So does anyone have some thoughts on how to make your own made up names more Realmsian? Combining regular english names and changing the words somewhat?
And also, did Waukeen write down the common language in a divinely touched dictionary? What would the popular view be of this work? Would it be a mishmash of other languages or a language of its own?
The Common Tongue is a changing shared speech, not a divinely fixed sacred language. It's related to other languages spoken in areas where it's widespread, especially Chondathan, and to Thorass, its earlier form.
Ed said:
The average rural person in Faerûn would know the local language of their region or race (and usually a local dialect of that, too, meaning "a subset of words and speech-pattern mannerisms/sayings understood locally but not elsewhere"), and a smattering of Common (or more, depending on how often they come into contact with travelling merchants).
In other words, almost everyone can say "Yes, No, Friend, Foe, Eat, Need, Water, Help, Hurt, Warning, [names of races, from orcs through humans, plus the "big in legend" monsters like skeletons, dragons], now, soon, tomorrow, sunrise, sunset, cold, hot, danger, safe, trap/hazard, too high, too low, let's dicker, weapon, attack."
A rural person living in a village on a steadily-used trade-road would know far more, whereas one living a village farther away from the road might not - - but anyone who regularly traveled from remote steadings and hamlets to market, or to stop over at a tavern, in that village on the trade-road would know at least a "rough working vocabulary" in Common (though stay-at-homes in his/her same household might not).
Another thing for surnames is to use some of the common names listed in the 3rd edition FRCG. Then add son or dotr to the end. Such as Fell Breck's son, Fell son of Breck, Fell Brexon, or Suri Fellsdotr
Don't forget rivers and landmarks. These also work for first names.
Take the River Dessarin:
Dessarina
Desi
Sarina
Sari
Rina
I will note, also, that current lore would seem to give more focus to the different dialects, like Chondathan and Illuskan or example, while in the older Realmlore, the Common tongue would often feature more frequently.
It is not as full-bodied as a real tongue, but it is easy to learn with far less rules and specific words, and perfect for trade.
Kara-Tur has a similar language called "the Trade Tongue", which is basically about 50-60% Shou with bits and pieces of other eastern Languages thrown in, much like 'Common' is in the west. There are no connections between Common and Trade Tongue, though.
Many Tuigan speak both, enabling them to speak with just about everyone - and who says they're just 'dumb barbarians'. ;)
Did Waukeen just promote the common tradelanguage or did she actually create it? I thought I read that somewhere...
-Anyway, from the Everchanging Book of Names, there is a chapter on Faerûnian names. I don't know where the creator quantified the names he used, but...
So essentially if the group of characters are from different regions would form an adventuring party they would have trouble expressing themselves to eachother. They would be having easily recognisable crude conversations amongst themselves. ;)
Well, that's the disparity Old Sage mentioned in his second paragraph. Realms fiction and most source material assumes folk in the North, at least, can all communicate fluently with each other, though you could quibble endlessly about whether that or the arguably more realistic language scheme introduced by Tom Costa is how it 'really is'.
-Anyway, from the Everchanging Book of Names, there is a chapter on Faerûnian names. I don't know where the creator quantified the names he used, but...
The source names are straight from Realms sources. Years out of date now, but there were already more than enough human names available to give very good output.
The source names are straight from Realms sources. Years out of date now, but there were already more than enough human names available to give very good output.
-As long as it is accurate, then, that's probably one of the best resources out there, generically. The only problem is that names are not given any other kinds of identifiers- location, culture, etc.
So essentially if the group of characters are from different regions would form an adventuring party they would have trouble expressing themselves to eachother. They would be having easily recognisable crude conversations amongst themselves. ;)
I interprete the Realms to be as in Ed's fiction, where [like most Realmslore] we really haven't seen any particular communication difficulties between Chondathans and Tethyrians, for example, or any sign of cultural identity on subracial rather than national lines.
So does anyone have some thoughts on how to make your own made up names more Realmsian?
If you have the 3rd edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book, check out page 12. It has a huge list of sample Faerûnian names for every race including all the human subraces/regions. It will give you a feel for the sounds of names from every corner of Faerûn. Male names, Female names, Surnames and Clan names. Seriously, it is a very, very dense page full of names. Check it out!
And also, did Waukeen write down the common language in a divinely touched dictionary? What would the popular view be of this work? Would it be a mishmash of other languages or a language of its own?
The common tongue evolved from Thorass, a trade language that started in the area between the borders of Jhaamdath and Calimshan (around the Lake of Steam) a couple thousand years ago (give or take). After Calimshan and Jhaamdath got tired of fighting and began to settle into trade relations, Thorass sprang up as sort of a trade pigin to facilitate bargaining between traders of those two nations and other peoples who lived in that region.
Thorass (ancient Common) was a synthesis of Jhaamdathan and Alzhedo--the language of Calimshan. Alzhedo was itself a mix of Midani (the language spoken by humans in Zakhara) and Auran, the language of the elemental plane of Air and also the language of the Djinni nobility that had enslaved Zakharan humans and then migrated to the Southwestern Faerûn to establish what would later become Calimshan.
