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Durak
Seeker
68 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Jan 2005 : 11:43:42
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When did dwarves have to speak like scottish natives? And why.
Does your dwarven character have to speak like this.
Some people tend to take rp to religiously, had people complain cause my dwarf did speak scottish, and in a computer game i played, Uo, that i didnt type in scottish (dwarven).
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I love to play a sarcastic safe (non risk taker) dwarf, who if annoyed takes you literally (and becomes risky).
Was playing my dwarven warrior with a group of 6 people, only 2 of us were fighters. So was at the back of the group firing bolts from my heavy Crossbow. After the first battle they said i should be up front to stop them getting the brunt of the attack, so i did.
I ran straight into the next room we came to had 6 orcs 5 orc shamen and a few of them orc champion types. Orc shaman ran one way i followed them and the rest tried to cut me off. Basically i killed off the shamen and the rest of the group hit the other orcs in the back.
After we stood over the dead bodies, the rest of the group asked what the hell i was doing. So i told them, you told me to be in front, how far in front did you want me to go?. Then i said why whats the problem, it was only a few orcs.
It seems somehow or other i bypassed the 5 floor traps in the room. Survived the AoO from the orcs i ran past. Survived the spells of the shamen. And scared the daylights of the rest of my group expecting total group wipeout.
Shortly after this, the group voted that i wasnt safe to be with. And they would never group with me again. Ignoring my comments that it was their own fault for putting me in the front.
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Since then i have gone for the human archer. I prefare to fight from the rear.
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Edited by - Durak on 07 Jan 2005 13:34:03
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Hymn
Senior Scribe
Sweden
514 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2005 : 12:17:26
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Hmm, I don't know why really but I tend to have my dwarfs (at least as often as I remember) to speak with a sottish kind of accent. I think it is more up to the one who plays the dwarf to decide how he speaks and the rest will just have to accept it. At least that is how I see it.
Well the reason I think that they have a sottish accent is their original language. By glancing at it, it gives an idea of a rugged and deep set language with lots of ar, ro lo, la etc. Which makes it kind of "dark" in lack of better terms. So to make it simpler to ourselves we put an sottish accent on our dwarfs to make it sound a bit foreign when they speak common. I guess some dwarfs speak common so good they might have put of with the sottish accent.
Also you just have to take a look at the scott's of old, shrink them down to dwarven size and you have yourself a dwarf with beard braids and all. 
As for what happned to your dwarf as far as I can read it was more their fault, all tough a bit reckless perhaps. But a dwarf got to do what a dwarf got to do and it shall never be told a dwarf is a sissy. |
Sauro moki kara ochiro - Even monkeys falls from trees.
The path that leads to truth is littered with the bodies of the ignorant - Miyamoto Musashi |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2005 : 12:34:21
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Although the stereotype for dwarven speech resembling Scottish accent has been reinforced strongly by the Lord of the Rings movie, I don't think that all dwarves in the Realms need to adhere to the stereotype. In my mind's ear, I've always heard the dwarven language to be rather hard and earthy, containing a large amount of glottal consonents like G's and K's, and also probably having the hard 'ch' sound in the German language (as in 'das Buch').
