Eberron Conlangs - Is Anyone Interested?

[TheLonelyScribe]

I've been thinking of making up some constructed languages based on the Eberron campaign setting, and was wondering if anyone would be interested. If so, I think it would be a fun project (I'd probably set it up on Google Docs), but if not it's just too much work. Here are some of my initial thought processes to give you an idea of what the project would be like:

Gnome: In the 4e ECG it says that agents of the trust are known as 'ganos' (eyes), 'valos' (hands), and 'shalons' (minds). I decided to interpret to 'os' and 'ons' as the plural endings. This got me thinking, why the different ending for 'shalons'? Perhaps the Gnome language has a gender system, or, even better, an animacy system, where things referring to mental, divine, or magical things have on set of endings, things referring to living things have another set of endings, things referring to dead things have another set of endings, things referring to unliving things have another set of endings, and things referring to undead things have yet another set of endings.
I think it would also be good to give the Gnomes a language that is easily pronouncable but has long, agglutinated words. In keeping with names like 'Korranberg' and 'Trolanport', it would be good to give it a Germanic feel. I'm also wonder whether the language of a culture that places a premium on information would convey lots of meaning, or very little...

Drow: I'm going to presume that Xen'drik comes from the Drow language. This already gives us a great deal of possibilities - e.g. presumably the apostraphe stands for a glottal stop in the original language (as both parts of the word seem to long to be abbreviations, e.g. if you were abbreviating the word 'maladrik' you'd shorten it to 'ik', not 'drik'). The drow language should have a lot of plosives and stops, as well as short vowels, to make it sound spidery and vaguely threatening, and to make it contrast with the Giant language.

Quori: The 'Dul', 'Dur' and 'Durat' in place names in Riedra are presumably influenced by Quori, since the 'Dal' in 'Dal Quor' seems of this type. Again, there may be some animacy or gender thing going on here. This should be a language with an extremely alien sound and structure, to reflect the otherness of the Quori. I might also say that, in the original language, 'q' represents the same sound it does in Arabic (like k, but further back). I might even add some sounds that can only be produced by Quori!

Giant: To reflect the largeness and Nordic qualities of the giants, this language should have long, open vowels, like aa, ou, and aw. I might also decide that the giants have somewhat inflexible tongues, limiting their ability to make certain sounds (e.g. I might remove 'k' and 'g' since those are all the way at the back). The modern giant's language could be a corruption of the ancient one, reflecting the decline of their civilisation by having a reduced vocabulary and simplified grammar.

[TheLonelyScribe]

Just a little bump, because I feel like this fell down the list alarmingly quickly.

[Amechra]

I'd help, but I'm busy, and I don't know Eberron too well.

I will say this though; I envision Giant (in its current form, at least) as being like Toki Pona; very simplified grammar and a tiny, not-even-two-hundred-words vocabulary.

Also, for Gnomes... given that they apparently place a large premium on information, I would say a language capable of expressing two different concepts simultaneously would be prized (basically, it has a "spoken" component, which is where the different names come from, and then it has a melodic form (look up Moss if you have the time) which, while simpler, allows for open yet secret communication about select subjects.)

Personally, I think the Quori should take a cue from one of the really weird conlangs, like that one (can't remember the name) which doesn't have any verbs. Or something similarly weird; I can actually see dream beings "gender" their words with emotional context.

In other words, it would be like (to use english as an example), the word he associates to anger instead of masculinity, and she associates to happiness, for example.

So, instead of saying "She looks happy today", you would say something like "That female, she appears", or something. Actually, I might have to do something with this idea anyway...

And what about Shifters and Changelings? I know their populations are too young to have their own distinct languages, but I can see them having dialects; I would be especially partial to doing something like Anglish with Shifters, since it lends a far more Germanic sound to things.


Scorelore (also called reckonlore) (English: Mathematics) is the lore of scorings, or deals mindful on draughts such as howmuchness, forbuilding, room, and shift, and also the lorewise thewfastness that learn about them. Benjamin Peirce called it "the worldken that draws needed endsay".

Through the handling of foredeeming and wordlockish mulling, scorelore outcame from notching, reckoning, deeming, and the gatherwise learning of the shapes and going of bodily gainwarp. Scoreloremen pathfind such draughts, seeking to weave new endsays and settle their truth by thorough befinding from fittingly chosen selftruths and wordmarks...

