Elven vs Drow

lil_alanie · Post by **lil_alanie** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:24 am

Hiya.

Long before I stumbled upon The Chosen, I found this sight:

http://www.grey-company.org/Circle/language/phrase.htm

It is a site devoted to a different online game. Some of the elven translations on that site resemble those found here, and some do not. So, here's my question... as far as [i:328tsvp1]this[/i:328tsvp1] site is concerned is the Elven language and Drow language the same or different?

Post by **Shir'le E. Illios** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 10:04 am

From my (our?) perspective the elven language and the drow language are two completely different languages, albeit (technically) stemming from the same root. So it wouldn’t be surprising to have some overlapping terms and similar-sounding words and such.

Also we here are surface drow and as such have more communication with the fair elves (and, in fact, to some degree try to be more like the fair elves). So again it wouldn’t be strange from my perspective to borrow words from the elven languages, particularly for words that don’t exist in drow (the world of the Underdark and the world of the surface are two completely different things, and the two drow societies are similarly completely different).

And finally, from an OOC perspective, it’s important to keep in mind that most of the drow dictionary is created by players all over the Internet. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least that players would take some of Tolkien’s elven dictionaries (he’s got several of them) or other fantasy dictionaries (or even real ones) to find inspiration for words they want to add. I’m certain I’ve done so myself on a few occasions.

In short, the two languages are completely different… but I’m not at all surprised to see a bit of overlap between them.

I hope that answers your question. And welcome to the site (may you find a home of sorts here and all that

).

Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le

Unen_Stealthfoot · Post by **Unen_Stealthfoot** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:11 pm

[color=indigo:3cxh23tg]I would agree with Shirle, and add that drow and elven are similar in the same way that Spanish and Portugese are similar, but distinctly different at the same time.[/color:3cxh23tg]

lil_alanie · Post by **lil_alanie** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 5:13 am

Thank you both for your replies.

Originally, Alanie was going to be a young, blonde haired elf girl whom dreamed of being an adventurer. I was going to use the phrase, "Auta miqula orqu(Go kiss an orc)" from the Grey Company site as a pic caption or signature when I thought to look to see this site's Drow translation to see if the same words were used, and saw that they weren't.

When I've completed a [i:3np6p6be]final draft [/i:3np6p6be]of my character, I'll introduce her(and myself) to you all. My character has morphed from lil' Alanie, curious elf girl, to Lillian Alanie, human warrior and follwer of Bane. I know this is The Chosen of Eilistraee, but I've been having some fun playing "evil" characters in Yahoo's adult chatrooms. Having always played the heroic fighter in D'n'D in the past, I can't seem to resist playing a bad guy(or girl) this time. But, who knows. Tomorrow Alanie may morph into a good-hearted gnome with an itchy trigger finger.....

But, yeah. Your replies have answered my question more than adequately.

Tyrmer · Post by **Tyrmer** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:38 pm

I believe that (at least in Faerun) Undercommon (drow) is a bastardisation of elvish as it uses the same characters.

Argoth · Post by **Argoth** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 6:06 pm

I think drow (or undercommon) is very unlike the elvish languages from above. First of all becouse it's users have been in the Underdark for quite a long time. Long enough to come up with their own dialects and in time to make it a separate language. One reason is the phonetic structures. The drow live underground, where even the slightest sound may decide of life or death. So it must be a little less mellodic. Simply becouse there is no wind, rain, leaves moving in the breeze. Moreover it's more hissing, silent, harsh. So if the change come by speech (it always comes first by speech) then the whole structure is changed to represent, what is said. Simply to make it easier. Some core syntactic or morphological structures may by similar, or even the same in some cases, but the languages are by now two different ones...

Ok enough of making an idiot out of myself.

Tyrmer · Post by **Tyrmer** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:56 pm

Argoth dear? Where did you copy and paste that from?

(Oh and that's exactly what i said but in posh language, ie its a bastardisation of elvish)

lil_alanie · Post by **lil_alanie** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:14 am

Okay. The two languages are (very)different from one another.

So, if I wanted my character to speak Elven in roleplay there wouldn't be a problem if I used words from sources other than the Drow Translator as long as I provided a translation of my own in paranthesis immediately after?

Argoth · Post by **Argoth** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:48 am

I pasted it out of my own head... And what a headache it gave me... Couldn't sleep all night... Nevermind...

Argoth · Post by **Argoth** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:50 am

I pasted it out of my own head. It was a stream of consciousness... And what a headache it gave me... Couldn't sleep all night... Nevermind...

Post by **Shir'le E. Illios** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 9:28 am

[quote="lil_alanie":8tmab2sy]Okay. The two languages are (very)different from one another.

So, if I wanted my character to speak Elven in roleplay there wouldn't be a problem if I used words from sources other than the Drow Translator as long as I provided a translation of my own in paranthesis immediately after?[/quote:8tmab2sy]
Indeed, that should be fine (as long as you provide the translation so we won't have to go hunting for it ourselves

).

Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le

Rooky · Post by **Rooky** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 9:41 am

Anyone for tennis?

Tyrmer · Post by **Tyrmer** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 11:48 am

Yes but this time aim for the RAQUET! I'm still sore from last time.

Argoth · Post by **Argoth** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 5:09 pm

Unen_Stealthfoot · Post by **Unen_Stealthfoot** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 8:25 pm

[color=darkred:2r66o9t8]What the....

[/color:2r66o9t8]