So, in my Damara campaign, the dwarven language (and certain cultural elements as well) has taken on a germanic/slavic sound to it, and my two dwarf PC's have elements in their names that contain german influences: Gunther 'Feuerhand' Fensenkinder Kriegleiterblud von Earthfasthold and Sieblung 'Linkshandig' Tiefgroskinder Sigfriedblud von Eisenspornhold. The formula for dwarven names is [given name] plus [nickname or bestowed title] plus [son of (father's given name)] plus [blood of (clan name)] plus [from (community name)]. Most other non-dwarven characters in the campaign have no patience to remember the full names, and simply refer to the dwarves by their given name, which the dwarves tolerate stoically, quietly pitying the non-dwarves' lack of appreciation for history, tradition and lineage. |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Maecenus of Westgate
Learned Scribe
USA
111 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2005 : 13:23:43
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| I usually do a slight Russian accent for my dwarves, especially gold dwarves or dwarves from north-eastern Faerun like Damara or Vaasa. But then again, a dwarf isn't a dwarf if he doesn't say "Aye" or "Arr" every once in a while. The German accented dwarf is a great idea. |
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Durak
Seeker
68 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2005 : 13:28:36
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quote:
[i]
So, in my Damara campaign, the dwarven language (and certain cultural elements as well) has taken on a germanic/slavic sound to it, and my two dwarf PC's have elements in their names that contain german influences: Gunther 'Feuerhand' Fensenkinder Kriegleiterblud von Earthfasthold and Sieblung 'Linkshandig' Tiefgroskinder Sigfriedblud von Eisenspornhold. The formula for dwarven names is [given name] plus [nickname or bestowed title] plus [son of (father's given name)] plus [blood of (clan name)] plus [from (community name)]. Most other non-dwarven characters in the campaign have no patience to remember the full names, and simply refer to the dwarves by their given name, which the dwarves tolerate stoically, quietly pitying the non-dwarves' lack of appreciation for history, tradition and lineage.
Nice idea that. The break down of the name.
I have a collection of dwarven cultural books from many settings, even one on language, but all seem to work under the method that a dwarf is scottish.
I suppose i should try to learn the lingo. Spent 3 years learning French and can only remember 3 words, dont hold much for my chances
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quote:
I usually do a slight Russian accent for my dwarves, especially gold dwarves or dwarves from north-eastern Faerun like Damara or Vaasa. But then again, a dwarf isn't a dwarf if he doesn't say "Aye" or "Arr" every once in a while. The German accented dwarf is a great idea.
Have no problem with the ayes, am irish half the time we say aye anyway. At least dwarves dont have as much of a problem as the elves though. Doubt i ever play one. All looks no brawn.( think thats scottish for muscle). |
Edited by - Durak on 07 Jan 2005 13:42:53 |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2005 : 19:02:54
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The stereotype of dwarves being Scottish-like is actually something I find curious -- I can't figure out a logical reason for it. The dwarves of Tolkien (which are the standard dwarves) are more Teutonic anyway -- mainly Scandinavian.
If anyone should be Scottish or Irish (linguistically the same thing), I'd say it should be the halflings, and elves as Britons (not necessarily the same as British, mind you).
Of course, those are all the same places where they originally come from in folklore . . . so I might be a bit colored by that. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36782 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2005 : 00:54:19
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| I've naever seen anything to make me think dwarves had to be Scottish, and the few dwarves I've RP'ed or written have not had noticable accents. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2005 : 05:12:53
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Someone once said to me: "They don't even deserve the plural form 'dwarves.' It's just one dwarf, copy-and-pasted over and over."
Heh. |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2005 : 06:03:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I've naever seen anything to make me think dwarves had to be Scottish, and the few dwarves I've RP'ed or written have not had noticable accents.
So, no Jamacian accent? |
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tauster
Senior Scribe
Germany
399 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2005 : 11:26:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Brother Ezra
... names that contain german influences: Gunther 'Feuerhand' Fensenkinder Kriegleiterblud von Earthfasthold and Sieblung 'Linkshandig' Tiefgroskinder Sigfriedblud von Eisenspornhold. The formula for dwarven names is [given name] plus [nickname or bestowed title] plus [son of (father's given name)] plus [blood of (clan name)] plus [from (community name)]. Most other non-dwarven characters in the campaign have no patience to remember the full names, and simply refer to the dwarves by their given name, which the dwarves tolerate stoically, quietly pitying the non-dwarves' lack of appreciation for history, tradition and lineage.
preface/disclaimer: the following is NOT meant as anything resembling an insult.
i very much like your formular for dwarven names. in fact, i use something very close to it. it´s perhaps worth mentioning that although every dwarf has (or should had) such a name, it is not always given to everyone else. a dwarf might have reasons for keeping his ancestry secret to humans or even all non-dwarves outside his community, or migh find it beneath himself to offer his full name to someone. in my campaigns, a dwarf in first contact with an unknown person most likely offers "[given name], blood of [clan name]" (example: iolar, blood of osk deepdelver). but that´s only how i handle it...
