Goblin (Language) | World Anvil - Isekai Codex

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Goblin

Language of the Goblinoids

The Goblin language is often considered simple and unsophisticated but that has evolved as an opinion of Human scholars more due to their animosity towards the monster race because of their long and bloody history. Speakers of this language are usually of the Goblinoid family to include Bugbears and Hobgoblins or Humans that specialize in hunting or dealing with Goblins. The script for Goblin is completely unique in the respect that it seems to be a series of ticks, lines, and triangles that can easily be placed in plain sight and seem to communicate no meaning at all, in fact, many Goblins can leave messages in plain sight because it simply does not look like writing.   The earliest appearance of this language and this script predates many other languages in Isekai, as Goblins are the descendants of the Ancient Fey their existence has stretched eons. The spoken language contains mainly squeaks, hisses, and animalistic sounds and is quite unmistakable if one has spent any amount of time around Goblins. The Goblin language uses a completely unique script that can only be described as a series of ticks, while the most common and clear examples of the script are shown below, the practical application has been shown to be incredibly messy but with no apparent loss of meaning. Another oddity of the Goblin language is the fact that they only have a use for five numbers, some oddity in Goblin Culture seems to indicate that there is no need for more numbers than one has fingers. For this reason, there are no numbers beyond five and no concept for the number zero beyond a blank. This language has a large presence all throughout the world but relatively few speakers outside of the Goblinoid family of creatures because it is considered a primal or base method of communication.   The advantage of speaking this language usually manifests as a tactical option because it allows you to scout ahead, infiltrate an area infested with Goblins and catch some speech that can reveal plans. It should be noted that questioning and interrogations often proceed better if you talk to a Goblinoid in its own language, this is especially effective when dealing with Hobgoblins because of their high intelligence and sense of pride. There is no particular disadvantage to speaking or writing this language but if you try to assert that the language has any complex or useful application it is likely that you will be laughed out of most intellectual circles.

Writing System

Spoken by


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Author's Notes

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Sep 12, 2021 16:30 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Humans and their biases. I'm very intrigued by their number system and how it works in practice.

Emy x   Etrea | Vazdimet
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