The Common Language
The rise of the Kinderstärke Empire was perhaps the first exposure of Alwaus to the danger and importance of inter species diplomacy. While in ages past, the Alvain had used their superior might and wisdom to enforce their will on the world around them, the Kinderstärke were one of the first elements that the Alvain were not able to simply dominate. When frustrations and misunderstanding grew between the two races, so too did hatred, and the world was subjected to it's first horrified taste of full scale war between two powerful and immortal empires.
To ensure the bloodshed in the Birthright Wars never occurred again, shortly after The Treaty Of Alvantes, plans were set in motion to ensure that the two species could circumvent the barriers of culture and language. The solution was elegant. A new language would be crafted. One that combined the elegance and nobility of the Alvain dialect of The Old Tongue, with the structure and precision the Kinderstärke language. As both the Kinderstärke and The Old Tongue were languages structured around the manipulation of arcane energies, efforts were made to ensure that a common language could be shared between them that would not add the unnecessary complication of contextual magic. This new "common language" would sever as the template for all new treaties and discussions between the two nations, ensuring the two races a future of mutual cooperation and understanding.
Well there were traditionalists among the alvain who saw the spread of this new tongue as a watering down of their prestige and culture, most of those voices have long faded as they two began to adapt to the changing times. Now the old tongue is rarely spoken outside of religious ceremonies and magical texts.
As the ages passed, once primitive civilizations began to develop across Alwaus. While they could never hope to match the greatness of the Alvain or Kinderstärke, it was not long before these smaller civilizations were gifted with the knowledge of The Common Language as well. Sharing this language with other races ensured that diplomacy and trade across Alwaus would not go unhindered, and perhaps most importantly, it gave the Alvain the ability to better influence and shape these young races as they developed through their own states of infancy.
In time, The Common Tongue had spread across all of Alwaus, uniting the countless tribes and species with a common way to describe their world.
To ensure the bloodshed in the Birthright Wars never occurred again, shortly after The Treaty Of Alvantes, plans were set in motion to ensure that the two species could circumvent the barriers of culture and language. The solution was elegant. A new language would be crafted. One that combined the elegance and nobility of the Alvain dialect of The Old Tongue, with the structure and precision the Kinderstärke language. As both the Kinderstärke and The Old Tongue were languages structured around the manipulation of arcane energies, efforts were made to ensure that a common language could be shared between them that would not add the unnecessary complication of contextual magic. This new "common language" would sever as the template for all new treaties and discussions between the two nations, ensuring the two races a future of mutual cooperation and understanding.
Well there were traditionalists among the alvain who saw the spread of this new tongue as a watering down of their prestige and culture, most of those voices have long faded as they two began to adapt to the changing times. Now the old tongue is rarely spoken outside of religious ceremonies and magical texts.
As the ages passed, once primitive civilizations began to develop across Alwaus. While they could never hope to match the greatness of the Alvain or Kinderstärke, it was not long before these smaller civilizations were gifted with the knowledge of The Common Language as well. Sharing this language with other races ensured that diplomacy and trade across Alwaus would not go unhindered, and perhaps most importantly, it gave the Alvain the ability to better influence and shape these young races as they developed through their own states of infancy.
In time, The Common Tongue had spread across all of Alwaus, uniting the countless tribes and species with a common way to describe their world.
Geographical Distribution
After the successful formation of the common language, great efforts were made by both the Kinderstärke and Alvain peoples to ensure the language was spread across the continent of Alwaus. While at first some of the more stubborn races were reluctant to forsake their ancestral tongues, in the end the patient of the immortal Alvain won out, and the common tongue is widely accepted as the primary language in every corner of Alwaus.
Morphology
The grammatical structure of the common language is nearly a direct copy of the central base of the ancient Kinderstärke language. A race that values structure and precision, the sentence structure and conjugation of both the common tongue and Kinderstärke is focused on ensuring clarity and understanding to the reader, and does away with a lot of the pretense and over specific gramatical exceptions that are more common in the Alvain dialect.