...now to the ticklish part: your "german influenced names"...
from my perspective - i am a native german - these names sound ridiculous.
*ducks and hastily refers to disclaimer*
for explanation, i´ll "anatomize" both of your examples.
Gunther 'Feuerhand' Fensenkinder Kriegleiterblud von Earthfasthold
gunther is a very german name, but no german roleplayer who "understands" or "knows" dwarfen culture would name his/her dwarf gunther. to germans, it simply doesn´t sound dwarvish. "we" more likely use names of tolkien or similar sources.
btw: i know a few people who use "hard" sounding hebrew words for dwarven language.
feuerhand: no problems here, sounds fine to me. the only thing that might be interfering is the fact that there´s a well-known literary character from the western novels of Karl May, called "old firehand". that could make naming your character (and not just a dwarf) "feuerhand" like calling your fighter "duncan mc cloud", or any other name of some famous character... what´s the word for that? ...right: "cheesy".
Fensenkinder: there is no german word "fensen". we have "felsen" (rock) or "fersen" (plural of "ferse", which means heel (the anatomical part of a foot, not the part of a shoe.)). unless "fensen" has a special meaning in your campaign, "Fensenkinder" sounds - to a native german, at least - like nonsense.
Kriegleiterblud: "kriegleiter" (or kriegsleiter) could be translated with "war leader", although no one would ever use "leiter" in that context. more fitting for "leader" would be "führer", but that word is historically burdened and tied to a certain austrian mass murder... 
"blud" resembles "blut" ("blood", obviously), imo a nice deviation from the official spelling. nothing wrong here. i like the custom of describing kinship with "...blud". in my campaigns i use "...blut von..." (blood of...).
Sieblung 'Linkshandig' Tiefgroskinder Sigfriedblud von Eisenspornhold.
sieblung sounds like a german name but is none. no problem, as we make up names all the time. ...but again, no german (or at least no one i know) would give his dwarf a german-sounding name.
'Linkshandig' the correct spelling would be "linkshändig", but since only germans use "umlauts", nothing wrong here. i never ecnountered someone who used the trait of being left-handed as nickname, but that doesn not have to say anything. probably more fitting would be "lefty" (or "southpaw", or some similar noun)as "linkshändig" is an adjective and thus not used as name.
Tiefgroskinder: well... i think that word-construct makes to germans as little sense as would "deepgreatchildren" to native english speakers... besides: i assume with "gros" you meant "groß" or "gross" - the german word for "great or large", right? "gros" actually is a german word of it´s own (rarely used, with the s not being spoken), meaning "bulk" (as in "great quantity" or "das gros" => the majority). not a nice way to name someone...
all in all, "Tiefgroskinder" sounds to me like an artificial contruct, nothing someone would use as a name. btw: i encountered that kind of using german words in the english version of the "7th sea" rpg, which has many ridiculously "german-sounding" names...
von Eisenspornhold: "eisensporn" sounds very dwarvish, i like that. the only thing one could object to is the combination of the german "eisensporn" with the english "hold". i think "eisenspornfeste" or "eisenspornburg" would sound more consistent, but maybe that´s just me...
all in all, let me repeat that nothing here is meant to offend neither you nor others! it´s just a german who wants to make it known that this particular usage of his language sounds well... not too good for native ears. but certainly there are scots who think the same of supposedly "scottish-sounding" dwarves!
and another thing: i fear there are lots of spelling errors left even after i checked twice over. sorry for that! |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2005 : 18:09:10
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Hi Tauster!
Thanks for the perspective of a native speaker of the language. Your reply was taken in the spirit it was intended.
I completely understand your analysis of the formula for Dwarven names, but must reiterate that the names contain german influences, and do not in any way seek to accurately represent or emulate the german language. I was looking for an overall germanic flavor for the culture, but not trying to make dwarves german.
