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[[Category:Reese's Campaign]]
[[Category:Epic Path]]
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<div style="clear:right; float:right; padding-left:0.5em; padding-top:0.5em">__TOC__</div>


== Languages ==
 
This is just a quick listing of languages, meant primarily as a reference point for people adding ranks to their Linguistics skill.
This is a listing of languages, meant primarily as a reference for people adding ranks to their [[Linguistics]] skill.
 
===Mechanics of Speech===
Most languages are spoken aloud, requiring some variety of air and the ability to hear in order to work.  Some of the more exotic languages have extremely difficult sound palettes (the sound of blowing wind, or creaking ice, for example.) 
 
There are other ways of using language.  It is possible to have a vision-based language, such as sign language or a language of color changes.  It is possible to have a scent-based language, which would allow plants to communicate with smells, for example.
 
===Telepathy===
Perhaps the most sophisticated language medium is simply communicating mind-to-mind, via telepathy.  Telepathy as a language is a broadcast mechanism, with words appearing in the minds of those around you without the need for line of sight or even line of effect.  Most creatures with telepathy also have the ability to 'whisper', and communicate with only one creature or only a few, instead of all around them.
 
Telepathy is also frequently accompanied by [[Mindsense]], although not always.  Since Telepathy does not require line of sight, Mindsense is not required for telepathy to work. 
 
Creatures with Telepathy can only speak in the languages they know.  It is not uncommon for more advanced or eerie telepathic creatures to be able to communicate using a mental form of Enuncia (see below), which means they can communicate with any creature with a mind.




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All races may learn any of these languages at character creation if they have a high enough Intelligence score to qualify for bonus languages.
All races may learn any of these languages at character creation if they have a high enough Intelligence score to qualify for bonus languages.


* Common
:{| class="ep-default" width="95%"
* Dwarven
! width="12%" | Basic Language || width="12%" | Pronunciation || width="12%" | Language Of: || Description
* Elven
|-
* Gnome
| Common || kah-mun || Most civilized races || A human language, but spoken nearly everywhere due to the overwhelming influence and ubiquity of humans. Nearly everything, civilized or not, knows a few hundred words in Common, allowing basic function.
* Halfling
|-
* Orc
| Dwarven || dwor-vin || Dwarves || A booming language with long vowels, meant to carry through the deep tunnels
* Tengu
|-
 
| Elven || ehl-vin || Elves || A pleasant-sounding language with few labials or stops
|-
| Gnomish || noh-mish || Gnomes || A language that excels at discussing complex or intricate ideas
|-
| Halfling || haf-leng || Halflings || A rapid-fire language that sounds joyful, even when angry
|-
| Orcish || or-kish || Bru-Kin || A guttural, harsh language, with short abrupt words
|-
| Tengu || tin-goo || Tengu || A language that is rife with plays on words, ambiguities, and synonyms
|}


===Advanced Starting Languages===
===Advanced Starting Languages===
These languages are more obscure, and races tend to have access to only 1 or 2 of them depending on their exposure to these cultures. See the race listing to determine which, if any, of these languages are available to your race at character creation, if your Int score qualifies you for bonus languages.
These languages are more obscure, and races tend to have access to only 1 or 2 of them depending on their exposure to these cultures. See the race listing to determine which, if any, of these languages are available to your race at character creation, if your Int score qualifies you for bonus languages.


* Aquan (Aqueous races)
:{| class="ep-default" width="95%"
* Auran (Aerial races)
! width="12%" | Advanced Language || width="12%" | Pronunciation || width="12%" | Language Of: || Description
* Draconic (Dragon speech)
|-
* Giant (Giants, Ettins, Ogres and Trolls, oh my!)
| Aquan || ah-kwan || Undine, Vanx || A language capable of being spoken both underwater and in normal air
* Gnoll (Gnolls and Mongrel Folk)
|-
* Goblin (Goblinoids)
| Auran || aw-ran || Sylphs, Tengu || A language of high whistles and squawks capable of carrying great distances
* Ignan (Fiery races)
|-
* Sylvan (Common Fey)
| Draconic || druh-kon-ik || Dragons || Seemingly simple, monosyllabic language, relies on inflections and tonality to add deeper meanings
* Terran (Earth races)
|-
* Undercommon (Drow, Duergar and other Denizens)
| Giant || jahy-uhnt || Giants, Ettins, Ogres, Trolls || A genuinely simple, monosyllabic language
 
