What I've been wondering is what languages the drow of Golarion speak. In the compaign setting it states that undercommon had evolved from elven by the ancestors of the drow, which seems to indicate that undercommon is the drow language. However, I have not been able to find a reference which unequivocally states undercommon is the drow tongue (assuming I didn't just miss something). As most previous incarnations of the drow have had their own language seperate from undercommon, I would like to be certain as to what the Golarion drow use as a language.
On a related note, do the Golarion drow have the sign language which some drow have had in the past?
Drow speak Undercommon and Elven. Abyssal and Aklo are also popular among them. But just as on the surface Common = Taldan, in large part Undercommon = Drow. They're the largest and most successful nation in the Underdark, after all, so it makes sense that their language would become the most widespread.
There is indeed a couple of sign languages in the Darklands as well. The one that the drow would use is called Sakvroth, but in Golarion it's not necesasrilly a drow-only language.
Page 3 of "Into the Darklands" has lots of info about the languages spoken in this region.
I've been working under the assumption that all the documents that the PCs find written in Undercommon can be translated by someone in the Cypherlodge, that is, that Undercommon is an obscure but known language on the surface. How does that square with the drow being an "unknown" race? Should Undercommon be unknown on the surface except for among the Winter Council and higher ranks of the Shin'Rakorath? Or do surface linguists know Undercommon as a language used in the Darklands without being aware of its origins as a form of Elven modified by the drow?
The way I've been portraying it, drow speak Elven among themselves but use Undercommon to communicate with other Darklands races, as well as using it in documents that might fall into surface elves' hands.
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What I've been wondering is what languages the drow of Golarion speak. In the compaign setting it states that undercommon had evolved from elven by the ancestors of the drow, which seems to indicate that undercommon is the drow language. However, I have not been able to find a reference which unequivocally states undercommon is the drow tongue (assuming I didn't just miss something). As most previous incarnations of the drow have had their own language seperate from undercommon, I would like to be certain as to what the Golarion drow use as a language.
On a related note, do the Golarion drow have the sign language which some drow have had in the past?
Drow speak Undercommon and Elven. Abyssal and Aklo are also popular among them. But just as on the surface Common = Taldan, in large part Undercommon = Drow. They're the largest and most successful nation in the Underdark, after all, so it makes sense that their language would become the most widespread.
There is indeed a couple of sign languages in the Darklands as well. The one that the drow would use is called Sakvroth, but in Golarion it's not necesasrilly a drow-only language.
Page 3 of "Into the Darklands" has lots of info about the languages spoken in this region.
I've been working under the assumption that all the documents that the PCs find written in Undercommon can be translated by someone in the Cypherlodge, that is, that Undercommon is an obscure but known language on the surface. How does that square with the drow being an "unknown" race? Should Undercommon be unknown on the surface except for among the Winter Council and higher ranks of the Shin'Rakorath? Or do surface linguists know Undercommon as a language used in the Darklands without being aware of its origins as a form of Elven modified by the drow?
The way I've been portraying it, drow speak Elven among themselves but use Undercommon to communicate with other Darklands races, as...
In terms of the game, Drow of the Underdark has a bit more on drow languages that actually makes sense.
For instance, they switch back and forth between elven and undercommon, especially if one language has a better word to describe the intent they wish to convey. They usually do this amongst themselves and others, however if they encounter elves, they go out of their way to specifically NOT speak elven. Forcing the elves to speak undercommon if they wish to talk to them.
While Drow of the Underdark is a 3.5 supplement, I found that some of the info there is actually quite useful.
Also the dwarves can speak undercommon and there are a few others that make it okay for the occasional person to have.
I for one deal with the possibility of Undercommon as a language for "surface dwellers" only AFTER they have had contact with drow preferably only if they made active efforts to learn undercommon from said drow...
That point left out I think the Linguistics skill (Speak Language/Decipher Script will do for 3.5 games) gives an excellent opportunity for the team "knowledge/high intelligence" characters to work with some of the less used skills to get meanings from writings and (perhaps) speech and thereby slowly learn the language. I believe it to be important not to grant too many people knowledge of the language (my players would kill me with suspicious questions). I makes the drow much more realistic and gives them a tactical advantage against my (all too tactical) players (the tactical advantage being the ability to shout in-understandably to one another to change plans).
I Endless Night the possibility to learn Undercommon during the spionage arises, but I think that a character who takes time to study the language there should be encourage to take it permanently.