Given name: I agree that to a german, giving characters names like Gunther or Dieter might seem mundane and silly, but from a foreigner's perspective, these names lend an air of a culture other than our own native one. I can see your perspective from my side if the characters were named 'Larry' or 'Joey'; the same could be said for an Italian player with characters named Mario and Giovanni, or a Scandanavian with characters like Bengt and Gunnar. "Sieblung" has no intended literal translation, and is intended to be just a name with a german-sounding pronunciation.
Nickname: Cheesy it may be, but nicknames aren't always flattering or impressive. Sometimes they are given to reflect a comical attribute of someone, or to recall a humorous or embarrasing story. In Sieblung's case, I agree that "Linkshandig" (I know about the umlaut, I was just too lazy to add it in)is rather boring. I suggested "Esselwischer" as a substitue, but the player didn't appreciate the humor.
Father's name: 'Felsen' and 'Tiefgros' are both simply names; they weren't intended to be translations of any particular german word. They're simply the names of the two characters' fathers. Thus, the name element in this portion would simply be 'Child-of-Felsen' and 'Child-of-Tiefgros', or Felsenkinder and Tiefgroskinder.
Clan name: I try to vary the spelling of some german elements so as to not copy the language too closely. 'Blut' becomes 'Blud', 'Danke' becomes 'Tank', 'Bitte' becomes 'Bische', etc. The clan name is not intended to be a literal translation, but again to give a german sound to the names. Kreigleiter and Sigfried are names, nothing more.
Community name: Some of the dwarven communities in the area are known to the human population by translated names (as in Eisenspornhold being translated to Ironspur clan), but some are corrupted versions of the dwarven language (the Orothiar clan, for example comes from the dwarven name Orrot Hiar). Again, going for flavor, not literal translation.
I understand the intention of your response. It would be akin to an American player running a character in the Realms named Bob "Skippy" Jones, son of Matt, from Springfield, Missouri. But in another language, the names sound exotic. Plus, most of us only have a smattering of German, so no one's being too picky. |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36782 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2005 : 19:21:58
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| I dunno, I can't say that I like that naming scheme, either... When I name dwarves, I generally just pick something that sounds nice and dwarvish. If it fits in with some of the established dwarven names (like Bruenor Battlehammer), then it's good enough for me. |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Hymn
Senior Scribe
Sweden
514 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2005 : 21:19:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I dunno, I can't say that I like that naming scheme, either... When I name dwarves, I generally just pick something that sounds nice and dwarvish. If it fits in with some of the established dwarven names (like Bruenor Battlehammer), then it's good enough for me.
I second that motion as well Wooly, it aint dwarvish if it dosn't have an ounce of good old Bruenor in it
So to round things up I guess one could say that we use non native languages to put an exotic flare on names. I seem to recall this was a case in a PC game called Enclave which was produced by a Swedish gaming studio where the goblins spoke Swedish. All tough I think it was more funny for me then for a non Swedish speaking person. Since the content of the conversation from the hungover goblin was pretty funny. |
Sauro moki kara ochiro - Even monkeys falls from trees.
The path that leads to truth is littered with the bodies of the ignorant - Miyamoto Musashi |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2005 : 00:44:11
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The thing that I just can't seem to get past is the use of surnames like Battlehammer for a race that speaks its own language. Why would a native speaker of dwarven have a surname that has meaning in the common tongue? When I say 'Battlehammer' to a speaker of english, it has immediate meaning and is recognized as english words. Would a Russian or Nigerian or Laotian have "Toasteroven" as a surname?
Greetings! My name is Vladimir Pyotrevich Loungechair. Pleased to meet you! |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
Edited by - Brother Ezra on 09 Jan 2005 00:48:49 |
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Lina
Senior Scribe
Australia
469 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2005 : 02:01:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Brother Ezra
The thing that I just can't seem to get past is the use of surnames like Battlehammer for a race that speaks its own language. Why would a native speaker of dwarven have a surname that has meaning in the common tongue? When I say 'Battlehammer' to a speaker of english, it has immediate meaning and is recognized as english words. Would a Russian or Nigerian or Laotian have "Toasteroven" as a surname?