|-
| Gnoll || nohl || Gnolls || Comprised of barks, cackles, and trilling, but surprisingly diverse and nuanced in the breadth of its descriptiveness
|-
| Goblin || gob-lin || Goblins, low fey || A screechy, whiny-sounding language, which conjugates based on the speaker's position in society
|-
| Ignan || ig-nan || Ifrits || Sounds like the roaring of a bonfire, the crackling of burning leaves, and the pops of burning sap
|-
| Sylvan || sil-van || Woodfolk and fey || Similar-sounding to Elvish, with susurrant consonants, long vowels, and a rapid cadence.
|-
| Terran || tair-uhn || Oreads || A slow-paced, contemplative language. Conveys meanings in pauses and silence as much as words.
|-
| Undercommon || uhn-der-kom-uhn || Drow, Duergar || A harsh language with few vowels, spoken commonly in the Unterweldt
|}


===Encountered Languages===
===Encountered Languages===
These languages are rarely known by starting characters and can typically only be learned by encountering cultures and races which speak them, and spending some time studying them. A working knowledge of these languages can be achieved by deciphering overheard conversations, translating books or just being around it while it is spoken.
These languages are rarely known by starting characters and can typically only be learned by encountering cultures and races which speak them, and spending some time studying them. A working knowledge of these languages can be achieved by deciphering overheard conversations, translating books or just being around it while it is spoken.


