Common

Common is the trade language of Elara. Almost every sentient civilized being speaks a smattering of it and most are fluent. While many cannot read or write the language, generally, the people of Elara will be able to converse with each other in this language.
Dialects vary from region to region, but generally, communication should be possible. In non-human realms, "common" may be a different form, somehow mixed with the species native tongue.
==Limitations and Advantages==
According to contemporary Elaran linguists, Common developed out of a pidgin variant of the Valerian called Delsharan, and thus is most closely related to that language. However, it has its disadvantages; time and distance have taken their toll on the language, and not every concept can be easily related to others. Nuances of speech, names, and phrases can be expressed easier in older languages such as Elvish and Dwarvish, but most non-natives cannot speak those languages.
The obvious advantage to Common is that practically every sentient in the world can speak it. Even in remote areas of Elara like Vorrgan, the Southern Wilderlands, and the Moon Isles, the inhabitants can speak at least enough of it to make themselves understood with a little creative pantomiming. Admittedly regional accents have a tendency to confuse the issue; natives of distant areas may regard each others' accents as strange or silly, but they can still understand each other.
==History and Alphabet==
As has been previously stated, the direct ancestor of Common was a language called Delsharan, which was a direct ancestor of Valerian, which an unknown scribe eventually developed a written alphabet for several hundred thousand years ago. Valerian is a forgotten language, and Delsharan is now a dead language (meaning that nobody speaks either of them on a daily basis anymore), but the alphabet survives, and is now used in Common.
Category:Languages
Category:Elaran Languages