You see? Germanic sounding.

[shadow_archmagi]

I'm a huge fan of the Quori and a constructed language would be a really neat thing to see.




Or something similarly weird; I can actually see dream beings "gender" their words with emotional context.


By the sovereign host, I like this idea! Sort of like German, with their piles of prefixes and suffixes and form changes based on tense and gender and case and stuff.

[Veklim]

I'm running a bastardised Ebberon setting in my RL campaign rught now and paid a little thought to this subject not long ago. I decided Quori has a lot to do with inflection and rhythm within each word/phrase, lending the entire process of talking a rather emotive sound, even if the words themselves arenabt understood. I coupled this with every Quori's connection to the dreaming, so that they can make their intent understood, even if the recipient doesnabt understand the words or subtler nuance of the language itself.

Shifters speak a common/sylvan patois, witha different dialect for each tribe. They can all understand each other to a greater or lesser extent, and anyone who speaks either 'parent language' can pick up some bits, although the potential for misunderstandings are huge (and fun to roleplay!).

On a similar line, I gave a warforged a way of 'burst transmission' communication, using blasts of high-speed morse-like clicks and whirs to relay simple messages and ideas at high speed, but that's possibly a side issue here...

[Craft (Cheese)]

A GITP conlanging thread? Bitchin! Here's a 10-minute attempt at an Orcish sketch:

Sashkanin mataru minkanin matarua, minmarushin taki. - Motto of the Gatekeepers.


sa-sh-ka-nin ma-taru mi-n-ka-nin-a ma-taru=a
[3s.E]DIST_PST-PRF-3p.A-birth thought-fire [3s.E]ITER-NPRF-3p.A-birth thought-fire=and
From madness they came, and from madness they shall one day return.

mi-n-maru-shi=n taki
ITER-NPRF-[3s.A]endure-3s.CAUS=NEG death
Because no defeat lasts forever.

[MoleMage]

Love to help, but I don't know Eberron very well. I actually wrote my Senior Paper on Conlanging this very spring. So, hit me up if you want some non-Eberron-specific help! (Or are willing to explain what is relevant for me).

[TheLonelyScribe]

Awesome to have some people not only interested, but willing to help! I think I'll start with Gnome. And yes, I like the idea that Gnome can be very information-rich, but only when it needs to be. I'll mull on that for a little while, I think...

[Eldan]

I read someone that based lizardman grammar on Finnish, except replacing most consonants with z, s and sh. Gives something quite cool, with those long, long words.

[Analytica]

Quori: The 'Dul', 'Dur' and 'Durat' in place names in Riedra are presumably influenced by Quori, since the 'Dal' in 'Dal Quor' seems of this type. Again, there may be some animacy or gender thing going on here. This should be a language with an extremely alien sound and structure, to reflect the otherness of the Quori. I might also say that, in the original language, 'q' represents the same sound it does in Arabic (like k, but further back). I might even add some sounds that can only be produced by Quori!

I disagree somewhat here, or rather, I think "Dal Quor" is a construction the same as "Kol Korran", "Dol Dorn" or all the other deities, or the names of the planes. As such, it might not be the Quori language per se, but rather perhaps Draconic, as the language of prophecy and the "truest" descriptions of Eberron. I would suspect the word Eberron itself, as well as the names of planes and divinities are the same language, that the prefixes - which sometimes alliterate poetically - form some sort of position system. I.e. Dal Quor = "those (way over there, in fantasy rather than reality) Quori-places".

I also think the Quori language is shaped by whatever culture's dreams shaped the last incarnation of the realm (not sure whether it is stated what that is), so it might well be surprisingly close to some other language.

[RedWarlock]

Actually, in that vein, I think it's likely the word exists in both tongues as a loanword, with derivations on either side.

[shadow_archmagi]

I also think the Quori language is shaped by whatever culture's dreams shaped the last incarnation of the realm (not sure whether it is stated what that is), so it might well be surprisingly close to some other language.

The devastation caused by the Quori invasion and the giant's epic magic that repulsed them is what caused the Turning Of The Age, causing an age of nightmare to begin. So if you want to go down that road, Quori could have elements of Giant and elf in it.

We can infer something about the general tone of the language from the few Quori words we do have- Kalashtar, Kalaraq, Hashalaq, tsucora, il-Lashtavar, Taratai.