Author Topic: Languages  (Read 1086 times)

Geoffrey

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Languages
« on: February 22, 2017, 09:39:49 AM »
How does one learn a new language?  Did a quick search through the rule book and couldn't find anything on it other than the Read (Writing) skill.

GM Craig

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Re: Languages
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2017, 10:07:38 AM »
You can spend skill points (and possibly money for a tutor) during Winter Phase to learn to speak and/or read-write in another language.

Read (Writing) is language-specific. So you can read-write in Cymric, Latin, Saxon, and Frankish to name a few. Some languages do not have written forms (Pictish or Scots for example), so you cannot learn to read / write those.

Cedwyn

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Re: Languages
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2017, 10:09:33 AM »
And if we can read/write we can speak it right?

GM Craig

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Re: Languages
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2017, 10:10:56 AM »
I'll have to check.

GM Craig

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Re: Languages
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2017, 10:14:17 AM »
As an aside, there are languages that only exist in written form. Three examples are Ogham, Runes, and Glyphs.

Geoffrey

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Re: Languages
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2017, 10:19:16 AM »
I'm more specifically asking about/interested in German if Rodric decides to go after his father's sword.  I believe it was in Saxon lands.

GM Craig

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Re: Languages
« Reply #6 on: February 22, 2017, 10:36:32 AM »
And if we can read/write we can speak it right?

Negative. Reading and writing does not confer the ability to speak a language coherently. If you know a written language, you can translate it to a language you do know, but you will make errors in pronunciation, context or conjugation when you try and speak it.

Imagine someone speaking French with a very anglicized accent ("merci garçon" spoken as "murky garkon"), or someone for whom English is a second language (like an outsourced helpdesk). To a native speaker, they may be nearly unintelligible.

So, all the PC's speak Cymric. The Northmen also speak Nord, and our Irish knight speaks Irish. The outlanders speaking Cymric was for story purposes, and handled in their back-story. If any of you wish to learn other languages, you will need to spend time, points and resources to learn. Such expenditures would count towards "Conspicuous Consumption" which would earn you Glory.

Significant efforts in this regard might earn you an additional title, such as "Sir Cedwyn the Learned."

I'm more specifically asking about/interested in German if Rodric decides to go after his father's sword.  I believe it was in Saxon lands.

Saxons speak Sais (or Saxon), one of the western-Germanic family of languages, which themselves descend from the Teutonic language root. This is similar to how Irish and Scots are both members of the Celtic family of languages, but are distinct. German does not exist as a distinct language in this period.

Rodric could certainly hire a tutor to teach him the Saxon tongue during Winter Phase, and this would count as Conspicuous Consumption. How proficient he becomes in that language depends on the skill points and advancement devoted to it.

Geoffrey

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Re: Languages
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2017, 10:39:50 AM »
So this is definitely something that can take place over a number of years.

What are the various levels of proficiency and the amount of skill points required to spend to reach them?

GM Craig

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Re: Languages
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2017, 10:42:43 AM »
The higher your skill, the more you know and the more fluent you are. Basic conversation (where is the bathroom, bring me some wine) is around a 5. Asking directions would be ~10. Planning a battle would be 15. Conducting philosophical discussions would be ~20.

It is not just the level of discourse - it is also how you appear to the natives. Failing on a 5 does not mean you do not communicate, but it would betray a lack of comprehension and may affect how the native speakers view you.

Geoffrey

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Re: Languages
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2017, 11:07:20 AM »
Perfect, thanks. :)

Cedwyn

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Re: Languages
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2017, 11:57:39 AM »
And to clarify, can we use our skill points to advance language?

GM Craig

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Re: Languages
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2017, 12:18:34 PM »
During Winter Phase, there are discretionary points you can assign to traits, skills etc. freely. Note that learning a new skill (where you have no points, such as a new language) may also require hiring a trainer.

Valka

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Re: Languages
« Reply #12 on: March 05, 2017, 03:54:00 PM »
So far in game the northmen pair has spoke their own, which either is nearly the same as Saxon or they know Saxon, and Latin.