Draconic Languages

The Draconic family descends from the language of Dragons and their Primordial creators.   The root language, known as Old High Draconic, is an elaborate language in which it is difficult to construct a definite sentence. Its phonetics are more clipped than those of Titanic Languages, with more guttural sounds and aspirants. Recorded only in the most ancient texts and spoken by no living soul, Old High Draconic was the language of the Primordial Dragons andElder Wyrms. Being a true language, it is not possible to lie in Old High Draconic, but the language has such convoluted grammatical and vocabulary rules that it is equally difficult to frame a definite statement. A limited form of Old High Draconic known as Ritual High Draconic is used in magical, religious and ceremonial writings, primarily by Ladonian Dragonborn.   There are two main branches of Draconic languages.  

Low Draconic

Low Draconic is the older branch of the language, representing the language of dragons and its direct derivatives. At the crux of the branch, Elder Low Draconic is the language of the true dragons. It lacks the completely circular grammar and syntax of Old High Draconic, perhaps because its speakers exist in time, but it still lends itself more to questions than answers, and maintains enough of its phonics to be unpronouncable to eladrinate lineages. In addition, each dragon develops its own linguistic quirks, to the point that there are as many dialects of Elder Low Draconic as there are dragons across history.   Ladonian is the dragonborn language, which evolved from Ladonian draconic, a civic ritual language used by the dragons in communication with their subjects in Ladon. It lacks the tonal range and lower-pitched unvoiced phonics of Low Draconic. Each island of the Ladonian archipelago has its own dialect, usually clustered into the broad families of Metallate, Chromate and Geodate Draconic, each with five variations. Additionally, language is dependent on caste, with lower castes using less elaborate linguistic structures. Lowborns are expected to eschew metaphor and speak primarily in the present tense and third person.   Elzir is a crude form of Ladonian taught to Ladonian Petari. It is a deliberately pandering language, constructed to allow for the presumed limits of coldblood inteligence. Unless directly addressing their social superiors, most Ladonian petari simply speak Ladonian.   Warrenese is the kobold dialect. It has a somewhat simplified grammar and phonetic structure, but the sophistication of the language itself often surprises those who underestimate the Kobolds.   Finally, Rough Draconic is a crude version of draconic spoken by near-animalistic dragons such as drakes and dragon turtles.  

Reptilian

The second branch contains the languages of reptilian lineages, marked by a high level of sibiliant and aspirant phonemes. There is no actual language called Reptilian.   Scutoran is a broad subfamily encompassing the dialects of the many Scutora holts, but the basics of the language are, thanks to the travelling nature of the lineage, used as a trade tongue called Scutora Simplex, or just Simplex.   Distinctly petaran dialects originated with the populations in central Cathlaea, with a multitude of dialects developing across three broad subfamilies. Blooding dialects belong to the cultures still resident in Cathlaea, either as free populations or slaves to the Virin-yal. Shining and Mourning dialects are associated with the Sutoan populations, whose ancestors travelled either the western route down the Cathlaean coast and across to northern Suto (the Shining Path,) or the eastern route through the mountains of the Great Shield and across the Narrow Sea to the Scale Kingdoms of the peninsula (the Mourning Path.)   All draconic dialects use similar phonetic components, including a wide variety of sibilants, gutturals, rattles, clicks and glottal stops, but no bilabials or labio-dental fricatives, since dragons have no true lips. The wide variety of draconic physiologies means that different dragons speak very differently, with especially marked variations for soft-ridged months, hard-ridged mouths and beaks.   Draconic Script