of their upbringing when impassioned.

Common Tongues

• Regime Common was developed from the pidgin dialects used by the ancilliary regiments of the Regime. It's primary influence is Titanic, but with elements of Orcate and Reptilian.
• Sacristi is the synthetic formal language of the Sacred Republic, based on Regime Common.
• Manivoca is a North Cainan trade tongue, blending Terran, Titanic and the Dust tongues, and cross-lending with Regime Common.
• Esbreck is a sailor's vernacular developed from Sea Speech and the trade tongues spoken in the harbours of the world.
• Undercommon is a common language developed by the Kindled, Hollower Dwarfs and Jaskinisse of the Underhollows.
• Klat, also known as Southern Trade Tongue, is a language developed from the Legionary languages to replace the common use of Hordish after the Uprising. It borrows from Aerian and Anthric.
• Imperial Common is the Aranic-based Southern Cainan trade language.
• Wayspeech is a range of intricate hybrid dialects used by Halflings, Scutora and other travelling cultures.
• Avaunt is the language of the Yael cultures around the Wall of the World, derived from Aerian.
• Pelagic is the trade tongue used by Ladonian merchants so as not to speak their own language with outsiders and inferiors.
• Coastal Cant is the trade tongue of the north and east coasts of Suto. It is also used as the unofficial 'language of pirates'.
• Sutan is the trade language of the Sutoan jungle and the Empty Quarter.