”so X can understand me” X being a friend, lover, husband, pet dog
"so X can understand me" X being a friend, lover, husband, pet dog
Seriously though, elves teach everybody their language because its so cute to listen to the lesser ape-beings stumble through the consenants, butchering the context of the message. The human thinks he's asking for more wine, but he's really saying "put a cork in me, I have bubbles" at the dinner table.
... and began learning the fundamentals of elven almost six decades ago and the actual speaking of it for four, and she still always has more to learn.
Even if a human spent 50 years trying to master the nuances and bylaws of elven grammar, he'd have just mastered it to the extent of a 8-year old child, in elven society.
Regarding the last post, many are actually usually offended at attempts to speak their language, because the majority of non-elves murder it compared to native speakers, and they are a race that loves beauty as a part of life. Whenever I approve or stand behind an approval of elven and it has been a relatively...human amount of time, I generally make it a point to say that they are still learning and are not the equal of native speakers, but rather speak a surface elven. Elves have centuries to speak it, and generations of centuries for it to evolve - Acacea has always been very good with picking up on means of communication and began learning the fundamentals of elven almost six decades ago and the actual speaking of it for four, and she still always has more to learn. She is very good with it because she's good at catching inflection and differences in tone, but even fluently speaks different from say, a wood elf. In her case, the difference is not a poor accent or hillbilly grasp of words, but just that particular inflections reflect the very different people who taught her. So not a 'halfling' accent, but rather... a wood elven accent, a sun elven accent, a wild elven accent, Voltrexian, Dregarian, etc. Not mangled, just very subtle differences in inflection or pronunciation depending on what she is saying.The elves got around the whole refusing to speak Common thing by simply not allowing other people on their Island, ever, save for extraordinary circumstances (which would usually involve an elven speaker in the first place). There! That took care of that problem. I expect that the loosening of the restricted travel has created a period of transition for the elves, as now humans and dwarves can visit the elven isle and speak not a word of their language. Not really wise to do so, but they will do it anyway. Teach more elven and debase the language, or debase themselves and speak more Common? Those who embrace the latter will probably find more business opportunities, at the least, but before it was opened there was no reason for everyone to speak it on Voltrex, which is their equivalent of the home nation, hehe. Even very young and very friendly human-loving elves may refuse the teaching, laughing and slapping their human companion on the shoulder and telling them not to murder his mother's tongue with their poor human mouth. Can you teach a pig to dance in a month, friend? No more can I teach you in a mere twenty turns what I have spoken since your grandmother was a twinkle in your ancestor's eye!* And then the human would train a pig in secret and gift it to the elf in a month's time and show him how it danced, and the elf would laugh and say "But can you teach the bear to sing?..." and thus would begin the road to laughing acquiescence... or something. What is the fun of the easy way, anyway?I think it's impossible to properly represent the amount of time it should take to really speak the elven language well, because who wants a requirement that is a RL year or more? So there is probably a middle line somewhere, of making it less ridiculously easy, but still achievable without effort of herculean proportions. It would most likely just involve a slight increase of effort required for the language, a more conscious approach with players of elven characters in to whom they choose to bestow the gift of their language (because that is what it is), and a general understanding that it will take even longer still to really be considered a fluent speaker.*Many elves can be charming and friendly and beautiful, alluring until they make some comment about you having your great grand mother's eyes. Then they are just queer and most shorter lived races never quite get over the time issue, friendship or no... indeed, friendship makes it even harder, as does love, since it will pass so soon for the elves. One who loves the short lived races too well only receives the dubious gift of watching small, bright lives burn and flicker out in what is only a passing of a season to him, over and over again. For some, it is worth it... for most... not so. More likely, or less, to teach their mother tongue and hear it from their lips only a scant few years before it is gone?
It seems these two points give some insight into the amount of effort required to teach and to learn elven (elvish/elfish/elfen). Something to ponder/consider/bare in mind...Regards,Script Wrecked.
Actually these statements are far from being accurate or even remotely in line with D&D or LORE within Layo.
I'm interested to see this clarification too!A bit of googling shows a lot of (nerdy) people have been able to grasp Tolkien's elvish language - Quenya - in about 6-12 months or so. Maybe there has been something that indicates Layo-elvish is considerably more complex? *waits for Ed*
As long as this thread stays civil, I'm very much looking forward to the commentary to come. Both Acacea and Drizzlin hold up valuable points that pertain to the races. I'm personally all for empowering the short-lived but tenacious humans, yet I must concede that a race with the heritage of the Elves could create a language far more complicated and nuanced than any language we could conceive on this earth. Of course, then we get into "used" and classic versions of such a language, which would mean that the common elf doesn't actually access the full extent of the language, especially not when spoken. OR maybe every elf always uses the full extent of the language. Maybe they don't ever par it down. More things to ponder until L or Ed gives the final word.
a race with the heritage of the Elves could create a language far more complicated and nuanced than any language we could conceive on this earth.