Chondathan language

Chondathan was a popular human language spoken mainly in the western regions of Faerûn.

Description
Chondathan was similar to Common, but it was far more expressive and complex in its grammar.

Speakers
The Chondathan tongue was spoken in and around Waterdeep, in addition to the ubiquitous Common and the northern language of Illuskan. Other regions where Chondathan was commonly spoken as a primary language included Amn, Cormyr, the Dalelands, the Dragon Coast, Sembia, the Silver Marches, Tethyr, the Western Heartlands, and the Vilhon Reach. It was also spoken as a second language in Altumbel, the Anauroch, Calimshan, Chessenta, Damara, Impiltur, the Lake of Steam region, Lantan, the Moonsea region, the Moonshae Isles, the North, The Ride, the Sword Coast, Thesk, Turmish, The Vast Dwarves of the Galena Mountains and the Spine of the World or within the Underdark sometimes spoke Chondathan, as did elves living in the Chondalwood, Cormanthor, the Elven Court, Evereska, Evermeet, and the Sea of Fallen Stars. Aarakocra from the Storm Horns also frequently spoke Chondathan as a second language.

Dialects
The variations of Chondathan spoken in different regions were sometimes named as distinct dialects. Chondathan spoken in Northwest Faerûn was broadly termed Northern. It was spoken from the Ten Towns (Ten Towns pidgin/patois) in the north to The Way Inn in the south and from Neverwinter in the west to Llorkh in the east. Sub-dialects of Neveren-Waterdhavian, Nesmé, Luruaran, and Llorkh were also named.

The Shadow Thieves spoke a secret language known as Shadow Cant, which was an argot derived from the Northern dialect, from when the Shadow Thieves were based in Waterdeep. Shadow Cant included vocabulary from Amn, Tethyr, and the Underdark.

The Cormanthan dialect was the version of Chondathan spoken in Cormyr, the Dalelands, and Sembia, from Teshwave in the north to Proskur in the south, and from the Far Hills in the west to Elmwood in the east.

Trade Pidgin was a mixture of Chondathan and other Thorass languages spoken in the Heartlands and around the Sea of Fallen Stars that integrated many military terms from Cormanthan after the invasion of the Grand Army of the Tuigan. The version of Trade Pidgin spoken around the Inner Sea was strongly influenced by Easting. The accent of the Heartlands speakers was so different from the accent of the Inner Sea speakers that the two groups had trouble understanding each other.

An older version of the Cormanthan dialect (Auld Cormanthan) was spoken in the Great Dale, from the Easting Reach in the west to Lake Ashane in the east and from the Dunwood in the north to the Forest of Lethyr in the south.

Finally, Chondathian was the dialect of Chondathan actually spoken in the Chondath region, from Reth in the north to Elbulder in the south and from Arrabar in the west and Lotoli in the east.

Script
Like the majority of Faerûn's regional tongues, it used the Thorass alphabet.

History
Chondathan was a modern version of the ancient Jhaamdathan language. Among living languages, Chondathan was the most closely related to the Common trade tongue, since Common was derived from Thorass, which was in turn derived from Jhaamdathan as Chondathan was. This made it a part of the Central Thorass subgroup of languages.

Examples
Typical Chondathan surnames translated into such things as Amblecrown, Buckman, Dundragon, Evenwood, Greycastle, and Tallstag. Girls might be named such things as Arveene, Esvele, Jhessail, Kerri, Lureene, Miri, Rowan, Shandri, or Tessele, while boys might be named Darvin, Dorn, Evendur, Gorstag, Grim, Helm, Malark, Morn, Randal, or Stedd.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Sentinelspire &bull; The Sapphire Crescent &bull; The Ruby Guardian