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Detailed Language Rules

 

Language Branch (Spec)

Characters with this skill understand and can speak a foreign language. If the character is literate he can also read and write the language (does not apply to languages for which there is no writing system, such as traditional Navaho).

This skill much be purchased separately for each language "branch" that the character understands. Specialties are specific languages within the branch. In order for a character to have an understanding of all languages within a given language "family," the character must purchase a minimum of one level in each branch within that family.

All characters start with a score of 3 in their native language (unless they have a trait which limits their starting score) and a score of 1 in the parent branch. The character's native language should be noted on the character sheet.

In addition to being used in skill rolls, the skill score represents the character's fluency with languages within the chosen group, as shown on the table below.

 

Level Fluency
1 Rudimentary; simple words and phrases only. Thick, noticeable accent (obviously not a local).
2 Basic; simple conversations. Moderate accent (requires Average Awareness roll to detect).
3 Conversational fluency. Minor accent or regional dialect (requires Challenging Awareness roll to detect).
4 Fluent; complex dialogue and expressions. No accent.
6 Expert; speaks perfectly, better than most natives.
8 Master; command of the language rivals the most learned scholar (a rarity!).

 

Language (Type) is a Universal Skill; all characters receive it at level 2 at no cost. The "Type" for this skill is the character's native language.

Available language groups and the Specialties (individual languages) available are shown on the following page.

Languages and language branches in italics (such as Luwian and Anatolian) are archaic or "dead" languages in a modern setting. Those indicated by an asterisk are languages with no written component.

 

Language Families/Branches*

The 20 most commonly used languages in the world are shown in bold text.

 

Afro-Asiatic Family
Berber* Shluh, Tamazight, Riffian, Kabyle, Shawia, Tuareg, Guanch
Chadic Hausa
Cushitic Somali, Galla, Sidamo, Beja, Afar, Saho
Egyptian Coptic, Egyptian, Heiroglyphics
Semitic Arabic, Maltese, Hebrew, Amharic, Tigrinya, Tigre, Aramaic, Gurage, Harari, Geez, Syriac, Akkadian, Phonoecian, Punic, Ugaritic, Nabatean
Altaic Family
Japonic Japanese, Ryukyuan
Korean Korean
Mongolian Buryat, Kalmyk, Mongolian
Tungusic Evenki, Lamut, Manchu, Nanai, Sibo
Turkic Azeri, Balkar, Bashkir, Chuvash, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Nogai, Salar, Shor, Tatar, Turkish, Turkmen, Uigur, Uzbek
Athapascan Family

Apache, Navajo*

Austro-Asiatic Family
Mon-Khmer Khmer, Mon, Palaung, Wa, Bahnar, Sedang, Khasi, Nicobarese, So, Nancowry, Sengoi, Temiar
Munda Santali, Mundari, Ho, Savara, Korku
Viet-Muong Vietnamese, Muong
Dravidian Family
Central Brahui, Gondi, Kurukh, Kui, (Elamite)
Southern Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Tulu
Eskimo-Aleut Family

Aleut, Intuit

Gestures Family*
Gestures Deaf Sign Language (by country), Hand & Arm Signals* (military)
Indo-European Family
Anatolian Hittite, Lycian, Lydian, Luwian, Palaic
Armenian Armenian, Lomavren
Baltic Latvian, Lithuanian, Prussian
Celtic Breton, Cornish, Cumbrian, Galatian, Gaulish, Irish Gaelic, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Pictish, Welsh
Germanic Afrikaans, Anglo Saxon, Dutch, English, Flemish, Frankish, Frisian, German, Gothic, Lombardo, Old English, Old Norse, Norwegian, Scots, Swedish, Vandal, Visigoth, Yiddish
Hellenic Byzantine Greek, Classical Greek (Attic), Modern Greek (Deotic, Katharevoussa), Koine, Mycenaean
Illyric Albanian
Indic Ardhamagadhi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujerati, Hindi, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maldivian, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Pali, Punjabi, Romany (gypsy language) , Sanskrit, Sindhi, Sinhalese, Urdu
International Esperanto, Ido (improved Esperanto), Intal, Interglossa, Interlingua, Novial, Romanova, Unish, VolapŸk
Iranian Avestan, Baluchi, Farsi, Kurdish, Ossetian, Pashto, Persian, Tadzhik
Romance (Latin) Corsican, Dalmation, French, Italian, Italo-Dalmation, Latin, Oscan, Portuguese, Romanian, Sabine, Sardinian, Spanish, Umbrian
Slavic Bosnian, Bulgarian, Byelorussian, Czech, Kashubian, Kashubian, Knaanic, Macedonian, Old Church Slavic, Polabian, Polish, Romano-Serbian, Russian, Serbo-Croation, Slovak, Slovene, Sorbian, Ukranian
Malayo-Polynesian Family
Formosan Amis, Atayal, Paiwan, Tsou
Melanesian Fijian, Motu, Yabim
Micronesian Chamorro, Gilbertese, Marshallese, Nauruan, Palau, Ponapean, Trukese, Yapese
Polynesian Branch Hawaiian, Maori, Marquesan, Niuean, Rapa Nui, Rarotongan, Samoan, Tahitian, Tongan, Tuamotu, Uvea
Western Malayo Achinese, Balinese, Batak, Bikol, Buginese, Cham, Igorot, Ilocano, Jarai, Javanese, Madurese, Malagasy, Malay / Indonesian, Maranao, Pampangan, Pangasinan, Rhade Sundanese, Tagalog, Visayan
Niger-Congo Family
Adamawan Mbum
Bantu Ambo, Bemba, Bubi, Bulu, Chagga, Chiga, Chokwe, Duala, Fang, Ganda, Gisu, Hehe, Herero, Kamba, Kikuyu, Kongo, Lingala, Lozi, Luba, Lunda, Lwena, Makonde, Makua, Matebele, Mbundu, Mongo, Nkole, Nyamwezi, Nyanja, Nyoro, Pedi, Ruanda, Rundi, Shona, Sotho, Sukuma, Swahili, Swazi, Thonga, Tonga, Toro, Tswana, Tumbuka, Venda, Xhosa, Yao, Yaundé, Zulu
Eastern Banda, Gbaya, Sango, Zande
Efik Efik, Ibibio, Tiv
Ijo Ijo
Kwa Adangme, Agni, Baule, Bassa, Ibo, Edo, Ewe, Fanti, Fon, Ga, Grebo, Idoma, Kru, Nupe, Twi, Urhobo, Yoruba
Mande Bambara, Dyula, Kpelle, Loma, Malinke, Mende, Soninke, Susu, Vai
Voltaic Bariba, Dagomba, Gurma, Kabre, Mossi, Senufo
West Atlantic Balante, Dyola, Fulani, Gola, Kissi, Serer, Temne, Wolof
Sino-Tibetan Family
Sinitic Cantonese, Dungan, Fukienese, Gan, Hakka, Huizhou, Jinyu, Mandarin, Min, Min Bei, Min Dong, Min Nan, Min Zhong, Pu-Xian, Wu, Xiang, Yue
Southern Branch Miao, She, Yao
Tai Be, Chuang, Kam-Sui, Lao, Li, Nung, Puyi, Shan, Thai, Tung, Zhuang
Tibeto-Burman Bodo, Burmese, Chin, Garo, Jonkha, Kachin, Karen, Lahu, Lepcha, Lisu, Lushei, Manipuri, Meithei, Mizo, Moso, Murmi, Newari, Tibetan, Yi