Greetings! My name is Vladimir Pyotrevich Loungechair. Pleased to meet you!
In some of the novels I have come across the Dwarven Surname reflects the family trade. |
“Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows! Buried in the flow of time. In thy great name. I pledge myself to darkness. All the fools who stand in our way shall be destroyed…by the power you and I possess! DRAGON SLAVE!!!â€
"Thieves? Ah, such an ugly word... look upon them as the most honest sort of merchant."
-Oglar the Thieflord |
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Winterfox
Senior Scribe
895 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2005 : 04:22:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Brother Ezra
The thing that I just can't seem to get past is the use of surnames like Battlehammer for a race that speaks its own language. Why would a native speaker of dwarven have a surname that has meaning in the common tongue? When I say 'Battlehammer' to a speaker of english, it has immediate meaning and is recognized as english words. Would a Russian or Nigerian or Laotian have "Toasteroven" as a surname?
Greetings! My name is Vladimir Pyotrevich Loungechair. Pleased to meet you!
That's always bothered me, too, unless we assume that they are translated into common for the benefit of non-dwarves. (I don't see why they'd bother, actually, but...)
But then, we also have a Matron Malice, which is equally wtfish. |
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Deverien Valandil
Seeker
73 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2005 : 04:34:26
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quote:
Originally posted by Brother Ezra
The thing that I just can't seem to get past is the use of surnames like Battlehammer for a race that speaks its own language. Why would a native speaker of dwarven have a surname that has meaning in the common tongue? When I say 'Battlehammer' to a speaker of english, it has immediate meaning and is recognized as english words. Would a Russian or Nigerian or Laotian have "Toasteroven" as a surname?
Hm, good point. I certainly can't speak for R.A.Salvatore's reasoning behind the name, but I can give my own thoughts on common-tongue surnames.
In a fic I'm currently writing, I have an elven character whose last name is 'Shademoor', a compound of two common-tongue words. Naturally, that is not a proper name for an elf.
So why does she have that name? My reasoning is that because she lives in a predominantly human city (Baldur's Gate) and follows a deity (Tyr) predominantly associated with humans, she would take on an easy-to-say common-tongue name so that her human colleagues wouldn't be stumbling over their tongues saying 'Illytharialatanablahblahblah...' or whatever her true elven surname is. |
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hammer of Moradin
Senior Scribe
USA
758 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2005 : 06:07:19
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Time for the resident dwarf to speak up.
Dwarves, as a whole, are a dour, stoic lot. They express themselves rarely, but when they do they go all out. Dwarven craftsmanship is second to none in the Realms. The beard of a dwarf is long, lustrous, and sacred with nary a whisker to rival them. In war, the worst place to be is on the wrong side of a dwarven war formation. In speech, ah yes speech, dwarves go for the gusto.
Rolling, gutteral, like grinding stones, with hard sounds and short words, dwarven speech is forceful and varied. In the North, the variety of Delzoun clans, many hidden for centuries, developed widely in to various patterns. So, if your dwarf sounds like a Northman of old, with Norse connotations, then so be it. Or, maybe, he is a bit more refined, and sounds like a Scotsman. Celtish, go for it. Maybe he hails from Citadel Felbarr, where we now have a melting pot of Delzoun dwarves from Adbar, Sundabar, Mithril Hall, and all points between. It is a place, as is much of the North, where the various dialects come together.
In the South, dwarven speech is a bit more polished. All of the prim and proper gold dwarves conform more to the standards of speech established by the elves and humans. Still, being dwarves, their speech is deliberate and distinct from that of humans, elves, halflings, and gnomes.
