Orcish

Origin

Though said to be once derived from Elves, Orcs have been known to carry on none of their graceful qualities- thus, including their language. As the broad and mouth-blocking tusks began to sprout from the lower jaw of this brutish race, they could barely form the smooth sounds of many other languages, and seemed to cause an alienation of Elven into a more comfortable rhythm of speech their tongue could easily sound out. This greatly changed both the dialect and tone, unknowingly forming their own version of language into a unique and often easily noticeable one.

While much of it was originally slurred pronunciation due to their prominent teeth structure, as Orcs grew slightly more dense in numbers they were able to refine it to cause more distinction. As their sociability grew and formed the product of different tribes, the Orcish language began to interestingly vary among each group, though mainly in tone and phrases instead of an entirely new alphabet. Orcish was never considered to be spoken by those of the highest intelligence, stereotyped as a 'all brawn no brains' language due to its lack of charm. However, this has been challenged as Orcs began to transition their language into writing, although traditionally it is not particularly written very often, and inscribing instead of speaking is not a popular saying. Tribes have been known really only use it to record important information.

Description

As is obvious, Orcish is one of the most roughly spoken languages out there. The thick tongues and tusks of Orcs impede on their ability to speak smoothly. Each word is emitted jaggedly, with breaks between each one said to be almost harsher than the actual words. It is very difficult for Orcs to lower their volume because of their large vocals, and only nonnative speakers are usually able to do this with the language. People usually classify Orcish as sounding more like grunts or throaty grumbles, and is usually easy to recognize when it is spoken by a native speaker. A large part of the sounds also come from the use of their teeth and tusks. By grinding them together or making some sort of subtle noise with them can make an apparent change in wording.

The written language of Orcish is usually not displayed in long sentences, but only a few words at a time and misses a lot of common grammar structure. This is purely so the writing somewhat represents how the language would actually be spoken: With small volume changes and abruptly sounded words. Letters instead of symbols are used for Orcish, though some have little variation, and it is apparent that the lines are written thicker or thinner depending on the difference of tone it is spoken in.

Basic Phrases

• Mok'Rah! (Hello!)
• Nagrand. (You're welcome.)
• Aka'Magosh. (Thank you.)
• Bin mog g'thazag cha? (How are you?)
• Lak'tuk. (Sorry.)

The World of Aethius • The Multiverse of Aethier