Languages?!?!?

[Master]

In the great fantasies we have languages like Elven/Elfish, Dwarven/Dwarfish, Orcish and etc... But, is this correct?

Most languages are named for the country or region they are from. English from England, Egyptian from Egypt, Spanish from Spain and so forth.

Has anyone thought about this? Or used this in their writing?

[Lurking Shadow]

I figure the first guy was bad with anmes and figured [Name=(Race+'ish)] is close enough. The few times I do use a foreign language in writing, it is a dead language (and a plot device) so there was little reason to name it. Plus, I'm not good with names so I would probably call it something lame unless there was an oddly specific name generator for fictional languages...

[POOHEAD189]

Well in most fantasy universes, there's a much smaller population per race, and the race tends to be far more unified than our world is. So usually that means a common language.

[Master]

Well in most fantasy universes, there's a much smaller population per race, and the race tends to be far more unified than our world is. So usually that means a common language.

@POOHEAD189

Yeah but I mean, most works of fiction have the main cities or areas of that race. Like for instance, if the main area for elves is a forested land called Aura, it would be more sensible to call their language "Aurish".

Like, when you create races most authors create like a "homeland" for their races. Even if it was centuries ago their language would still be officially called (homeland + ish) in my mind.

I would think it would be kinda a funny little thought for a character in a novel/story where an elf is confronted with like a common man, where they are like "sorry I don't speak elvish". But of course their language would have another name and they would have thoughts about the intelligence of the "lesser" races and such.

EDIT: Just noticed the quote in your sig, Poo. Love it ***thumbs up***

[FreeElk]

This is a common writing technique.

The readers is looking from the outside in so its best to paint the picture in broad strokes so no one gets bogged down in minor details. You call a language elvish and they don't have to struggle to remember who's language it is.

You'll do the same in some other areas of your life, maybe (if you aren't from the US) you say someone has an american accent but even if we ignore the fact that south americans are still technically americans then people in the states will talk about texan accents and new york accents. But outside the states we paint in broader strokes because the details aren't important to get our points across.

Thats my opinion at least ^^

[ArenaSnow]

I simply don't have the time to build languages, so I tend to just lump them all into different dialects of "common", even if that might not necessarily be accurate given the amount of years that's passed since the beginning of the world I reference (the one in my head :p).

I think it's purely a matter of simplicity, though I don't think language names necessarily have to be linked to geography - especially when folks in a region operate on their racial identity. Though, certainly, languages do change given the slang in any given region that has even a small split from its neighbors, and certainly has different development than a land hundreds or thousands of miles away.

[pugbutter]

If realism concerns you, each language, "Dwarvish" and "Elvish" and the likes, will comprise many dialects, representing the different ethnicities, geographies, etc., during whose usage the language evolved over time. In truth the nuances of the language should reflect its history, particularly in a precise region.

But worldbuilding is hard so the majority of mediocre RPers don't concern themselves with it.

[PaperCranes]

I don't really think there's a wrong or right way to name a language. :)

[BrokenPromise]

Yes, in our world, languages are named after the places where we live. But so too are the people who live there. Like how you'll find Germans in Germany, Africans in Africa, and Mexicans in Mexico. Yes, Americans speak English, but that's because the settlers that came here were from England. So if your elves live in Elveguard, who's to say their Elvin language isn't named after where they live? Also Latin was originally spoken in Latium, which is a region in Italy. So maybe the full story is that the elves and their language is named after a small region in Theodmon called Elvinto?

Clearly the name of a language isn't always super obvious. If there's an Elvin language, and there are elves, then there is probably a place, however small, with a like name. It just might not be pivotal to the story. But who really knows?

[Master]

Yes, in our world, languages are named after the places where we live. But so too are the people who live there. Like how you'll find Germans in Germany, Africans in Africa, and Mexicans in Mexico. Yes, Americans speak English, but that's because the settlers that came here were from England. So if your elves live in Elveguard, who's to say their Elvin language isn't named after where they live? Also Latin was originally spoken in Latium, which is a region in Italy. So maybe the full story is that the elves and their language is named after a small region in Theodmon called Elvinto?

Clearly the name of a language isn't always super obvious. If there's an Elvin language, and there are elves, then there is probably a place, however small, with a like name. It just might not be pivotal to the story. But who really knows?

@BrokenPromise

Wow I like that answer! For such a great response, you deserve a bowl of Velveta shells 'n cheese!