Languages: Difference between revisions

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This is a listing of languages, meant primarily as a reference 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.


===Basic Starting Languages===
===Basic Starting Languages===
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! width="12%" | Basic Language || width="12%" | Pronunciation || width="12%" | Language Of: || Description
! width="12%" | Basic Language || width="12%" | Pronunciation || width="12%" | 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
| 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
| Dwarven || dwor-vin || Dwarves || A booming language with long vowels, meant to carry through the deep tunnels
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| Halfling || haf-leng || Halflings || A rapid-fire language that sounds joyful, even when angry
| Halfling || haf-leng || Halflings || A rapid-fire language that sounds joyful, even when angry
|-
|-
| Orcish || or-kish || Orcs || A guttural, harsh language, with short abrupt words
| 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
| Tengu || tin-goo || Tengu || A language that is rife with plays on words, ambiguities, and synonyms
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:{| class="ep-default" width="95%"
:{| class="ep-default" width="95%"
! Advanced Language || Pronunciation || Language Of: || Description
! width="12%" | Advanced Language || width="12%" | Pronunciation || width="12%" | Language Of: || Description
|-
|-
| Aquan || ah-kwan || Undine, Vanx || A language capable of being spoken both underwater and in normal air
| Aquan || ah-kwan || Undine, Vanx || A language capable of being spoken both underwater and in normal air
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| Ignan || ig-nan || Ifrits || Sounds like the roaring of a bonfire, the crackling of burning leaves, and the pops of burning sap
| 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.
| 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.
| Terran || tair-uhn || Oreads || A slow-paced, contemplative language. Conveys meanings in pauses and silence as much as words.
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:{| class="ep-default" width="95%"
:{| class="ep-default" width="95%"
! Encountered Language || Pronunciation || Language Of: || Description
! width="12%" | Encountered Language || width="12%" | Pronunciation || width="12%" | Language Of: || Description
|-
|-
| Abyssal || ah-bi-sul || Demons || A commanding language, excellent for intimidation.
| Abyssal || ah-bi-sul || Demons || A commanding language, excellent for intimidation.
|-
|-
| Ackakakl || ak-ah-kak-ul || Greater language of Fire || Similar to Ignan, except the language carries the cadences of pure elemental fire.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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 a church scholar of the goddess Lorraine, used in benedictions and hymns. Brings a sense of peace to the listener and speaker.
| 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.
| 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.
| Celestial || seh-les-ti-ahl || High outsider || A refined language, with intricate grammar rules and subtle inflections.
|-
|-
| || kwar-ti-el || Summer Court Fey || A graceful language spoken by "good" fey. Shares linguistic roots with Sylvan and other fey languages.
| 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.
| 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 || The language of Joy || A peculiarly fluid language, with few rules and little structure. Great for composition of prose and poetry.
| Delimnia || dih-lim-nee-uh || Joy || A peculiarly fluid language, with few rules and little structure. Great for composition of prose and poetry.
|-
|-
| || dyo-vuht-reg || A language of Evil || A harsh-sounding language devised by devils to ease others down a path of darker intentions.
| 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.
| 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 || The language of Magic || Nearly impossible for non-casters to learn, but highly useful for technical discussions of magical theory.
| 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 || The language of Laws ||  
| 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 || ff-thahg-hoo-fahl-mah || High Aberrant ||  
| 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 language of Darkness ||
| 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.
|-
|-
| || gwo-vahk || Low Aberrant ||  
| 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 language of Life ||
| 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; was Cyclops ||  
| 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 || language of abominations ||  
| 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 || The greater language of Stone ||
| 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 ||  
| 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 ||  
| 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 ||  
| Infernal || in-fur-nal || Devils || Sharing roots with Exaction, a precise language, but with subtle ambiguities and misdirections mixed into its grammar.
|-
|-
| Issshh || ish || The greater language of Wind ||  
| Issshh || ish || Greater wind || A flowing, heavily-aspirated language, spoken by air spirits, elementals and some avian creatures.
|-
|-
| Jakrakt || cha-kruhkt || The Language of breaking ||  
| Jakrakt || cha-kruhkt || Breaking || A language principally used by miners and jewelers to discuss their crafts, but also useful in siege warfare.
|-
|-
| Jeen || jeen || The greater language of Light ||  
| 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 || A language about languages ||  
| 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 || The language of War ||  
| 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 ||  
| 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 ||  
| 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 Tongue ||  
| 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 ||  
| Nagaji || nah-gah-jee || Nagas and ophidians || A sibilant language, with drawn out consonants and quick vowels.
|-
|-
| Necril || neh-kril || High Undead ||  
| 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 ||  
| 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-der || Ghoul ||  
| 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 ||  
| 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 ||  
| 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 || Low Outsider ||  
| Protean || pro-tee-ehn || Doppelganger || Spoken by the secret creches of doppelgangers in their highest circles of power.
|-
|-
| Quell || kwel || The language of Order ||  
| 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.
|-
|-
| Quintessence || kwin-tes-uhns || High Magic ||  
| 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 || The language of Chaos ||  
| 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 ||  
| 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 ||  
| 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 || a crude fey language || A wetlands and swamplands language, spoken with a twangy drawl.
| Slaugh || sloo-a || Swampland creatures || A wetlands and swamplands language, spoken with a twangy drawl.
|-
|-
| Stilth || stilth || The greater language of Death ||
| 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 ||  
| 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 || The language of shadow ||  
| 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 || Undead ||  
| 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 ||  
| 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 ||  
| Umbral || uhm-bruhl || Low winter court fey || A language of trickery, casual cruelty, and subterfuge.
|-
|-
| Urbleburblelou || er-bul-ber-bul-oo || The greater language of Water ||  
| 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 ||  
| 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 ||  
| 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 ||  
| Xth'tl'ck || sith-til-ick || High brood || A hive-mind language used to communicate with other brood hive minds.
|-
|-
| Yastermine || yas-ter-meen || The language of history and lore ||  
| 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, 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.
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.


:{| class="ep-default" width="95%"
:{| class="ep-default" width="95%"
! Secret Language || Pronunciation || Language Of: || Description
! width="12%" | Secret Language || width="12%" | Pronunciation || width="12%" | Language Of: || Description
|-
|-
| Coept || koh-ept || Creation || Calls fundaments and forces into existence simply by speaking it
| Coept || koh-ept || Creation || Calls fundaments and forces into existence simply by speaking it
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|-
|-
| Druidic || droo-id-ik || Druids || When spoken in an untamed environment, can be heard by other Druids across great distances
| 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
| Graxt || grakst || Destruction || The very sounds of this language dissolves the bonds between life, matter, and fundaments

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