Thalassian Thalassian is the language of the high elves , half - elves , half blood - elves , and blood elves — a derivative of the Darnassian language of the night elves . It has both written and spoken equivalents . Individuals who are unfamiliar with the language ' s proper name may refer to it as " high elven " ( not to be confused with the language Elven ) . Like Nazja , Thalassian is derived from the Darnassian language . The elder tongue is almost forgotten . Hence , Thalassian is closely related to Darnassian and there is some overlap between the two languages . Further Darnassian utterances have therefore been preserved in modern Thalassian . So far , linguistic scholars have opted to err on the side of caution in documenting Darnassian terms and phrases that are also considered part of the Thalassian language . Certainly this issue , however delicate , merits further research . Nevertheless , addressing a blood elf with a Darnassian - specific word or phrase can be considered offensive or foolish , and so the speaker must handle the situation with care . This is one of the four known elven dialects . Thalassian Primer ( official translations ) . Here are a few common Thalassian phrases and words , for which the translations have been officially confirmed by Blizz ard : High elven names . The past is a burden to the high elves , yet they maintain naming rituals that are millennia old . Many of the names of elven priests and heroes have become the names used for elves in modern times . The high elves share a connection with the sun that is quite prevalent in their choice of family names . Thalassian speculation . Thalassian word parser . This is the list of words created by the in - game language parser for the Thalassian language , and is listed as language number ten ( word range 800 - 901 ) in the Language text file . In the in - game translator , the language parser for Thalassian shares similar words with the Darnassian parser . Note : The language algorithm used by the in - game " translator " merely makes the words look like Thalassian . It does not actually translate words . Therefore , translated in - game speech isn ' t truly Thalassian . Translations speculation . For fan translations see Thalassian translation ( speculation ) . Darnassian vs . Thalassian speculation . Of note , Kael ' thas greeted Tyrande and Maiev with " Ishnu ' Alah " when they met in the Plaguelands . This may mean that some of the words still have the same meaning in both languages , or that some phrases have , over thousands of years , lost their offensive implications in their respective languages . It also could be that Kael ' thas knew Darnassian . History speculation . After the high elves were exiled from Kalimdor by the night elves , they set up in the Eastern Kingdoms . There , they lived for millennia , cultivating their culture and their magic . Because of their long life spans , Thalassian , as they called their language , still retains parts of the old language . In fact , it is possible that Thalassian is not therefore a separate language , and is merely a dialect of Darnassian . Even if this were the case , however , the two languages would still not be mutually intelligible .