Language in Kelbonnar
As the Empire of Turelion is a multi-racial entity and the nations that existed in Kelbonnar before the conquests of Machestaro I were themselves predominantly multi-racial places, language in Kelbonnar has changed from being based purely on racial groups and divisions, to being instead based on geographical groupings and divisions. As the different species who mingled and eventually lived together with one another across the world sought common languages to communicate, many languages unique to specific races began to drop out of use and in many case died out altogether.
For the majority of people in Kelbonnar, their mother tongue is now almost always the language spoken in the area that they were born and raised in. Each of the Provinces has different languages that are native to the regions and which represent the main language spoken by the political entities there prior to the dominance of the Empire. The main native languages spoken in each province are:
Turelion Province - Turelite
Ferio Province - Uktangian
Ultaru Province - Takpoian
Quess Province - Quessite
Bar-Sunar Province - Dakhwa
Oam Province - Dosogbuian
Minid Province - Bwĩgit
Langstrom Province - Jotunite
Pelenar Province - Palawcho
Greltor Province - Yaltharhan
Norgantho Province - Turelite
As the native language of the founders of the Empire of Turelion, Turelite, often referred to as ‘common speech’ holds a preferential position within Kelbonnar, as it is the language that all Imperial and Provincial business is conducted in. Most people will speak a smattering of Turelite, and there are a large number of people who are bilingual speakers of their own native tongue and Turelite. Multilingualism is common amongst many peoples who either conduct cross provincial trade, have interests in various provinces or who live near provincial borders, with many learning additional languages that will help them conduct business as easily as possible.
Whilst geographically based languages have superseded and racially based languages, some racial languages do survive, thanks in part to their heavy usage in academic or religious circles, or the existence of mon-racial communities that still use the language as a primary form of communication. Racial languages that continue to exist in Kelbonnar include:
Elven: Elven has survived primarily because it is used heavily in ancient academic works of history, poetry, science and literature. It is a popular language to learn for those from affluent backgrounds as the reading of works of ancient elvish literature, the reciting of elvish poetry and the performance of ancient elvish plays is a fashionable past time amongst the upper classes of the Empire. In addition, Elven is still spoken by the handful of Elf communities that exist in almost complete isolation from the rest of world, such as the state of Sparos in the Heavenspire Mountains.
Draconic: Like Elven, Draconic has survived because it is the principle language that the early research into the arcane arts was carried out in. Whilst it is no longer necessary to speak Draconic in order to study the arcane, many of the academics tied to the Imperial College of Arcanists speak the language, so that they can more readily study the original treatises on magic. Again, like Elven, Draconic is also still spoken as a first language by the remote communities of Dragonborn that keep themselves to themselves, such as the community of Mount Timos in the Spiny Mountains.
Dwarven: The last of the three, so-called ‘academic’ languages, the range of words, phrases and idioms relating to engineering and manufacturing processes has meant that Dwarven was for many years the language of choice for students of engineering, industry and craft. The amount of technical detail and description that Dwarven makes possible means that the old Dwarven treatises on these subjects are still widely available and the language is still used in the writing of new ones. Unlike Elven and Draconic, however, there are no known communities of isolationist Dwarves on the surface of Kelbonnar, so native language speakers of Dwarvish are few and far between. However, Dwarvish phrases, most notably their curses and swearwords have crept into the lexicons of most of Kelbonnar’s languages and have become standard profanities that are universally recognised.
Savage Speech: Occasionally referred to as ‘Orcish’ or ‘Goblinoid’, the language spoken by Orcs and Goblinoids is universally termed Savage Speech. The common biological ancestor that Orcs and Goblins are thought to share is thought to be the reason that the two species share a language as well. As both Orcs and Goblinoids have large communities that operate outside of the Imperial system most individuals from both species will speak Savage Speech as their mother tongue. The Goblinoids and the odd Orc that live within the Imperial system will tend to stick to using Savage Speech as their main language, learning just enough of the local language to fit in.
Giantish: As beings that prefer to live away from civilisation and who keep themselves to themselves, Giants and the other creatures that speak Giantish have managed to preserve their racial language with very few influences from the wider world. Usage of Giantish occasionally occurs within the Empire of Turelion, mostly by scholars studying Giantish lore and literature.
In addition, there are a number of languages used by denizens native to other planes of existence that are rarely spoken on the surface of Kelbonnar, but which occasionally crop up, either in written documents or on items brought to the material plane of Kelbonnar from elsewhere, or spoken by natives of these places who have infiltrated Kelbonnar, who use their language of choice to communicate with one another and teach it to whichever mortal followers they are able to muster. It is very rare for anyone, other than specialists studying areas that directly concern them, to have encountered the following languages, either in written or verbal form:
- Abyssal
- Celestial
- Deep Speech
- Infernal
- Primordial
- Sylvan
- Undercommon
Comments