Now, as to names, lets just say translation. Dwarves, as have elves and other demi-humans, gave up long ago expecting humans to correctly pronounce the names and words of the dwarven people. Battlehammer is, as you have guessed, not a dwarven name, per se. The clan name in dwarven translates to Battlehammer in common. Most clan names have been adopted into common and are widely known to this day. Delzoun, the ancient Northern dwarf kingdom, is, of course, named for Delzoun, a properly named dwarf. That, however, is his given name. Many dwarves, even while traveling abroad, keep their given names. There are exceptions to this. A dwarf involved in illegal activities will refrain from using his given name to protect himself, and his clan. Someone not wanting to be recognized would also give a false, or "human" name.
Now, dinnae be thinkin' I be no proper son o' Moradin, I kin speak just as plain an' proper as any o' ye! Tis just easier ta be speakin' like a human when speakin' with a human is all. Anyone got a problem wit' dat? *Mumbles* Ye bloody scribes ere don' know proper speech is all. |
"Hurling himself upon his enemies, he terrified them with slaughter!"
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium
Candlekeep proverb: If a thing is said often enough, fools aplenty will believe it to be true. |
Edited by - hammer of Moradin on 09 Jan 2005 06:10:10 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2005 : 05:42:24
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Obviously the Realms are unique, their own world, but according to Tolkien, Dwarves jealously guard their true names and never use them around other races, thus names like "Oakenshield" or the like. If I remember what Ed himself said in Dwarves Deep, Dwarven names are actually more like "Durar, son of Vulgath, son of Urod, son of Hlond, of the Dwarves of Adbar" and names like "Battlehammer" are common translations of nicknames of a famous member of the clan. If a dwarf gives you the first form, the one with all the "sons of" in it, he respects you.
The natural Scottish thing is spooky since I used it WAAAAAY back when I first started playing and it just keep happening. I do think that Shield dwarves are likely to have one accent, Gold Dwarves another, Actic another, and Wild still another.
Since Tolkien based Dwarven on Hebrew, and they are suggestive of a germanic influence, every once in a while I picture a dwarf with a yiddish accent . . . but thats just me. |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2005 : 04:21:25
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| Oh, wow. I can just picture a dwarf walking into a messy room and exclaiming "Oy vey! All this shmutz is making me a little verklempt!" |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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khorne
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1073 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2005 : 19:50:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Brother Ezra
Oh, wow. I can just picture a dwarf walking into a messy room and exclaiming "Oy vey! All this shmutz is making me a little verklempt!"
I`m not sure why but I almost died of laughter when I tried to picture this. |
If I were a ranger, I would pick NDA for my favorite enemy |
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Mareka
Learned Scribe
Canada
125 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2005 : 20:48:27
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quote:
Originally posted by Brother Ezra
Oh, wow. I can just picture a dwarf walking into a messy room and exclaiming "Oy vey! All this shmutz is making me a little verklempt!"
It's funny to picture a dwarf saying that, but what about a gnome? |
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Wood Elf Ranger
Senior Scribe
USA
627 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 01:04:30
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| I just thought I would mention that the dwarves from the Warcraft seem to have a mixture of scottish and russian for their speach patterns and somewhat for their culture as well. For example picture a dwarf doing a russian jig. It seems to fit well to me. Of course overall even each subrace has their own culture but sometimes it is fun to incorperate certain aspects of real-world cultures in there somewhere too. |
~Lee N.
"Breaktime yes?!.. Yes?.. Maybe?.. Noo, baaack to work.." -Grovel the Goblin from NWN: HotU |
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Mareka
Learned Scribe
Canada
125 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 20:29:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Wood Elf Ranger
I just thought I would mention that the dwarves from the Warcraft seem to have a mixture of scottish and russian for their speach patterns and somewhat for their culture as well. For example picture a dwarf doing a russian jig. It seems to fit well to me. Of course overall even each subrace has their own culture but sometimes it is fun to incorperate certain aspects of real-world cultures in there somewhere too.
