Re: The Common Tongue!

>Has anyone done any work on why most of the humans on the "standard" worlds
>all speak the same language? I know its convenient,  but it doesn't offer
>much in the way of realism.  If anyone has though out a reason,  please,
>let me know!:)
>
>PS Sorry if this has been asked a thousand times,  I don't recall seeing
>any posts on it in the past year.

I saw something on it a while back, I think on the P;anescape list. The
"best" reason I saw had to do with Gods. Most races worship racial Gods, and
the theory was that Gods provided the original Languages. Elf gods taught a
language to elves that is considered elvish, Dwarves the same, etc.

This theory also would help to explain why there is a wealth of human
languages on some worlds, the variety and number of the Human pantheons
compared to the others. Elves, dwarves, et al, seem to worship the same
pantheon, by race, where ever they are, while humans tend to have assorted
pantheons, which may have decided to teach a new language to promote
isolationism.

My personal theory is similar, but a bit different, and based, in part, on
something from Runequest: The Merchant Gods got together and designed and
taught a common language to facilitate trade, and it became prevalent.


Thank You For Your Time,

Thomas O Magann Jr
http://www.sfo.com/~tomjr/

<tomjr@???.com> or my back-up: <TMagann@???.com>