What is your approach to languages?

[Anstett]

I have broken them up into separate languages and then dialects. For Traveller I go with the idea that the communicator can give you 25%-90% comprehension of a language which helps with related ones.

I based it on this baseline from my D&D game.

Dragonslayers Society | Main / Languages

 

[FreeTrav]

English in one form or another is pretty much a lingua franca (which, oddly enough, means "french language") in probably most of the world - but that doesn't mean that you can understand someone else speaking it, or be sure that they understand you speaking it. Loren Wiseman once posted a story about taking a tour in Sweden; English was the common language. There was a Norwegian and a Finn in the tour group, and the Norwegian couldn't understand the Finn's English or vice-versa - but Loren could understand both, and both could understand his American. So, he ended up translating between English and English.

On the flip side, English can be butchered pretty badly and still be understandable. I even wrote an article about doing that, specifically to address in a game-useful way the idea of different languages without going all the way to forcing the players to get involved in translating. See "Speaking in Tongues: Simulating Dialects in Your Game", Freelance Traveller, July/August 2017.

 

[Spirit of 1977]

English in one form or another is pretty much a lingua franca (which, oddly enough, means "french language") in probably most of the world - but that doesn't mean that you can understand someone else speaking it, or be sure that they understand you speaking it. Loren Wiseman once posted a story about taking a tour in Sweden; English was the common language. There was a Norwegian and a Finn in the tour group, and the Norwegian couldn't understand the Finn's English or vice-versa - but Loren could understand both, and both could understand his American. So, he ended up translating between English and English.

On the flip side, English can be butchered pretty badly and still be understandable. I even wrote an article about doing that, specifically to address in a game-useful way the idea of different languages without going all the way to forcing the players to get involved in translating. See "Speaking in Tongues: Simulating Dialects in Your Game", Freelance Traveller, July/August 2017.

I totally love this. No formalized rules, just situational tasks for game purposes. Perfect.

 

[Jame Rowe]

I figure that, for the OTU and MTU, every Imperial character gets Galanglic at 2 and Vilani at 0. Though most non human characters get their native language at 2 and Galanglic at 0, except for Bwaps who get it at 1.

For 2300AD, I follow the rules as written except that everyone gets either French or English at 0 if they don't get either during character creation.

 

[MonsterX]

The skill mechanics don't do a great job of representing actual language skill. I've been making language skill 0 mean A2 in a specific language (since the "smattering" rule makes no sense whatsoever). Skill 1 is B1, Skill 2 is B2, Skill 3, C1, Skill 4 is C2. EDU or INT mods apply, in practical situations, possibly SOC in the right context, but if you add a mod, it means you are putting in an effort and being creative about getting your message across.

So with a 0, you can't hold a conversation, but you might manage to understand and be understood, especially if you have a stat bonuses. With a 1 you can kind of hold an awkward conversation, but 2 is needed to get to a real conversation, which won't always be without effort and misunderstandings. Skill 3 means you can interact like a native, but will have an accent and limited vocabulary.

 

[WHULorigan]

This is a response to a post on Languages I once made over on the COTI Board.
(RQ uses Percentile ranges of course, but it resolves into 5 Tier-ranges in the rules).

These are some rules examples from 3rd Edition Runequest (Avalon Hill), which used a 5-tier scale for language skill (you may want to consider this skill 0 thru 4 for MgT):

• Tier-1: Basic words and phrases - "I want food."
• Tier-2: Sufficient to get by in a culture - "How many monies for leg of lamb?"
• Tier-3: Average native-speaker proficiency - " But that leg of lamb was only three coppers yesterday."
• Tier-4: Language of poets and professional speakers - "That lamb was rotten when it was butchered, and isn't worth the spit it took to hit the tax-collector's eye last month!"
• Tier-5: Language of diplomats and elites - "Surely the assessment for this specimen of decomposing provender could be reevaluated in consideration of its advanced state of putrefaction."

 

[MonsterX]

This is a response to a post on Languages I once made over on the COTI Board.
(RQ uses Percentile ranges of course, but it resolves into 5 Tier-ranges in the rules).

'Bout the same as what I came up with.

What do you get on Tier 5 with a 2 SOC, I wonder? Probably entertaining, but neither diplomatic, nor elite.

 

[WHULorigan]

'Bout the same as what I came up with.

What do you get on Tier 5 with a 2 SOC, I wonder? Probably entertaining, but neither diplomatic, nor elite.

It probably means you get someone who was well trained in how to speak a particular way (via that particular training, however it was acquired) that was entirely different than his upbringing, and who can pull the proverbial wool over other people's eyes if you dress him up right. And he still doesn't necessarily choose to speak that way normally, necessarily, but he can do so if he wants to. Great skill for an infiltrator or agent.

 

[G'Naakbusters]

It probably means you get someone who was well trained in how to speak a particular way (via that particular training, however it was acquired) that was entirely different than his upbringing, and who can pull the proverbial wool over other people's eyes if you dress him up right. And he still doesn't necessarily choose to speak that way normally, necessarily, but he can do so if he wants to. Great skill for an infiltrator or agent.

Perhaps there can also be potential negative consequences, as in a character comes across as a fool using overly elaborate language because they learned it by watching footage of archaic court discussions or films of an old genre?

A situation where a character is saying something equivalent to, "my dearest sir, I beseech you forgive my impertinence and rude countenance; your worship has my most sincere apologies" and is being completely earnest but comes across as mocking, making the situation worse. Could be just as bad as using language too "basic" or uncouth when addressing the higher-ups in a status-conscious, stratified society...

 

[MonsterX]

Perhaps there can also be potential negative consequences, as in a character comes across as a fool using overly elaborate language

I was thinking more along the lines of the Gunnery Sergeant from Full Metal Jacket, for example:
"Are you quitting on me? Well, are you? Then quit, you slimy f-cking walrus-looking piece of sh-t! Get the f-ck off of my obstacle! Get the f--k down off of my obstacle! NOW! MOVE IT! Or I'm going to rip your balls off, so you cannot contaminate the rest of the world! I will motivate you, Pvt. Pyle, EVEN IF IT SHORT-D-CKS EVERY CANNIBAL ON THE CONGO!"

Brilliant use of language but would not pass muster with the Ladies' Church Auxiliary.

 

[Condottiere]

Language subspecialization.

How to convey doctrine and influence Privates.

 

[Seffix]

Pygmalion, perhaps?

 

[Geir]

Brilliant use of language

Was it though? As I recall the result, the eventual result was suboptimal for both parties.

Language skill - especially of a native language is not handled all that well with regards to the specialties rules. Language 0 by itself is really kind of pointless, unless it is really Science (linguistics) 1 - Science itself being another one of those 'broad but sort of related' ones that is dealt with a bit better in the Companion, though Science 0 should at least be enough to understand the scientific method.

Skill above full fluency (probably skill level 2) as in the fancy or clever speech examples above might better be considered Art (Performer) - although an 'Oratory' skill is perhaps completely different than an 'Actor' skill or not. Or use Persuade/Diplomat/Carouse/Deception/Streetwise as the other skill in a task chain* to achieve the desired effect - add SOC if it helps.

*Point being to make that sort of instantaneous. Pick one skill as the first 'task', use it to modify the the results of a check using the other skill, and there's your result without thinking too hard about creating a special skill for superfluency.

 

[Condottiere]

1. Being hip to modern youth culture and communication.

2. Pygmalion was ahead of his time.

 

[MonsterX]

Was it though? As I recall the result, the eventual result was suboptimal for both parties.

He did get Pvt. Pile off the obstacle, which is what he said he wanted.