Soapbox: The Common Tongue

Cross-cultural interaction in fantasy is often handled poorly. Many authors use different sentient creatures and cultures to explore racial tension. In and of itself, the objective is not a problem. In fact, I would argue that varied races in a fantasy world require a level of racial tension at least as strong as in our world. At the same time, across fantasy media I see a glaring issue that often breaks my engagement in the various worlds where it is applied: the common tongue.

Fantasy literature, TTRPGs, video games, and other media with full fantasy worlds often claim that there is a single language that all creatures capable of speech know and comprehend. It can be a useful mechanic in a game to avoid limiting the player or players. Even then, I always see it as unrealistic. I'm not going to argue that people who use a common tongue in their world-building are failing spectacularly or ruining the genre. That would be absurd and simply not true. Instead, I'm aiming to push for a more realistic world-building approach in the genre.

Before I go any further, I want to express that I understand that this is a very niche and specific topic that may not bother anyone else. That's perfectly fine. I titled this post "Soapbox" for a reason. I'm going to share my opinion and try to be persuasive on the matter, but, in the background, I understand if no one changes their minds.

To begin, let's look at our world. Roughly speaking our world is home to 7000+ languages commonly in use. Many of those are small regional variants of a larger family of languages, but even if we clump families of languages together we're left with around 150 unique groupings that cannot understand each other in the slightest. Linguistic variety is an undeniable reality.

Some people may claim that English has become a sort of common tongue for performing business deals. I wouldn't disagree, but I would push back on two points. First, I would say that the number of people who actually speak enough English to engage in a meaningful way is very limited. Only educated people with a reason to interact internationally have the fluency needed to converse in English to the degree required. Second, the proliferation of English as a business language is a product of media and globalization in our world. Fantasy settings are often medieval in nature and have neither the technology or the media for the level of globalization required for a language to spread like English has.

I need to make a caveat here that is important for most fantasy settings. It is quite possible, and even accurate, that a common tongue emerges across a regional area or smaller continent. People in a region often trade with each other and need to find a way to communicate. If the setting of the fantasy story is such, then a common tongue is perfectly acceptable and even expected. Even then, however, not everyone will speak the common tongue with the fluency required to have deep philosophical discussions. Most of its vocabulary will be limited to business transactions and trade discussions.

Another flaw I find in fantasy with regard to language is when different races or sentient creatures share languages. I am not claiming that it is impossible for an intelligent creature to learn a different language, but I do expect them to have distinct languages that do not overlap linguistically. Unless the author builds in a historical reason for linguistic diversity to disappear, that diversity should remain, regardless of the proximity of cultures. Let's take modern Europe, for example. The linguistic variety in Europe is not the highest across the world, but there are at least five or six major linguistic families present across the region. Everyone there grows up learning a native language, but many learn at least one more as they interact with the close proximity of them around. They do not lose their native tongue, only add a second or a third. That is the reality of linguistic diversity. Languages can remain distinct even in close proximity to each other. Polyglots and translators can exist, even in a fantasy setting, but language variation should remain.

I think it's time for me to explain why I think this is important. The point I've been arguing so far is that the linguistic variety makes the world more realistic. While that is true, it is far from the only reason I think linguistic diversity needs to exist in fantasy. I think variety in language allows for a greater exploration of cross-cultural interaction in stories. When a character needs a translator to communicate in a stressful situation or needs to learn a new language to get by, it adds a tension that cannot be replicated in other ways. The very real frustration of cross-cultural communication is a wonderful way to showcase a character's growth or regression in a story.

To take it a step further, I would claim that language and culture are inextricably woven together. By including linguistic diversity, a world-builder is forced to create distinct, complex cultures that enhance the world to a greater level of depth and reality. This inner consistency of reality draws readers in, keeping them locked in the story for longer.

To conclude, I think linguistic diversity in fantasy settings is needed for a deep and powerful world. There is space for common tongues in regional interactions, but there should still be distinct languages, especially when using unique intelligent species. Will everyone who writes or engages with fantasy in some way agree with me? Likely not, but I am happy to agree to disagree and continue creating. Fantasy is a great way to explore real conflicts in a new setting. Let's explore some of those linguistic conflicts there too.