So, I assume people have accents like in real life. I imagine they would usually sound like whatever real-life culture the place is similar to (e.g Russian for Irrisen), but what about places that don't really have a real-life equivalent like Numeria?
Hmm, that's a good question. For places that aren't based on the real world that are close to fantasy counterpart cultures, maybe mix the nearby ones? Like, maybe the accent of people native to Absalom is sort of a mixture of a Greek accent and Egyptian and Levantine Arabic accents?
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So, I assume people have accents like in real life. I imagine they would usually sound like whatever real-life culture the place is similar to (e.g Russian for Irrisen), but what about places that don't really have a real-life equivalent like Numeria?
This is particularly tricky when we remember that different countries have different predominant languages, that some countries have the same predominant language which is spoken differently (i.e. with accents or in dialects) therein, and that different regions within the same country will produce different accents and dialects as well. Different classes within the same region will evolve different accents. A Jadwiga from Whitethrone speaking Taldane in an Absalom marketplace will have a different "accent" than she would speaking Hallit in Whitethrone, and an Ulfen peasant bringing his crop to market in Whitethrone will speak Hallit differently from her (particularly as he likely speaks Skald at home) and likely doesn't know Taldane at all.
Any effort to systematize the various accents, dialects, and languages of Golarion is probably doomed. Linguists on Earth have a hard enough time of it, and they have large samples of real people to work with, not just their imaginations.
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So, I assume people have accents like in real life. I imagine they would usually sound like whatever real-life culture the place is similar to (e.g Russian for Irrisen), but what about places that don't really have a real-life equivalent like Numeria?This is particularly tricky when we remember that different countries have different predominant languages, that some countries have the same predominant language which is spoken differently (i.e. with accents or in dialects) therein, and that different regions within the same country will produce different accents and dialects as well. Different classes within the same region will evolve different accents. A Jadwiga from Whitethrone speaking Taldane in an Absalom marketplace will have a different "accent" than she would speaking Hallit in Whitethrone, and an Ulfen peasant bringing his crop to market in Whitethrone will speak Hallit differently from her (particularly as he likely speaks Skald at home) and likely doesn't know Taldane at all.
Any effort to systematize the various accents, dialects, and languages of Golarion is probably doomed. Linguists on Earth have a hard enough time of it, and they have large samples of real people to work with, not just their imaginations.
Very good point, actually.
I've personally had a hard time with certain places. Old Taldan/Chelaxian names are hella Greek, but newer ones aren't. Thrune vs Narikopolous, for example. Names like Fex sound hellish enough to be Chelaxian but Arabasti, who I'm assuming descended from old chelish stock, doesn't sound like either. Then you have, also in Korvosa (which was originally chelish), Kalepopolis, who is the seneschal, and doesn't appear to be from a big Noble house afaik.
Its just as inconsistent as real life.