Language: Halfling

Halfling

Region(s): Everywhere
Race(s): Halflings

Halflings have their own language, written using the same alphabet as the human Common tongue. The Halfling tongue is aimed at practicality rather than beauty; it has a certain lyrical flow to it, but it is not as melodic as Elven. Most halfling words are short, only one or two syllables, and seemingly long words usually turn out to be compounds. Halfling has a lot of borrow-words in it, drawing from many other languages, and, as linguistic pack-rats, they add new words all the time. As a result, there are some almost absurdly specific words in the Halfling tongue - for example, there is a word for "little green leaf," and a completely separate one for "big red leaf."

The halfling oral tradition is much stronger than their written one, so most halfling stories and histories are oral ones. Almost all halflings speak Common as well. Proficiency with the languages of gnomes, goblins, and orcs is not uncommon.

Halflings use first names and surnames like the gnomes do, but they often use nicknames, pet names, abbreviated names, and other devices that other races often find irksome or pretentious.