Languages

Your race indicates the languages your character can speak by default, and your background might give you access to one or more additional languages of your choice. Note these languages on your character sheet. Choose your languages from the Standard Languages table, or choose one that is common in your campaign. With your GM's permission, you can instead choose a language from the Exotic Languages table or a secret language, such as thieves' cant or the tongue of druids.
Some of these languages are actually families of languages with many dialects. For example, the Primordial language includes the Auran, Aquan, Ignan, and Terran dialects, one for each of the four elemental planes. Creatures that speak different dialects of the same language can communicate with one another.

Common Languages

Language	Typical Speakers	Script
Common	Humans	Common
Dwarvish	Dwarves	Dwarvish
Elvish	Elves	Elvish
Giant	Ogres, Giants	Dwarvish
Gnomish	Gnomes	Dwarvish
Goblin	Goblinoids	Elvish
Halfling	Halfings	Common
Orc	Orcs	Dwarvish

Exotic Languages

Languages	Typical Speakers	Script
Abyssal	Demons	Infernal
Celestial	Celestials	Celestial
Draconic	Dragons, Lizards	Draconic
Druidic	Druids	Pictographs
Deep Speech	Aberrations	-
Infernal	Devils	Infernal
Primordial	Elementals	Dwarvish
Sylvan	Fey	Elvish
Thieves' Cant	Thieves	Pictographs and Code
Undercommon	Underdark residents	Elvish

Common

Common is the language most shared between races. Fluency is required for a merchant to be successful. Its also the primary language of Humans, who are the most plentiful species in the Mundane World.

Dwarvish

Dwarvish is spoken by Dwarves, who commonly live in mountains and big cities. Many terms in common for blacksmithing heavy armor and brewing beer come from Dwarvish. The Dwarvish script is made of characters with many sharp lines and few fine details, likely because it was made to be carved into stone.

Elvish

Elvish is most commonly spoken by Elves, who commonly live in forest and mountain tops. The elvish script is made of many curving lines with flowery details. Apparently no Elvish scribe has ever been in a rush.

Giant

Giant is the language spoken by the larger races such as Giants, Ogres, Ettins, Trolls, etc. Giant shares the dwarvish script. Some dwarvish tales tell of the dwarves teaching the stone giants how to carve the characters into their stonework. Some stone giant tales tell of the opposite.

Gnomish

Gnomish is the primary language of the gnomes, who commonly like in hilly areas and forests. It is believed gnomes use the same alphabet as dwarves because it was easy for them to carve into trees.

Goblin

Goblin is the primary language of goblinoids such as Goblins, Hobgoblins, Bugbears, Norkers, etc. Goblinoids can be found in nearly every area of the Prime Material Plane, but epically in darker areas like thickly wooded groves or cave systems. Goblin shares its script with Elvish. This is likely due to their shared fey ancestry. Somehow, it looks less pretty when the goblins write it though.

Halfling

Halfing is the language of Halflings and shares its script with Common. Reasons for this are unknown. Halflings don't often trust knowledge of their language to outsiders.

Orc

Orcish is the language of Orcs. Orcs typically live in harsh environments, believing it proves their character. It shares a script with Dwarvish. They likely like the sharp lines and carved look of the characters.

Abyssal

Abyssal is the language of Demons, chaotic fiends from the outer planes. The Abyssal language is spoken as a series of barks and cries; it can be quite disturbing to those unfamiliar. Abyssal shares its script with Infernal, but demons rarely write with it.

Celestial

Celestial is the language of Celestials, good aligned beings of the outer planes. Celestial speech is hardly recognizable as a language, usually sounding like a number of wind instruments and chiming bells. Celestial's script is unique and composed of a complex series of different runes. Celestial is not used by most clergymen, except by the most devoted of followers or those tasked with transcribing the word of the angelic beings.

Draconic

Draconic is the language of reptilian species such as Dragons, Dragonborn, Lizardfolk, Troglodytes, Kobolds, etc. Draconic is one of the oldest languages found in cultures in the Mundane World. Draconic can be hard for other races to pronounce as the reptilian vocal cords are so different to that of most humanoids. Draconic uses its own unique script.

Druidic

Druidic is the language shared by the Druids of the Prime Material Plane. Druids are typically solitary practitioners, but often meet during certain celestial phenomenon to discuss goings on and threats to the natural order. Druidic script is composed of runes that signify some idea, thing, or action. Druidic script is not used to write books or even formulate sentences.

Deep Speech

Deep Speech is the language of aberrations, commonly Aboleths. Mortals cannot speak deep speech, nor are they capable of understanding it without going mad.

Infernal

Infernal is the language of devils, lawful evil fiends from the outer planes. Infernal speech is composed of series of deep guttural barks and screeches like nails on chalk board. The Infernal language is said to be created by Asmodeus, as he needed something to draft a set of laws for his new empire, and refused to use any language beneath his station.

Primordial

Primordial is the language of elementals, which can often be found on the aptly named elemental planes. Primordial is actually composed of several dialects: Auran (air), Aquan (water), Ignan (fire), and Terran (earth). These dialects do not effect the speakers ability to understand others, but if you want to speak it you must pick one of these dialects to speak. Primordial shares its script with Dwarvish, the reasons for this are unknown.

Sylvan

Sylvan is the language of the Fey, often found in the Feywild and Arcadia. Sylvan speech is incredibly alien and distinct. Sylvan shares its alphabet with Elvish, but fey do not often write books.

Thieves' Cant

Thieves' Cant is a coded language used by criminals to communicate in public without suspicion. Common words have entirely different meanings when spoken by a thief. Thieves' Cant can be spoken as any language. The Thieves' Cant "script" is a collection of pictographs often used in to denote a simple hidden meaning relevant to thieves, such as guards patrol here, or business to the left.

Undercommon

Undercommon is the language spoken by creatures from the Underdark, such as the Drow, Duergar, or Svirfneblin. Undercommon sounds similar to Elvish and shares a script with it too. This is explained by the Elvish tails of Lolth's exile from the Seladrine.

Sign Language

Sign Language comes in many different flavors. Most languages have a sign language variant. If you already speak (or understand) a given language you can choose to learn the sign language variant as a second language.