I was curious, since I have a semi linguistics background. Does anybody know anything about the games other languages like Drow, Svirfneblin, Sahuagin, Kuotoan and the like?

Specifically, what do NPC's say in dialogs? Are there any websites that may have any answers?

Cheers

I'm pretty much sure I've seen people talk about drow speech so it's out there somewhere

There are many Drow dictionarys' on the web though for the others you have posted I am unsure - you would have to send an e-mail to bioware or whatever

If I got a reply when I asked who came up with some of the dialogs then you'd probably get a reply asking where you can find out the languages

For the drow, almost all of it comes right out of the Drizzt books by R.A. Salvatore. You could check there.

I've not ever read the Drizzt books, and I don't think I will now.

I checked out some websites about the Drow Language and the information reminded me of the Gargoyle Language from Ultima 5!

The Drow language was so poorly put together it seems that the creator has the most rudimentary understanding of languages and practically no imagination.

Tolkien was a philologist after all and a master of how languages function, so of course it will never reach the level he came up with, but I really expected more.

The "grammar" was a modified English cum Latinised grammar text book. The phonetics had no references to anything like a guide to usage. Yuck!

I still like the way that Viconia talks, but if only there was more put into these languages to make it feel more realistic. :(

Don't forget Yoshimo. He says 'yokata' or something of the sort, which is probably Koruzkuran or wherever he's from.

which sounds (only sounds) like Japanese?

I've got a good elvish dictionary but that drow one is crap. So latuuken dol ;)

Yoshimo is speaking Japanese.(remember his reference about samurai to Mazzy and Anomen?)
Soh des neh:(lit.) it is isnt it. basically an agreement.
Yokatta: Gladly.

[ September 28, 2002, 05:17: Message edited by: Ozball ]

This is off topic, but I've always found it fascinating when a work of literature or, for that matter, pop culture, spawns it's very own fictional dictionary. I mean really, there's a paperback version of the Klingon dictionary at the bookstore, and what with Tolkien's Elvish and perhaps this Drow... I've also heard of something called Esperanto, the Universal Language. What is that?

Yoshimo is japanese. Soo desu ne pretty much wraps it up. Katana specialisation, which is a japanese weapon. Think about it.

I did notice that the Gith Wanki were screaming a stupid language, but who cares really?

No that you will really be surprised, Khazraj, as you do have an ADnD background, but the myconids speak using a system of spores and such, thus the screamers...

Drow dictionaries are a joke. The words a just an adaptation of the english language, and english is a really dumb language. No structure.

The Yuan-Ti seem to be talking some sort of bastardised english, but that is just the game developers coming to play.

You also asked about the NPC's. Most of the vampires are talking another language, and the skeltons seem to hiss alot. i dont think i have heard anyone but yoshimo and viconia speak a different language, excepting Aerie's stupid refferences to chichika fast paws, which she says so fast that it took me about 10 minutes to find out what she was saying. Hope it helps...

Esperanto is an artificial language based on existing European languages. Anyone with the most rudimentary understandings of European languages, I would dare say almost any native European, would recognise the language that the word comes from.

eg. knabo means boy which comes from German.

mangxas means I eat and comes from Italian.

etc. Its very simple, but I think this is getting away from the topic.

The drow language could have been better implemented in BG2 by having the drow speak it rather than saying things in accented English.

In IWD2 the Drow characters speak English with drow words thrown in. This is my pet hate. They say things like, Whatever is your ilindith.

My sglatzdirth is better than yours. I mean that these sound so lame. They should simply use the whole sentence in drow.