HYPERBOREA / Is Common English?

**Posted by Tikon2000** 8/29/2023 10:35 pm

Asking for time travel purposes. If say medieval English knights showed up in the setting, or WWII Americans (and Germans).

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 8/30/2023 8:43 am

I had a platoon of WW2 rangers show up in the Lug. The lieutenant's notes:

Was an academic in school that was classically trained to speak greek and latin. Was later trained to speak Russian, German, and a smattering of Nordic languages. He will be able to say about 10 words that anyone can understand.

So I generally have Common not be exactly English. It's thousands of years of linguistics smash ups.

At my table folks might be only to understand a word or two.

**Posted by Blackadder23** 8/30/2023 4:00 pm

It's not supposed to be English per se, but it has some of the same roots. If you wanted to say it was close enough for English-speaking time travelers to understand, I'm sure no one would complain.

**Posted by Carnby** 8/30/2023 5:06 pm

I wouldn't say so, but time travel tends to be weird to the language processing of the traveler so that might not matter.

At least the medieval knights could likely converse in Latin and possibly, depending of exact time of origin, Old Norse (Anglo-Saxon) or Frankish (though it appears it didn't survive as a language in Hyperborea).

**Posted by Tikon2000** 8/31/2023 8:18 am

I thought the Franks were added as a new group in 3rd edition?

Also, I ask because it's kind of a given that in all fantasy lands everyone speaks in British actor accent

**Posted by Blackadder23** 8/31/2023 8:55 am

Tikon2000 wrote:
I thought the Franks were added as a new group in 3rd edition?

They were, but they speak Latin in Hyperborea.

**Posted by Ghul** 8/31/2023 11:05 am

COMMON TONGUE: Most people have at least some
understanding of the Common tongue, if not complete
fluency. It is the most universally understood language
of the realm. The Common tongue prevails in the City-
State of Khromarium and Port Zangerios; consequently,
it is the language of commerce. The Common tongue is
a bastardized language that primarily includes Hellenic,
Keltic, and Old Norse elements, but also has evolved into
its own quite extensive lexis. The written form of the
Common tongue utilizes the same Old Greek alphabet of
the Hellenic language, which is derived from Phoenician.

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 9/01/2023 9:21 am

Sure, Ghul, inject text from the books into an internet discussion ;-)