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[6e] Question about language skills

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Arkejd

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« on: <11-07-20/1727:16> »
Oi Chumms,

I've recently had an argument about using languages. When you buy a Legalese language, what it actually do? My teammate argues that it is only a jargon and you can only use it as a combo with existing language to appear as someone from that field of speciality but i have mixed filings about it. Via wiki, Legalese is same thing as City Speak but used by "lawyers, executives, and politicians". And if you look for examples of City Speak you can find that it is a mix of english, japanese, dutch, german and many more so its a separate language, something lika druid language from D&D. Ofcourse someon with japanese could understand "nani" form someone that speaks cityspek, but could not undrstnd full sentence, and propably would even dont connect "nani" with japanese because it will vanish in lots of different unrecognizable worlds.

So, is Legalese a different language that some Turkish corporate guy with no english language can use to talk with some UCAS executive with only english and legalise?

Stainless Steel Devil Rat

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« Reply #1 on: <11-07-20/1749:02> »
As of 6e, lingos aren't really a concept any more.

Cityspeak, for example, is not a variant of English akin to say urban slang.  Cityspeak is actually its own pidgin, utterly non-intelligible by English speakers.

If you want a character to represent familiarity with "lawyer-talk" or any other professional lingo, just take a knowledge skill.

If you really want to incorporate lingos into the language mechanic, then I'd recommend setting some threshold of competency (either expert, or specialist) that's required to know the arcane vocabulary being used in the lingo.  But I wouldn't recommend this, as it'd be hard to measure when native speakers unfamiliar with the lingo would have problems understanding communication.
RPG mechanics exist to give structure and consistency to the game world, true, but at the end of the day, you’re fighting dragons with algebra and random number generators.

CanRay

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« Reply #2 on: <11-08-20/1932:02> »
Speaking from experience, CitySpeak would be unique to each Sprawl, and sometimes in the bigger Sprawls might even change from neighborhood to neighborhood (*Cough*New York City*Cough*).

It gets quite unique with certain cities let me tell you!
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Hobbes

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« Reply #3 on: <11-09-20/1111:28> »
Speaking from experience, CitySpeak would be unique to each Sprawl, and sometimes in the bigger Sprawls might even change from neighborhood to neighborhood (*Cough*New York City*Cough*).

It gets quite unique with certain cities let me tell you!

I met a young woman born and raised in the Bayou of Louisiana in a blended American/Hispanic household.  She shared a few sentences of what it was like in her household growing up.  I could pick out one word in ten, it was something else.