Trade Tongue and Dwarves

[Ghostdanser]

So…I was poking around the Bioware forums and found this…

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic ... 839/3&lf=8

Herr Uhl wrote...
Doesn't Tevinterians speak the same language as the rest of Thedas now? Or do they just have their own swears?
David Gaider replied…
The Imperium has its own language, just as Orlais does, even if most people speak the common tongue as well. Only in rural areas might you find people who don't.

Herr Uhl wrote...
Is the common tongue English due to Andraste talking it (and the chant being in English)?
David Gaider replied…
Heh, no. The common tongue actually comes from the dwarves. They introduced trade and currency to humanity.

Herr Uhl wrote...
Then why don't humans speak the old dwarven language? Did they invent a new language to trade with humans?
David Gaider replied...
No, they invented a new language to trade with each other. There isn't any one "dwarven" language, though humans like to think of it that way because of the old kingdoms only Orzammar is left.

So as I now understand it, the dwarves originally had at least several different regional languages and created the Trade Tongue to allow trade amongst the dwarven nations, later teaching the Trade Tongue to humanity for the same reason.

So it’s possible that the dwarves of Kal-Sharok speak a different language than the dwarves of Orzammar, but would be able to interact using the Trade Tongue.

It also brings to mind the Primeval Thaig from DA2, not only is anything found there going to be written in ancient dwarven…it is most likely written in an ancient dwarven language that is now dead.

This presents numerous story hooks for dwarves, since the further you are away from Orzammar the more likely you are to find dwarven relics/tomes/ruins that require considerable effort to translate or identify. Something to ponder…

[Lynata]

This is a pretty interesting bit of info, thanks.

Interesting also because there's an incident in one of Gaider's novels where instead of local Orlesian language, dwarven runes are used as a substitute for a proper sign - because "most people can't read", as Knight-Captain Evangeline explains to the Tower-educated mages she's travelling with.

[Ghostdanser]

Interesting also because there's an incident in one of Gaider's novels where instead of local Orlesian language, dwarven runes are used as a substitute for a proper sign - because "most people can't read", as Knight-Captain Evangeline explains to the Tower-educated mages she's travelling with.

I just read that chapter between my original post and your reply. It is interesting that...