What the language did inherit from the Alvain, was it's adaptability. The Kinderstärke tongue's obsession with structure and precision frequently causes it difficulty when forced to describe something that sits outside of the understanding of the language's original design. Taking example from the Alvain dialect, The Common Language was designed from the ground up to ensure it's structure and phonetics can evolve organically as the years progress.
When the language was still being designed by a team of Kinderstärke and Alvain linguists, both sides were shocked to find an unusually high amount of common words and expressions. It seems that while both languages originated in completely separate geographical and cultural environments, the bond they shared through the context of magical energies had helped shape and prune their languages in very similar ways. Attempts to understand this phenomenon over the centuries have made little headway, however many of the more religious scholars insist The Goddess herself had a hand in guiding the development of both tongues, perhaps to ensure the two species could successfully share the world between them. Others however, simply write the event off as a mundane coincidence.
What the language did inherit from the Alvain, was it's adaptability. The Kinderstärke tongue's obsession with structure and precision frequently causes it difficulty when forced to describe something that sits outside of the understanding of the language's original design. Taking example from the Alvain dialect, The Common Language was designed from the ground up to ensure it's structure and phonetics can evolve organically as the years progress.
When the language was still being designed by a team of Kinderstärke and Alvain linguists, both sides were shocked to find an unusually high amount of common words and expressions. It seems that while both languages originated in completely separate geographical and cultural environments, the bond they shared through the context of magical energies had helped shape and prune their languages in very similar ways. Attempts to understand this phenomenon over the centuries have made little headway, however many of the more religious scholars insist The Goddess herself had a hand in guiding the development of both tongues, perhaps to ensure the two species could successfully share the world between them. Others however, simply write the event off as a mundane coincidence.
Vocabulary
As the Common Language is what this very resource is being written in, most of the vocabulary will no doubt be more than familiar to that of the reader. Alwaus is a large and bountiful world however, and new discoveries are being made every day. With these new discoveries, the language expands with our own understanding of the word around us.
With the language serving as a bridge between so many different cultures, it's no surprise that some choose to use it for other than to bring people together. While a common language between two people ensure they can speak the language, it does not ensure they will listen to each other, not that they will agree on common things. When this happens, mistrust and hatred grow - and people use words to attack each other in ways the original designers of the Common Language never intended.
What follows is a list of offensive words and phrases. Great care should be taken with knowledge of these, as the hatred behind their creation has considerable destructive power. Those who choose to speak them should know full well that speaking these phrases to the wrong person can easily provoke violence, and in some places saying these words is even a criminal offence.
" Alf " or sometimes " Elf " - A short hand derogatory term for a member of the Alvain species.
" Dwarf " or sometimes " Halfling " - A derogatory term for a member of the Kinderstärke species.
" Squeeler " or sometimes " Pig " - A derogatory term for a member of the Farrow species.
" Breeders " or sometimes " Locust " - A derogatory term for a member of the Human species.
Problematic Language
With the language serving as a bridge between so many different cultures, it's no surprise that some choose to use it for other than to bring people together. While a common language between two people ensure they can speak the language, it does not ensure they will listen to each other, not that they will agree on common things. When this happens, mistrust and hatred grow - and people use words to attack each other in ways the original designers of the Common Language never intended.
What follows is a list of offensive words and phrases. Great care should be taken with knowledge of these, as the hatred behind their creation has considerable destructive power. Those who choose to speak them should know full well that speaking these phrases to the wrong person can easily provoke violence, and in some places saying these words is even a criminal offence.
" Alf " or sometimes " Elf " - A short hand derogatory term for a member of the Alvain species.
" Dwarf " or sometimes " Halfling " - A derogatory term for a member of the Kinderstärke species.
" Squeeler " or sometimes " Pig " - A derogatory term for a member of the Farrow species.
" Breeders " or sometimes " Locust " - A derogatory term for a member of the Human species.
Root Languages
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