* Gàbhach (pron. "Gwo-Vach", Low Aberrant, was Aboleth)
:{| class="ep-default" width="95%"
* Abyssal (Demons)
! width="12%" | Encountered Language || width="12%" | Pronunciation || width="12%" | Language Of: || Description
* Ackakakl (The greater language of Fire)
|-
* Aklo (Ancient Underdark)
| Abyssal || ah-bi-sul || Demons || A commanding language, excellent for intimidation.
* Awnsheghlien (Unseelie; Winter Court Fey)
|-
* Boggard (Low Beast)
| Ackakakl || ak-ah-kak-ul || Greater fire || Similar to Ignan, except the language carries the cadences of pure elemental fire.
* Celestial (High Outsiders)
|-
* Cùirteil (Summer Court Fey)
| Aklo || ah-klo || Ancient Unterwelt || Far removed from the grammatic and linguistic structures of surface languages, very difficult to learn.
* D’ziriak (Low Brood)
|-
* Erebral (The language of magic)
| Awnsheghlien || ahn-shay-lee || Winter court fey || A graceful language spoken by "evil" fey. Shares linguistic roots with Sylvan and other fey languages.
* Fuligin (The greater language of Darkness)
|-
* Genzoezis (The greater language of Life)
| Breaght || bray-okt || Low goodness || Created by church scholars, used in benedictions and hymns. Brings a sense of peace to the listener and speaker.
* Ghol-Gan (High Giantish; was Cyclops)
|-
* Grum (The greater language of Stone)
| Boggard || bah-gerd || Low beast || A highly tonal language, suitable for less-evolved larynxes. Shares linguistic roots with Gnoll.
* High Draconic (Dragon Lore)
|-
* Illithid (High Aberrant)
| Celestial || seh-les-ti-ahl || High outsider || A refined language, with intricate grammar rules and subtle inflections.
* Infernal (Devils)
|-
* Issshh (The greater language of Wind)
| C&uacute;irteil || kwar-ti-el || Summer court fey || A graceful language spoken by "good" fey. Shares linguistic roots with Sylvan and other fey languages.
* Jeen (The greater language of Light)
|-
* Kern (A language about languages)
| D'ziriak || jih-ree-uhk || Low brood || A language of hive minds and rigorous caste rankings. Extremely painful for humanoid vocal chords.
* Latin (High Human)
|-
* Lelnian, Ancient (Human Lore)
| Delimnia || dih-lim-nee-uh || Joy || A peculiarly fluid language, with few rules and little structure. Great for composition of prose and poetry.
* Myerl (High Beast Tongue)
|-
* Nagaji (Nagas and Ophidians)
| Dj&ouml;fulleg || dyo-vuht-reg || Evil || A harsh-sounding language devised by devils to ease others down a path of darker intentions.
* Necril (High Undead)
|-
* Onundur (Ghoul)
| Dolmen || dohl-min || Low stone || Linguistically related to Terran. Single words sometimes take several hours to speak, and conversations last days or weeks.
* Primal (Outer Madness)
|-
* Protean (Low Outsider)
| Erebral || er-eh-brahl || Magic || Nearly impossible for non-casters to learn, but highly useful for technical discussions of magical theory.
* Slough (Swamps and Frogs; was Grippli)
|-
* Stilth (The greater language of Death)
| Exaction || ecks-ak-shun || Laws || A language with no synonyms, homonyms, and very few ambiguities, typically used in legal proceedings, legal codes, and contracts.
* Strix (Low Devil)
|-
* Thanic (Undead)
| F'thaghu'fhalma || fuh-thahg-hoo-fahl-mah || High aberrant || An awkward language for humanoids to speak, known to cause bad dreams, and even insanity in those who study it.
* Treant (High Autumn Fey)
|-
* Umbral (Low Winter Fey, was Dark Folk)
| Fuligin || fyu-lih-jin || Greater darkness || A whispering, lulling language, spoken by those powerful entities whose might is greatest inside the cool embrace of darkness.
* Urbleburblelou (The greater language of Water)
|-
* Vegepygmy (Low Spring Fey)
| G&odblac;bhach || gwo-vahk || Greater aberrant || A creaking, staccato language, with clicks and growls, known only to the most powerful aberrations.
* Xth'tl'ck (pron.: zith'til'ick, High Brood)
|-
| Genzoezis || gen-zoh-ee-zis || Greater life || A language of spiritual wellness and growth, spoken by greater spirits and benevolent gods.
|-
| Ghol-Gan || gohl-gahn || High giantish || A highly accented language, with heavy emphasis on most syllables, spoken by Cyclopes, Ettins, Fomaorians, and the most evolved giants.
|-
| Gurahn'lloig || gor-ah-hin-loy-eeg || Low aberrant || A garbled language, with too few vowels and uncertain pronunciations, spoken by most aberrations.
|-
| Grum || gruhm || Greater stone || A slowly-articulated language, like Dolmen, but capable of expressing themes and ideas which transcend or ignore time.
|-
| High Cant || hahy kant || Formal bardic song || A captivating, clever language of epic poetry and grand myths. Easily understood by anyone, but very difficult to learn.
|-
| High Draconic || hahy druh-kon-ik || Dragon lore || An esoteric variant of Draconic, in which each word contains historic and genealogical subtext.
|-
| Infernal || in-fur-nal || Devils || Sharing roots with Exaction, a precise language, but with subtle ambiguities and misdirections mixed into its grammar.
|-
| Issshh || ish || Greater wind || A flowing, heavily-aspirated language, spoken by air spirits, elementals and some avian creatures.
|-
| Jakrakt || cha-kruhkt || Breaking || A language principally used by miners and jewelers to discuss their crafts, but also useful in siege warfare.
|-
| Jeen || jeen || Greater light || A rare language, known mainly to gods and celestial hosts.  Sounds somewhat like tolling bells and flaring trumpets when spoken.
|-
| Kern || kern || Language about languages || A constructed language of linguistics, used to collate and describe phonemes and other common meta-constructs within language.
|-
| Krieg || kreeg || War || While useful on battlefields for succinctly commanding troops, this language is also helpful for expressing logistics, troop positioning, and strategies. Has several dialects that can be expressed by horns, drums, finger or arm gestures, and even semaphore flags and signal fires.
|-
| Lelnian, Ancient || lehl-nee-in, eyn-shuhnt || Human lore || A nearly-forgotten dialect of humankind, only the written form remains; the spoken form is hotly contested and largely speculative.
|-
| Litrian || lit-ree-ahn || High human || A dominant language among the highest echelons of human societies, its learning is kept closely guarded.
|-
| Myerl || mahy-erl || High beast || A language of beasts, spoken by highly-evolved animals, greater spirits, and lesser gods affiliated with the Nascent Seed.
|-
| Nagaji || nah-gah-jee || Nagas and ophidians || A sibilant language, with drawn out consonants and quick vowels.
|-
| Necril || neh-kril || Corrupter undead || Spoken by those intelligent undead who seek to corrupt and suborn life, such as vampires, liches, specters, and phages.
|-
| Omneos || ahm-nee-ohs || High goodness || A language of the good-aligned (not the notion of goodness itself).  Spoken by gods, greater spirits, paladins, and powerful clergy of good domains.
|-
| Onundur || oh-nuhn-dyoor || Eater undead || Spoken by those intelligent undead who must consume the living to satiate their immportal hunger &mdash; e.g. ghouls, shadows, wights.
|-
| Phlethegor || fleh-theh-gor || High devil || Spoken by arch-devils and princes of the nine Hells, a language of dominance, intimidation, and compulsion.
|-
| Primal || prahy-muhl || Outer madness || Confusing to all but the most dedicated scholars, this language shifts and changes, almost like a secret language, but is learnable by those willing to risk their own sanity.
|-
| Protean || pro-tee-ehn || Doppelganger || Spoken by the secret creches of doppelgangers in their highest circles of power.
|-
| Quell || kwel || Order || A language of lawfulness, the alignment (not the secular notion of law-abiding-ness), spoken by gods, greater spirits, paladins, and powerful clergy of lawful domains.
|-
| Quintessent || kwin-tes-uhnt || High magic || A precursor to OM (see secret languages), used heavily in arcane theory and philosophical discussions of the fundaments.
|-
| Reave || reev || Chaos || A language of the chaotically aligned. No grammatical rules, and highly theoretical affix construction. Spoken by gods, greater spirits, paladins, and powerful clergy of chaotic domains.
|-
| Reckomp || ray-komp || Bright language of trade || Designed for two speakers to speak at the same time, used for haggling and negotiating.
|-
| R'luh || reh-loo || Low spring court fey || A language of wild growth, unconstrained fertility, and mischievousness. Spoken by lesser fey, especially among the spring court.
|-
| Slaugh || sloo-a || Swampland creatures || A wetlands and swamplands language, spoken with a twangy drawl.
|-
| Stilth || stilth || Greater death || An abrupt and terse language, which excels at expressing concepts of urgency, the unforeseen, transience, and permanence.
|-
| Strix || striks || Low Devil || An almost comically conniving-sounding language, spoken mostly by imps, or those wishing to speak to imps.
|-
| Tenebri || teh-nee-bree || Shadow || A sign- and gesture-based language, with no spoken or written components. The signs rely on the seen and unseen to express context.
|-
| Thanic || tha-nik || Destroyer undead || Spoken among those intelligent undead whose principle need is to exterminate all life, such as ghosts, mummies and ghasts.
|-
| Treant || tree-uhnt || Autumn court fey || A melancholic language of imminent hard times, watchfulness and uncertainty. Widely spoken in the First World.
|-
| Umbral || uhm-bruhl || Low winter court fey || A language of trickery, casual cruelty, and subterfuge.
|-
| Urbleburblelou || er-bul-ber-bul-oo || Greater water || Easily spoken while underwater (or any other liquid), known to water spirits, elementals, and intelligent piscene creatures.
|-
| Vertigion || ver-ti-jee-ahn || Contagious madness || A babbling, gibbering language that conveys ideas in only the barest sense, often through meaningless meanderings and disturbing metaphors.
|-
| Womp || womp || A fast language || A rapid-fire language of simple words, which can be used to communicate to creatures experiencing time far more quickly than the speaker.
|-
| Xth'tl'ck || sith-til-ick || High brood || A hive-mind language used to communicate with other brood hive minds.
|-
| Yastermine || yas-ter-meen || History and lore || A dry, educated language, which borrows notions of time and context from High Draconic, but tailored for humanoid histories.
|}


