Draconic
The Tongue of Magic
The language of Dragons is one of the oldest forms of communication. According to the dragons themselves, it is second in longevity only to the languages of the outsiders, and all mortal tongues are descended from it. Its script was likely created long after its spoken form was standardized, since dragons have less need to write than other races.
Many reptilian races (including kobolds, lizardfolk,and troglodytes) speak crude versions of Draconic, and present this as proof of their kinship with dragons. It is equally likely that these races were once taught or enslaved by dragons, and it is even possible that they took Draconic for their own simply to make a claim to common ancestors.
Draconic is an ancient and powerful tongue belonging to perhaps the most ancient of all creatures: dragons. Due to the innate mystical power wrought of dragons, it is no surprise that Draconic is the tongue which taps into the arcane power of the World. While it takes more than speaking a few words of the dragon tongue to draw out spells, it is the verbal component required in nearly every spell. As such, every wizard must learn how to speak and write in Draconic in order to bring their abilities to bear.
Due to the power and in depth requirement, perhaps these words of power hide a mystery only known to the wyrms.
Geographical Distribution
Everywhere there are arcane spell casters, dragons, or mystical power.
Morphology
Slight variations exist in the language used by the various kinds of chromatic dragons. These differences are similar to regional accents, with some slight differences in pronunciation from one version to the next. The accents do not hamper communication, but they are sufficiently obvious for a native speaker to know whether someone learned to speak Draconic from (for instance) a red dragon or a green dragon. The various metallic dragons have similar accents,but without any differences in pronunciation. The Draconic language has not changed significantly for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
Phonetics
The spoken form of the language sounds harsh to most other creatures and includes numerous hard consonants and sibilants. It includes sounds that humans generally describe as hissing (sj, ss, and sv), as well as a noise that sounds a great deal like a beast clearing its throat (ach).
Words that modify other words are placed before and after the word they modify. The most important modifier is always placed before the word, and it might be placed directly after the word as well if additional emphasis is desired. A speaker of Draconic who wanted to say a big, black, evil dragon was approaching and doubly emphasize its evil nature would say, “Malsvir darastrix turalisj vutha gethrisj leirith.”
Most Draconic words are spoken with emphasis on the first syllable. Important ideas are often expressed in spoken Draconic by emphasizing the beginning and the end of the word. In the written form, important words are marked with a special symbol of five lines radiating outward, similar to an asterisk (*). This form of emphasis is most often used by dragons when referring to themselves. The dragon Kara-jix, for example, might pronounce his name Ka-raj-ix and write it as *Karajix*. This form of emphasis is also some-times used when commanding, threatening, warning, or making a point.
Draconic has no specific word for “my” or “mine,” instead using several prefixes depending on the exact meaning. The name of a physical object claimed as a possession by a dragonspeaker would begin with “veth” or “vethi”; the name of an individual with a relationship to the dragon (such as a friend or relative) is expressed by the prefix “er” or “ethe”; and all other forms of possessiveness are represented by putting “ar” or “ari” before a word. Thus, for a dragon to say “my sword” or “the sword is mine” he need only say “vethicaex” (“vethi” plus “caex,” the word for sword), and “arirlym” translates as “my enemy” (“ar” plus “irlym,” the word for enemy). When indicating possession by another, the name of the possessor is combined with the object possessed into a single word that starts with “ar” or “ari.”
Each species of dragon has a name as well, not just “White Dragon:”
Black Dragon = Datarak’scka malsvir (Dah-ta-raak ska-malls-veer)
Blue Dragon = Shochraos kavarx (Shock-raos Kavar-rix)
Green Dragon = Achuak dix’wharasisx (Ack-hu-ack Diks-war-ah sicks)
Red Dragon = Daar’ixen zezhuanth (Dar-icks-en Zehs-hu-an-th)
White Dragon = Myvillionith onkyrmet (Meh-vill-on-ith Onk-ree-met)
Brass Dragon = Riyit’auraj skaern (Rye-it Are-ah-j Skah-earn)
Bronze Dragon = Aujir’arytiss bekeilga (Ow-jeer-ari-tiss Beck-eh-leega)
Copper Dragon = Cybrikain rach’rygat (Sigh-brick-ang Rack-er-E-gat)
Silver Dragon = Daron eorn’ahsargt (Dah-ron E-orn ah-sarg-t)
Gold Dragon = Zezhuanth-houpetor naam’darastrix (Zehs-hu-an-th hoop-tor nam-dara-striks)
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