hobgoblin
The mechanics of the hobgoblin language are fairly simple. There
are no articles and most verbs follow a basic pattern of conjugation
which shows plurality. There is only one gender in Hobgoblin, as
everything is considered masculine. The hobgoblin language does
have a very large vocabulary, though. There are over 50,000
documented hobgoblin words; with 23 words alone meaning “honor”.
Hobgoblins live in a very definitive caste system, and the language
operates in much the same way. Societal stature is evidenced by the
words a hobgoblin uses to communicate. Royalty will often have to
be translated for commoners—and vice versa. A slave is allowed only
to speak to other slaves. When in the presence of a social superior,
one is expected to wait until spoken to before speaking. The penalty
for “speaking out of caste” is the removal of the offender’s tongue.
There is a language that most hobgoblins are raised from birth to
speak: the Battle Tongue of the military. Battle Tongue is mostly
standardized across Tellene, and the hobgoblins of Ul-Karg speak the
same Battle Tongue as the hobgoblins of Norga-Krangrel. (The Kors
speak Battle Tongue only during battles or during military training.)
Written Hobgoblin is not difficult to learn, and
most hobgoblins are taught to read and write a simplified Hobgoblin
during their mandatory service in the military. Hobgoblin is written
right to left and their text bears similarities to Dwarven. Most nonhobgoblin
scholars agree that hobgoblins adopted Dwarven at some
point in the distant past.
Hobgoblin names are all their own. The only sign of it anywhere is
in the Young Kingdoms, where certain place names are obvious
Kalamaran derivatives of Kargi names. Korak (Kurghak), Ek’Kasel
(Ekhazel), and the Lido (Lidou) Bog were all originally part of the
extensive kingdom of Kruk-Ma-Kali. All dialects of Hobgoblin are
obviously closely related and use the same character set, but have
diverged greatly in spoken word from whatever past origin they
shared. Consequently, Kargi, Krangi, Kors, and Rankki are distinct
languages and speakers of each cannot communicate with the other
without translation. Dazlak is a dialect of Krangi.
Phonology
The hobgoblin language uses the following letters: A, B, D, E, F, G,
GG, H, I, J, K, KK, L, M, N, O, P, R, RR, S, T, TT, U, V, W and Z. Double
consonants and hard consonant sounds are characteristic of the
hobgoblin language.
Root Languages
Successor Languages