===Secret Languages===
=== [[Secret Language]]s===
Finally, there are secret languages. These are languages which cannot be learned by anyone except those specifically invited to learn them. In many cases, these languages are deliberately deceptive, with fluctuating grammar or syntax changes based on the calendar, lunar cycle or some other variable. They are, in short, codes.  While it may be possible to decipher short passages of these languages given enough time and the proper cypher keys, the languages themselves will always remain a mystery, as the keys change and the lexicon evolves to deny knowledge to outsiders.
Finally, there are secret languages. These are languages which cannot be learned by anyone except those specifically invited to learn them. In many cases, these languages are deliberately deceptive, with fluctuating grammar or syntax changes based on the calendar, lunar cycle or some other variable. They are, effectively, constantly evolving codes.  While it may be possible to decipher short passages of these languages given enough time and the proper cypher keys, the languages themselves will always remain a mystery, as the keys change and the lexicon evolves to deny knowledge to outsiders.


* Drow Sign Language (Secret language of the Drow)
:{| class="ep-default" width="95%"
* Druidic (Secret language of the Druids)
! width="12%" | Secret Language || width="12%" | Pronunciation || width="12%" | Language Of: || Description
* Ghoul Sign Language (Secret language of the Ghouls)
|-
* OM (The language of power)
| Coept || koh-ept || Creation || Calls fundaments and forces into existence simply by speaking it
* Sphinx (The language of riddles)
|-
* Therien (The language of lies)
| Corhiwar || kor-shih-var || Drow battle language || A sign language using hand gestures, capable of coercing lesser Drow into action
* Thieves' Cant (The secret language of thieves)
|-
 
| Druidic || droo-id-ik || Druids || When spoken in an untamed environment, can be heard by other Druids across great distances
==Learning A New Language==
|-
The Linguistics skill allows characters to learn a new language for each rank they place in the skill. Some GM's may want to keep this simple and assume the character has acquired some means of studying the new language and is doing that in their spare time. Other GM's may wish to add a little more realism into the learning process. After all, just because you have a rank in a skill granting you the mental space to learn a new language, you may not have had enough exposure to pick up that language without some effort first.
| Enuncia || ee-nun-see-uh || Communication || Enuncia can be understood by anyone who can read or hear it, appearing or sounding like a language they already speak.
 
