Bearcat
11-30-1997, 12:00 AM
>I have to say that I don't agree on to dividing the languages into more than
>two in each region, this due the limited numbers of prof. points. I did post a
>suggestion on how much to know about relative languages when knowing one
>language. But that was not why I was posting this reply, just to remind you
>that you forgot one langauge, skogsmaal, the "secret" language of the druids.
The first thing that I did when I read this message was run off to
my BR supplements and look for skogsmaal. I failed. Could you tell me where
I can find this? Is it in the most unatainable (in Brazil, at least) BoP?
The second thing I did was to decide that it was pointless for me to
make all these languages if, as Trizt points out, it is much too
unpracticle. I completely agree with Trizt on the part that related
languages can help to assuage this problem. A real world example is the
relasionship between spanish and portuguese, both are undeniably different
languages, but someone who speaks portuguese (like me, so I know what I'm
talking about) understands about 90% of what is spoken in spanish, even
though if I replied it would be in portuguese.
Here is a system that can be used to represent the close
relationship between different languages who share the same ancetral
toungue. It is based on information from the Time of the Dragon boxed set
produced by TSR in 1989 and on "The Language System Thingy" , by Cullen
Sedaris , which can be found at
http://www.istari.org:44/books/~olear/ADnD/index.html.
This system is based on a chart that shows the relationship between the
languages included. Here is an example of the chart for the Rjurik languages:
Rjuven-oo-Skogsmaal
|
0
0
|
Skaping-oo-Hogunmar-o-Rjurik
As you can see, the languages are seperated from each other by lines
and circles. The circles represent the differences between the languages
being spoken. When trying to determine how difficult it is for speakers of
different languages to understand each other count the number of circles and
languages seperating the two languages (including the final language). For
each one of these the similarity between the two languages decreases by 10%.
Thus Rjurik is 80% similar to Hogunmar and 50% similar to Skaping.
What does this mean? This is mostly up to the DM, but I have taken
the liberty of adapting Mr. Sedaris' system into the following:
80-100% Conversation proceeds normally. Although people with 80% won't go
around using fancy words...
60-70% The communicating characters may no longer use words containing the
letter "m". ie: say "I" instead of "me" (Give I the sword)
50% The characters can now use "m", but are denied the use of "e".
40% Characters can use neither "m" nor "e".
30% Same as above, but the characters are also restricted to monosyllables.
10-20% To express any phrase a character is allowed one monosyllable, the
rest must be expressed through gestures.
As an example, someone who speaks Skaping trying to tell a Druid who only
speaks Skogsmaal " I am very wounded. Bandage me." would have to say the
following:
"I is big hurt. Wrap I up in long cloth"
Does this solve the problem? Was anyone patient enough to get this far?
Bearcat
lcgm@elogica.com.br
Come visit Bearcat's Birthright Homepage at:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/6204
>two in each region, this due the limited numbers of prof. points. I did post a
>suggestion on how much to know about relative languages when knowing one
>language. But that was not why I was posting this reply, just to remind you
>that you forgot one langauge, skogsmaal, the "secret" language of the druids.
The first thing that I did when I read this message was run off to
my BR supplements and look for skogsmaal. I failed. Could you tell me where
I can find this? Is it in the most unatainable (in Brazil, at least) BoP?
The second thing I did was to decide that it was pointless for me to
make all these languages if, as Trizt points out, it is much too
unpracticle. I completely agree with Trizt on the part that related
languages can help to assuage this problem. A real world example is the
relasionship between spanish and portuguese, both are undeniably different
languages, but someone who speaks portuguese (like me, so I know what I'm
talking about) understands about 90% of what is spoken in spanish, even
though if I replied it would be in portuguese.
Here is a system that can be used to represent the close
relationship between different languages who share the same ancetral
toungue. It is based on information from the Time of the Dragon boxed set
produced by TSR in 1989 and on "The Language System Thingy" , by Cullen
Sedaris , which can be found at
http://www.istari.org:44/books/~olear/ADnD/index.html.
This system is based on a chart that shows the relationship between the
languages included. Here is an example of the chart for the Rjurik languages:
Rjuven-oo-Skogsmaal
|
0
0
|
Skaping-oo-Hogunmar-o-Rjurik
As you can see, the languages are seperated from each other by lines
and circles. The circles represent the differences between the languages
being spoken. When trying to determine how difficult it is for speakers of
different languages to understand each other count the number of circles and
languages seperating the two languages (including the final language). For
each one of these the similarity between the two languages decreases by 10%.
Thus Rjurik is 80% similar to Hogunmar and 50% similar to Skaping.
What does this mean? This is mostly up to the DM, but I have taken
the liberty of adapting Mr. Sedaris' system into the following:
80-100% Conversation proceeds normally. Although people with 80% won't go
around using fancy words...
60-70% The communicating characters may no longer use words containing the
letter "m". ie: say "I" instead of "me" (Give I the sword)
50% The characters can now use "m", but are denied the use of "e".
40% Characters can use neither "m" nor "e".
30% Same as above, but the characters are also restricted to monosyllables.
10-20% To express any phrase a character is allowed one monosyllable, the
rest must be expressed through gestures.
As an example, someone who speaks Skaping trying to tell a Druid who only
speaks Skogsmaal " I am very wounded. Bandage me." would have to say the
following:
"I is big hurt. Wrap I up in long cloth"
Does this solve the problem? Was anyone patient enough to get this far?
Bearcat
lcgm@elogica.com.br
Come visit Bearcat's Birthright Homepage at:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/6204