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  1. #1
    Bearcat
    Guest

    Languages of Rjurik (long)

    >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

  2. #2

    Languages of Rjurik (long)

    > 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?

    I think it's in BoP or possibly in one of the domain sourcebooks.

    > 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"
    >

    Hehehe. I like that as a system. I do like 'I is big hurt. Wrap I up
    in long cloth'. Top stuff.
    I don't think I'll be having a load of different languages in each
    region, though - dialects pehaps. The Cerilian regions aren't all
    that big (unless you fiddle the scale on the map; miles into leagues
    seems to a popular way of doing it), so I think I'll keep languages
    as they are.

    Mind you, dialects can be tricky. For example, the Lancashire dialect
    when compared to a southerner (both English):

    [Lancastrian 1] "'Ow do, Bob?"
    [Lancastrian 2] "Oh, bounty fettle."

    Translation:
    "How are you Bob?"
    "Oh, I'm very well."

    See? Whole different language. ;-)

    John.



    "Once I was a lamb, playing in a green field. Then
    the wolves came. Now I am an eagle and I fly in a
    different universe."
    "And now you kill the lambs," whispered Dardalion.
    "No, priest. No one pays for lambs."
    - David Gemmel, Waylander

  3. #3
    Daniel McSorley
    Guest

    Languages of Rjurik (long)

    We had this _exact_ same discussion about Time of the Dragon about 1-2
    months back, I still have the gif I made up showing suggested language
    relations. Wierd. These conversations are cyclical.
    Daniel McSorley
    mcsorley.1@osu.edu


    > 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.
    >
    >

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