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Hi guys!

Here I am, fashionably late.

Today on our world building escapade I want to talk about language. Language is one thing that brings a setting to life. Wether it’s the entire languages Tolkien created, the magic language in The Inheritance Cycle (help me out @i-david, I cant remember what it’s called) that controls magical powers, or even just variations in accents and words used, language creates uniqueness and depth in our stories.

In my current fantasy, the history is that pirates invaded the country and took over. So there are two separate languages spoken there, plus a mixed jargon. One language is spoken pretty much exclusively by the common people, with a bit of jargon to get by, but the upper class speak the second language amongst themselves to keep their business private, etc.

In my dystopia, my MC comes to Wyoming and is immediately singled out as a stranger by his Tennessee accent.

Even the words we use can vary. I’m beta reading a story right now that takes place on a ship. Certain members of the crew are from a different country, and the author did an excellent job of showing that through their word choices, even though they all speak the same language. One country represented uses swear words like Mermeks blood, while the other country swears are Stormy seas. It’s a minor difference but it reminds the reader they are different nationalities.

In the real world too, language plays a big role. In my hometown, like I mentioned before, it’s widely polish. So when someone says Yako Ko Hanni most people are going to know what that means (oh my goodness). It’s normal for even kids who didn’t grow up speaking polish to know a handful of words. And the older people like my grandma, still have very very thick polish accents. The nearest big town also has a large Hispanic population, so lots of things are written in Spanish and English and it’s common to hear nothing but Spanish while walking through the store.

Little details like that add another layer to our stories.

What have you guys done with language/vocabulary/accent?

 

 

@samantha-pen @hgm_barnes18

@heather-drabant

@kb-writer @inspirewrite @duskflower @kjames0813 @ireneadler

@kari-karast @i-david

@donna-darling @kr-lalonde

@the-golden-light @jennythefaun