I love doing this. It helps to fill in details, especially things like what items and treasure might look like, architecture, even styles of clothing. Even mythology can be used a bit, to adapt real culture myths to the deities worshipped in specific regions. Mixing and matching, like scottish culture for some things, russian for others, and then fantasy as well, can create a very detailed culture. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 20:34:33
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One of my players in my campaign and I got into this discussion, and I asked why if dwarves have scottish accents do we never see them wearing kilts.
His reply is that he wants to play a dwarven bard wearing a kilt that plays a bagpipe . . .
Ask a stupid question . . . |
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Mareka
Learned Scribe
Canada
125 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 20:38:17
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
One of my players in my campaign and I got into this discussion, and I asked why if dwarves have scottish accents do we never see them wearing kilts.
His reply is that he wants to play a dwarven bard wearing a kilt that plays a bagpipe . . .
Ask a stupid question . . .
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Chosen of Bane
Senior Scribe
USA
552 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 21:11:36
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This is an odd little thing I often wonder about. Where did the Scottish Accent for Dwarves come from? I know the LOTR movies strongly reinforced it but I seem to remember Dwarven players having the accent well before the movies.
I guess I've always pictured Hamish (sp?) from Braveheart being a perfect personality/accent for a Dwarf. Maybe him using an Axe didn't help matters.
I tend to play Dwarves far more than any other race and sadly I do buy into the stereotypes. About half of my Dwarven characters use the scottish accent. The other half don't have accents really, they just speak very gruffly and are very quick and to the point with their speach. I think of Shield Dwarves as have more scottish accents than Gold Dwarves for some reason.
I know my reasoning and thoughts are completely illogical but that's just how it is.
-I wouldn't be opposed to trying out a Norse or Germanic accent, it's just the only two accents I can do with any skill whatsoever are Scottish and Indian. I just can't see Dwarves speaking with an indian accent so I must resort to scottish.
On to the names...
I believe it was stated by Elaine Cunningham in Silvershadows (if not, one of the other Song and Swords novels) that Dwarves give their given name only to people they just meet. If you are given a Dwarves full name, including father's name and clan name than it is a sign of great respect.
The last few Dwarves I played were...
Borin Goldmallet (Gold Dwarf Dwarven Defender)
Mugnuckle Gruffbeard (Shield Dwarf Battlerager)
Fror Musicwrath (Gold Dwarf Illusionist)
I never really gave thought as to why there names make sense in common. I guess it's just translation for humans and other non-stout folk. |
Edited by - Chosen of Bane on 03 Apr 2005 21:14:26 |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 23:21:58
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Dwarf names are discussed in detail in FR11 (which everyone halfway interested in the Realms or dwarves should read). Yes, the 'English' surnames are translations.
I don't know where the Scottish dwarves came from, probably just a vague idea of traditional bearded Highland clans. I don't have a good Scottish accent myself (though I don't think many Americans do either) and as a DM I use intonation more than specific national accents. |
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Chosen of Bane
Senior Scribe
USA
552 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2005 : 23:42:11
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By saying I have "skill" with the accent I mean people can recognize which accent I am trying to imitate. It's not like I really think I can pose for a Scottsman.
It's more like a poor man's fat bastard. |
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LordAnki
Seeker
USA
73 Posts |
Posted - 04 Apr 2005 : 01:06:33
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| I prefer the dwarves to have a Germanic accent instead of Scottish. But scottish has been the norm for a really long time though. Reinforced by LoTR. |
Tip of the Month: don't drink the dirty water. You know what i'm talking about if you know what i mean. |
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Mareka
Learned Scribe
Canada
125 Posts |
Posted - 04 Apr 2005 : 21:15:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Chosen of Bane
By saying I have "skill" with the accent I mean people can recognize which accent I am trying to imitate. It's not like I really think I can pose for a Scottsman.
It's more like a poor man's fat bastard.
That's still better than many other people. I'd like to use accents for all the different languages in the Realms, but I'm not talented with such things. An inaccurate accent is still more fun than none at all. |
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Topic |
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Dwarves and speech patterns