|-
It's up to the GM whether characters can just learn one or more of the encountered languages when they level up. Perhaps there is a great library where tomes containing lexicons of bizarre and diverse tongues can be perused and studied. Maybe a college teaches classes on how to speak High Draconic. Or maybe the players just need to run into these things and piece it together from scraps of conversation they overhear through closed doors.
| Graxt || grakst || Destruction || The very sounds of this language dissolves the bonds between life, matter, and fundaments
 
 
; Making A Check To Learn A New Language
GM's should allow a linguistics check for each significant exposure to a new language, even if the character rolling the check doesn't have any available language "slots" at the time. The DC for this check is as follows:
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" style="text-align:left"
! align="center"| Degree of exposure to new language || align="center"| Linguistics Check DC
|-
|-
| Character is in an immersive environment (i.e. that language is the only one spoken by the locals, and basic interactions can only be performed in that language)
| OM || owhm || Power || Coalesces the will of the speaker into expression
| align="center"| 15<sup>1</sup>
|-
|-
| The language being studied is commonly spoken but is not the only language being spoken
| Sphinx || sfeenks || Riddles || Speakers of this language can deduce and infer answers to riddles and mysteries with astounding ease
| align="center"| 20
|-
|-
| The language being studied is only observed from a single source (one conversation, one letter, one book, etc.)
| Therien || theh-ree-in || Lies || Speakers can easily construct multiple versions of a "truth" without contradicting themselves
| align="center"| 25
|-
|-
| the language being studied is observed from a source which is, itself, not fluent in the language
| Thieves' Cant || theevs kant || Thieves || A slang-heavy, rhythmic cadence, used for clandestine coordination and black market trade
| align="center"| 30
|}
|}
:* <sup>1</sup> For each full day of exposure to a language an immersive environment, the DC of the check decreases by 2 until the check is made, at which point it resets to 15. In this way, even characters without ranks in Linguistics can eventually pick up a language in a place they are forced to use it to interact.
Situational penalties and bonuses can also apply to this check, such as the speaker deliberately trying to teach the character the language (generally a +2 to +10 bonus, depending on how skilled the teacher is at teaching), or the speaker deliberately trying to be obscure or hide their meaning (e.g. "do you have the package?") which can impose anything from a -2 to a -10 penalty. A completely nonsense source of the language (such as a code) may not even allow a check at all.
After two successful rolls (and usually a minimum of two days of study), the character can speak the language at the Pidgin level, meaning they communicate at approximately the same degree a toddler communicates -- no full sentences, no conjugation or subject/verb agreement, frequent mispronunciations or incorrect word usage, etc. Only basic ideas can be conveyed, and technical conversations or topics requiring skill or training are impossible. Even regular conversations are painful affairs to observe, with each sentence taking around a minute to successfully convey. At the pidgin level, bluff, diplomacy and sense motive checks are made at -10 penalties when attempted in the new language.
After a 5 successful rolls, the character can speak the language at a novice level. This includes a vocabulary of around 1000 words, and the ability to address more advanced topics, albeit with frequent mistakes (using the wrong word, etc.). Understanding comes easier than expression at this level. This is a fully functional degree of familiarity, though it is obvious to everyone that the character is not a native speaker. Technical topics are still very difficult affairs, and take much longer to discuss with a novice speaker as synonyms are sought and gestures replace jargon.  At the novice level, bluff, diplomacy and sense motive checks are made at a -4 penalty when attempted in the new language. This is the highest degree of familiarity with a language that someone without the Linguistics skill can achieve.
After 10 successful rolls, the character is considered fluent in the language. This includes a vocabulary of around 2000 words, as well as knowledge of technical words related to skills the character has training in. Characters may also know some technical jargon from areas they aren't trained in, if they specifically study that area, though unless they also spend skill ranks on the topic being studied, experts of that topic will likely identify them as imposters or wannabes. Fluent speakers suffer no penalties on bluff, diplomacy and sense motive checks with other speakers of the language, though native speakers will be able to tell that fluent speakers are not native, due to accents and other minutia being slightly off.  You must have at least 1 rank in linguistics for each language you wish to learn at the 'fluent' level.
A minimum of 10 ranks in the Linguistics skill is required before a character can speak a language other than their native tongue at a 'native' fluency.  For every 2 ranks beyond 10, one additional language can be so mastered, assuming the character also has exposure and time to study each new language. Considerable time and study is required to achieve proper mimicry of local dialects, learn the many euphemisms and achieve believable nuance with the language. GM's are encouraged to make this process reasonably achievable, since the PC's are heroes and therefore achieve great things much easier than normal folks. A general guideline is 2 weeks of further study after the fluent level is achieved before the language can be spoken at the 'native' level.  Linguists with more than one 'native' language gain a +4 bonus to sense motive checks when interacting with someone in that language, because the linguist has spent so much time studying nuance.