So modern common is a sister language of Chondathan (modern Jhaamdathan) and Alzhedo, and is probably 50% mutually comprehensible to native speakers of either race, or would be except that everyone pretty much knows common (or enough to get by), so Common is really close to 100% comprehensible to pretty much everybody.
The Calimshites spread Common up the Sword Coast and around the Shining Sea in their trading, while the Jhaamdathans spread Common around the Sea of Fallen Stars with their mercantile endeavors. Then, after Jhaamdath fell, the surviving Jhaamdathans, who over time came to be called Chondathans, spread out across Faerûn in a vast diaspora, spreading both their native Chondathan language and culture, and also the Common trade tongue for negotiating with speakers of the other languages they found when they got to wherever they migrated to.
Anyway, I've come to find you can 'Realms up' anything, by throwing in an extra 'a' or 'i' where approproate. Its a pretty simple trick, but it works.
The name 'Richard' becomes Riichard, or Richaard, or even Riichaard. You can even go Richart, but that doesn't look Realmish, only Fantasyish. ;)
The other thing is to use older forms of names, or even Celtic ones. Then if you apply the first trick to them, it gets evem more authentic looking, for instance 'Bryaana' from Brianna.
Or you could just take Greek names like RAS does. ;)
The party came up with the following names:
Lander Eephill [luskan halfling male]
Dahlia Zapkraft [cormyrian wild elf female]
Rii Tesseler [cormyrian human male]
Ghurukk [northlander halforc male]
Lyquenniis Ulondarr (my pc and "Lynx" for most) [semberholmian moon elf male]
Spark [cormyrian gnome male]
That is, being way larger and way more eccelctic than earth, not to mention older and populated w/ wildly different races (not just a bunch of humans), there woudl be more languages of much varying nature.
To that end, I enforce it in game. Most everyone ignores language ranks, but 2 little ranks is often the difference in big big ways. I compensate by allowing PCs to take 1 minor regional feat which of course flirts w/ the language discreapancy. ex) G/f really wanted Fearless for some reason despite a really good Will Save (cleric, respectable Wis), so she settled on Anauroch (region appropriate) as a Bedine nomad, Midani being the root tongue (they're ancient Zakharans apparently, portal'ed in way back, etc.).
So, she grabbed 2 ranks for Chondathan (most common lang in FR and among other PCs) and it synched nicely, "Father was a Chondathan (Cormyr) missionary working in the Sword (Southern Anauroch) doing charitable work for these destitute nomads, when wouldn' you know it
, takes a wife, marries into the tribe, has a kid whom proves competant and wise, takes said daughter back to Suzail for formal divine training in the monastic tradition, BAM!, new PC is born..."Specific languages help it mirror RL IMO. Keeps things interesting and helps establish NPCs moreso when in foreign lands. Sense Motive, Comp. Lang., and Tongues become more attractive, just "realer" overall. Provides more incentive for character gen and good history, not just another 8 X 10 sheet w/ some letters and numbers on it.
As for namesakes, typically, I just cannibalize earthen ones that mirror the similar looking culture. Rashemen (not just all Rashemi) sound decidely Slavic, Russian, Eastern European. Calimshite easilly suits Turkish, Arabic, Farsi, etc. Illuskan is a Celt, Scandanavian, Danish hodgepodge, etc.
You just kinda' get a feel for it when looking at the city names themselves, the history, ecology, bla bla bla. LIke riding a bike.
And of course, the good 'ole page 12 (or was it 17?). Can't recall. I think I reference that part of FRCS more than any other excerpt from that book. Priceless.
It's all relative. 1 Pearl of Speech can feasibly do significantly more good/evil than even the most skillful application of steel into head.
And by trade, yes, I can understand Faerun's pseudo WTO in light of our own, but most PCs are adventurers. Common can definetly help when you're negotiating econ stuff, the price of a gross of cattle or other trade goods, but even then, I prefer a more rigid approach to languages in that region 'x' speaks language 'x'. And a wagon master, broker, merchant at travel should have the coin to employ a go-between.
I mean, that's a plot hook right there for adventurers doing coster work (mercenary escourt of caravans through theoretical dangers). Not only will they fend off orc raiders, but once they reach land 'x', they can engage the populace in the local tongue and perhaps, then, really earn their pay.
Applies incentive to do a little commerce on their own too. Better rapport w/ a foreigner if you know his/her language, perhaps even elliciting a circumstance bonus to Diplomacy, Bluff, whatever.
Otherwise, I push for Sense Motive to "get an idea" of what a foreigner is saying in their native tongue. Encourages RP too.
It's not for everyone, and I respect that, but I guess as far as houserules go, for me and mine, it's simple, has worked successfully since '98, and adds an oft over-looked facet to gaming at large.