Languages

This article tries to capture as much as we know about the different Languages used within Final Fantasy XIV, be they spoken, written, signed, felt, or communicated any other imaginable way, and regardless of whether they hail from Hydaelyn or beyond.

Languages with many known words may also receive their own page in the Languages category.

Note: As this wiki is primarily written in English, translations from in-game languages will also be in English.

Languages of Hydaelyn

• Eorzean which is equivalent to English based on the font and in-game signage.
• Old Roegadyn
• Dragon
• Hingan which is equivalent to Japanese based on in-game naming being exactly or slightly misspelt Japanese.
• Sylphic
• Amalj'aan
• Sahagin
• Goblin
• Far East

Other Languages

• Vrandtic is also equivalent to English/Eorzean but uses a different alphabet.
• Fae
• Ancient, which uses a prototype alphabet, is believed to be a common ancestor to Eorzean and Vrandtic.

Untranslated Languages & Language Mysteries

Thavnairian sign

• "No Entry" signs in Radz-at-Han appear to be in a different font than used in the standard Eorzean alphabet. It is unknown whether Thavnair uses its own alphabet. All Thavnair-associated maps are in Eorzean alphabet.

History

Language is a living entity, growing and evolving alongside those who wield it; as such, it is widely believed that only through the study of language might one discover the key to unlock the secrets of civilization.

The Common Tongue

Being home to myriad races and cultures, it is not surprising that Hydaelyn is also home to many and more unique tongues. On the Three Great Continents alone, scholars have identified ten score unique languages, and believe yet others may exist in the land’s less-traveled corners. The most widely used is Eorzean by far, but how, exactly, did this phenomenon come to pass?

The Life and Death of a Language

Most languages spoken today, including Eorzean, can be traced back to an Allagan dialect that dominated the Third Astral Era—a dialect believed by Allagan scholars to have originated with the ancient Hyuran tribes of Aldenard. Both the empire’s size and longevity saw the imperial tongue spread wide from Aldenard to Othard, and even to the western continent, over time rendering most other languages in the occupied territories obsolete. However, the coming of the Fourth Umbral Era severed the bonds that held the empire together, forcing large populations into relative isolation. With no simple means of communication over great distances, the Allagan dialect shattered, each shard experiencing an independent evolution which, over hundreds of generations, saw the rise of countless new languages.

By the Fifth Astral Era and the resurgence of civilization, there existed so many unique languages that the abundance gave rise to a new social class of translators and interpreters. Difficulty of communication between cities and nations often resulted in heightened political tensions, and it fell to translators to facilitate communication between the parties. It goes without saying that this skill eventually saw the members of the class wielding dangerously significant monetary and political clout.

A Triumphant Return

It was not until the Sixth Astral Era when a dialect resembling modern Eorzean returned to Aldenard to take root, brought back by the very Hyuran tribes from which the dialect had first descended. Despite the Elezen having arrived in the land first, the choice to limit their sphere of influence to the Black Shroud prevented their language from spreading beyond the great holt. The Hyur, however, came in waves, settling every corner of Aldenard (including the Black Shroud), and it was only a matter of time before Hyuran converse had permeated the realm. Yet, while the Hyur have always been known for their adaptability, for reasons unknown they proved adamant in their unwillingness to succumb to the prevailing Elezen tongue.

Though the Elezen fought to preserve their language against the vulgar tide, the plight was doomed with the arrival of Lalafellin traders from the southern seas. The Lalafells, more interested in coin than pride, quickly recognized there was profit to be had in learning the language of the Hyur. When the Miqo'te tribes followed suit, it was thus the Hyuran dialect became what we now know as Eorzean.

Having secured a strong foothold in Eorzea, the Lalafellin traders set their sights on Ilsabard and beyond, taking with them the simple, yet expressive Hyuran dialect that had seen their coffers full to bursting with gil, adding terms they thought necessary for haggling. It was through the efforts of these entrepreneurs that the language slowly spread, taking hold as the accepted parlance for negotiation. Now, it is not uncommon to see merchants from as far as Hingashi and Radz-at-Han handling their transactions in common Eorzean traders' cant.

The proliferation of Eorzean throughout Hingashi has sparked somewhat of a cultural renaissance in the once-isolated nation. Access to a wealth of printed word carried overseas by Western traders has opened eyes to a new world of quirks and customs, resulting in a wholly unique amalgamation of ideas that would have proven impossible were it not for the common tongue. How an article on moogle legend printed in Gridania’s The Raven led to the mass production of wooden moogle-bats throughout the Far East is but one example of the undeniable power of language.

The Eorzean Alphabet

While the letters used during Allagan rule closely resemble those of modern Eorzean script, the sounds they represent today have been altered significantly with the passing of time. This diversion confused early linguistic scholars, leading them to believe they were reading an entirely independent language. It wasn’t until the discovery of tomestones containing ancient audio recordings that similarities between Allagan and Eorzean were proven and scholars could come to the conclusion that at some point in history—most likely the Fourth Astral Era—all knowledge of letters was lost, only to be rediscovered and mistakenly repurposed in the Fifth.

The Eorzean alphabet consists of six and twenty letters which can be written in the upper and lower cases. The shape of some of the letters, as well as stroke order have given rise to the theory that the letters may have once been written with a left hand and from right to left instead of left to right.

It is estimated that little more than half of Eorzea's population can read or write Eorzean. And, among those who can, there is very little consensus on how things should be spelled, capitalized, or even punctuated, resulting in annoying variance when it comes to printed material.