Latest revision as of 14:00, 11 September 2022


This is a listing of languages, meant primarily as a reference for people adding ranks to their Linguistics skill.

Mechanics of Speech

Most languages are spoken aloud, requiring some variety of air and the ability to hear in order to work. Some of the more exotic languages have extremely difficult sound palettes (the sound of blowing wind, or creaking ice, for example.)

There are other ways of using language. It is possible to have a vision-based language, such as sign language or a language of color changes. It is possible to have a scent-based language, which would allow plants to communicate with smells, for example.

Telepathy

Perhaps the most sophisticated language medium is simply communicating mind-to-mind, via telepathy. Telepathy as a language is a broadcast mechanism, with words appearing in the minds of those around you without the need for line of sight or even line of effect. Most creatures with telepathy also have the ability to 'whisper', and communicate with only one creature or only a few, instead of all around them.

Telepathy is also frequently accompanied by Mindsense, although not always. Since Telepathy does not require line of sight, Mindsense is not required for telepathy to work.

Creatures with Telepathy can only speak in the languages they know. It is not uncommon for more advanced or eerie telepathic creatures to be able to communicate using a mental form of Enuncia (see below), which means they can communicate with any creature with a mind.


Basic Starting Languages

All races may learn any of these languages at character creation if they have a high enough Intelligence score to qualify for bonus languages.

Basic Language Pronunciation Language Of: Description
Common kah-mun Most civilized races A human language, but spoken nearly everywhere due to the overwhelming influence and ubiquity of humans. Nearly everything, civilized or not, knows a few hundred words in Common, allowing basic function.
Dwarven dwor-vin Dwarves A booming language with long vowels, meant to carry through the deep tunnels
Elven ehl-vin Elves A pleasant-sounding language with few labials or stops
Gnomish noh-mish Gnomes A language that excels at discussing complex or intricate ideas
Halfling haf-leng Halflings A rapid-fire language that sounds joyful, even when angry
Orcish or-kish Bru-Kin A guttural, harsh language, with short abrupt words
Tengu tin-goo Tengu A language that is rife with plays on words, ambiguities, and synonyms

Advanced Starting Languages

These languages are more obscure, and races tend to have access to only 1 or 2 of them depending on their exposure to these cultures. See the race listing to determine which, if any, of these languages are available to your race at character creation, if your Int score qualifies you for bonus languages.

Advanced Language Pronunciation Language Of: Description
Aquan ah-kwan Undine, Vanx A language capable of being spoken both underwater and in normal air
Auran aw-ran Sylphs, Tengu A language of high whistles and squawks capable of carrying great distances
Draconic druh-kon-ik Dragons Seemingly simple, monosyllabic language, relies on inflections and tonality to add deeper meanings
Giant jahy-uhnt Giants, Ettins, Ogres, Trolls A genuinely simple, monosyllabic language
Gnoll nohl Gnolls Comprised of barks, cackles, and trilling, but surprisingly diverse and nuanced in the breadth of its descriptiveness
Goblin gob-lin Goblins, low fey A screechy, whiny-sounding language, which conjugates based on the speaker's position in society
Ignan ig-nan Ifrits Sounds like the roaring of a bonfire, the crackling of burning leaves, and the pops of burning sap
Sylvan sil-van Woodfolk and fey Similar-sounding to Elvish, with susurrant consonants, long vowels, and a rapid cadence.
Terran tair-uhn Oreads A slow-paced, contemplative language. Conveys meanings in pauses and silence as much as words.
Undercommon uhn-der-kom-uhn Drow, Duergar A harsh language with few vowels, spoken commonly in the Unterweldt

Encountered Languages

These languages are rarely known by starting characters and can typically only be learned by encountering cultures and races which speak them, and spending some time studying them. A working knowledge of these languages can be achieved by deciphering overheard conversations, translating books or just being around it while it is spoken.

Encountered Language Pronunciation Language Of: Description
Abyssal ah-bi-sul Demons A commanding language, excellent for intimidation.
Ackakakl ak-ah-kak-ul Greater fire Similar to Ignan, except the language carries the cadences of pure elemental fire.
Aklo ah-klo Ancient Unterwelt Far removed from the grammatic and linguistic structures of surface languages, very difficult to learn.
Awnsheghlien ahn-shay-lee Winter court fey A graceful language spoken by "evil" fey. Shares linguistic roots with Sylvan and other fey languages.
Breaght bray-okt Low goodness Created by church scholars, used in benedictions and hymns. Brings a sense of peace to the listener and speaker.
Boggard bah-gerd Low beast A highly tonal language, suitable for less-evolved larynxes. Shares linguistic roots with Gnoll.
Celestial seh-les-ti-ahl High outsider A refined language, with intricate grammar rules and subtle inflections.
Cúirteil kwar-ti-el Summer court fey A graceful language spoken by "good" fey. Shares linguistic roots with Sylvan and other fey languages.
D'ziriak jih-ree-uhk Low brood A language of hive minds and rigorous caste rankings. Extremely painful for humanoid vocal chords.
Delimnia dih-lim-nee-uh Joy A peculiarly fluid language, with few rules and little structure. Great for composition of prose and poetry.
Djöfulleg dyo-vuht-reg Evil A harsh-sounding language devised by devils to ease others down a path of darker intentions.
Dolmen dohl-min Low stone Linguistically related to Terran. Single words sometimes take several hours to speak, and conversations last days or weeks.
Erebral er-eh-brahl Magic Nearly impossible for non-casters to learn, but highly useful for technical discussions of magical theory.
Exaction ecks-ak-shun Laws A language with no synonyms, homonyms, and very few ambiguities, typically used in legal proceedings, legal codes, and contracts.
F'thaghu'fhalma fuh-thahg-hoo-fahl-mah High aberrant An awkward language for humanoids to speak, known to cause bad dreams, and even insanity in those who study it.
Fuligin fyu-lih-jin Greater darkness A whispering, lulling language, spoken by those powerful entities whose might is greatest inside the cool embrace of darkness.
Gőbhach gwo-vahk Greater aberrant A creaking, staccato language, with clicks and growls, known only to the most powerful aberrations.
Genzoezis gen-zoh-ee-zis Greater life A language of spiritual wellness and growth, spoken by greater spirits and benevolent gods.
Ghol-Gan gohl-gahn High giantish A highly accented language, with heavy emphasis on most syllables, spoken by Cyclopes, Ettins, Fomaorians, and the most evolved giants.
Gurahn'lloig gor-ah-hin-loy-eeg Low aberrant A garbled language, with too few vowels and uncertain pronunciations, spoken by most aberrations.
Grum gruhm Greater stone A slowly-articulated language, like Dolmen, but capable of expressing themes and ideas which transcend or ignore time.
High Cant hahy kant Formal bardic song A captivating, clever language of epic poetry and grand myths. Easily understood by anyone, but very difficult to learn.
High Draconic hahy druh-kon-ik Dragon lore An esoteric variant of Draconic, in which each word contains historic and genealogical subtext.
Infernal in-fur-nal Devils Sharing roots with Exaction, a precise language, but with subtle ambiguities and misdirections mixed into its grammar.
Issshh ish Greater wind A flowing, heavily-aspirated language, spoken by air spirits, elementals and some avian creatures.
Jakrakt cha-kruhkt Breaking A language principally used by miners and jewelers to discuss their crafts, but also useful in siege warfare.
Jeen jeen Greater light A rare language, known mainly to gods and celestial hosts. Sounds somewhat like tolling bells and flaring trumpets when spoken.
Kern kern Language about languages A constructed language of linguistics, used to collate and describe phonemes and other common meta-constructs within language.
Krieg kreeg War While useful on battlefields for succinctly commanding troops, this language is also helpful for expressing logistics, troop positioning, and strategies. Has several dialects that can be expressed by horns, drums, finger or arm gestures, and even semaphore flags and signal fires.
Lelnian, Ancient lehl-nee-in, eyn-shuhnt Human lore A nearly-forgotten dialect of humankind, only the written form remains; the spoken form is hotly contested and largely speculative.
Litrian lit-ree-ahn High human A dominant language among the highest echelons of human societies, its learning is kept closely guarded.
Myerl mahy-erl High beast A language of beasts, spoken by highly-evolved animals, greater spirits, and lesser gods affiliated with the Nascent Seed.
Nagaji nah-gah-jee Nagas and ophidians A sibilant language, with drawn out consonants and quick vowels.
Necril neh-kril Corrupter undead Spoken by those intelligent undead who seek to corrupt and suborn life, such as vampires, liches, specters, and phages.
Omneos ahm-nee-ohs High goodness A language of the good-aligned (not the notion of goodness itself). Spoken by gods, greater spirits, paladins, and powerful clergy of good domains.
Onundur oh-nuhn-dyoor Eater undead Spoken by those intelligent undead who must consume the living to satiate their immportal hunger — e.g. ghouls, shadows, wights.
Phlethegor fleh-theh-gor High devil Spoken by arch-devils and princes of the nine Hells, a language of dominance, intimidation, and compulsion.
Primal prahy-muhl Outer madness Confusing to all but the most dedicated scholars, this language shifts and changes, almost like a secret language, but is learnable by those willing to risk their own sanity.
Protean pro-tee-ehn Doppelganger Spoken by the secret creches of doppelgangers in their highest circles of power.
Quell kwel Order A language of lawfulness, the alignment (not the secular notion of law-abiding-ness), spoken by gods, greater spirits, paladins, and powerful clergy of lawful domains.
Quintessent kwin-tes-uhnt High magic A precursor to OM (see secret languages), used heavily in arcane theory and philosophical discussions of the fundaments.
Reave reev Chaos A language of the chaotically aligned. No grammatical rules, and highly theoretical affix construction. Spoken by gods, greater spirits, paladins, and powerful clergy of chaotic domains.
Reckomp ray-komp Bright language of trade Designed for two speakers to speak at the same time, used for haggling and negotiating.
R'luh reh-loo Low spring court fey A language of wild growth, unconstrained fertility, and mischievousness. Spoken by lesser fey, especially among the spring court.
Slaugh sloo-a Swampland creatures A wetlands and swamplands language, spoken with a twangy drawl.
Stilth stilth Greater death An abrupt and terse language, which excels at expressing concepts of urgency, the unforeseen, transience, and permanence.
Strix striks Low Devil An almost comically conniving-sounding language, spoken mostly by imps, or those wishing to speak to imps.
Tenebri teh-nee-bree Shadow A sign- and gesture-based language, with no spoken or written components. The signs rely on the seen and unseen to express context.
Thanic tha-nik Destroyer undead Spoken among those intelligent undead whose principle need is to exterminate all life, such as ghosts, mummies and ghasts.
Treant tree-uhnt Autumn court fey A melancholic language of imminent hard times, watchfulness and uncertainty. Widely spoken in the First World.
Umbral uhm-bruhl Low winter court fey A language of trickery, casual cruelty, and subterfuge.
Urbleburblelou er-bul-ber-bul-oo Greater water Easily spoken while underwater (or any other liquid), known to water spirits, elementals, and intelligent piscene creatures.
Vertigion ver-ti-jee-ahn Contagious madness A babbling, gibbering language that conveys ideas in only the barest sense, often through meaningless meanderings and disturbing metaphors.
Womp womp A fast language A rapid-fire language of simple words, which can be used to communicate to creatures experiencing time far more quickly than the speaker.
Xth'tl'ck sith-til-ick High brood A hive-mind language used to communicate with other brood hive minds.
Yastermine yas-ter-meen History and lore A dry, educated language, which borrows notions of time and context from High Draconic, but tailored for humanoid histories.

Secret Languages

Finally, there are secret languages. These are languages which cannot be learned by anyone except those specifically invited to learn them. In many cases, these languages are deliberately deceptive, with fluctuating grammar or syntax changes based on the calendar, lunar cycle or some other variable. They are, effectively, constantly evolving codes. While it may be possible to decipher short passages of these languages given enough time and the proper cypher keys, the languages themselves will always remain a mystery, as the keys change and the lexicon evolves to deny knowledge to outsiders.

Secret Language Pronunciation Language Of: Description
Coept koh-ept Creation Calls fundaments and forces into existence simply by speaking it
Corhiwar kor-shih-var Drow battle language A sign language using hand gestures, capable of coercing lesser Drow into action
Druidic droo-id-ik Druids When spoken in an untamed environment, can be heard by other Druids across great distances
Enuncia ee-nun-see-uh Communication Enuncia can be understood by anyone who can read or hear it, appearing or sounding like a language they already speak.
Graxt grakst Destruction The very sounds of this language dissolves the bonds between life, matter, and fundaments
OM owhm Power Coalesces the will of the speaker into expression
Sphinx sfeenks Riddles Speakers of this language can deduce and infer answers to riddles and mysteries with astounding ease
Therien theh-ree-in Lies Speakers can easily construct multiple versions of a "truth" without contradicting themselves
Thieves' Cant theevs kant Thieves A slang-heavy, rhythmic cadence, used for clandestine coordination and black market trade