Draconic language

Draconic was the language of dragons. Dragons called their language Glav (meaning "speech/converse"), and it used its own distinct alphabet, called Iokharic. Other native speakers included members of draconic-related races, such as kobolds and dragonborn, and members of reptilian races such as lizardfolk and troglodytes. The language was also used as a primary means of arcane notation throughout Toril.

History
Draconic was one of the earliest languages, influencing or creating the language of kobolds and other races. According to dragons, their language was the oldest mortal tongue and all other mortal languages descended from it. Scholars from Candlekeep theorized Draconic was created by the ignidracos, one of the ancestor species of true dragons.

Draconic was a monolithic language, and it remained almost unchanged since its creation. The only known Draconic language variant was Aragrakh, an ancient draconic language.

Dialects
Slight variations in the dialect of Draconic were used among the different kinds of chromatic dragons, and were considered equivalent to regional accents. Metallic dragons on the other hand all had similar accents.

The dragons of Abeir (including those living in Laerakond) also had their own dialect, that they called Aklave. The Aklave dialect was so similar to the Torilian dialect, that someone who understood one could fluently understand the other, although the pronunciation of some words was different. Some sounded softer than normal Draconic, a little more nasal and with words that had elongated syllables.

Dragonborn and kobolds had their own unique draconic dialects, the Tymantheran and the Yipyak, respectively.

Phonology
Draconic was a language of hard consonants and sibilants that usually sounded like hissing when spoken, like sj, ss, and sv. It also included a sound similar to a creature clearing its throat, ach.

Draconic words were emphasized on the first syllable, and speakers of Draconic expressed important ideas by stressing the beginnings and the ends of words. Dragons often used this when referring to themselves, or when they wanted to command, warn, threaten, or otherwise make their point clear.

Grammar
Words that modified other words were placed before or after the word they modified, with the most important modifier always placed before. Draconic speakers often placed it a second time directly after the word for additional emphasis. Draconic had no specific word for “my” or “mine,” instead using several prefixes that depended on the exact meaning.

Writing system


All Draconic languages use a script known as Iokharic. This script was likely created long after its spoken form was standardized, as dragons had little to no need to write than other races.

Alphabet
The Iokharic alphabet was equivalent to that of human languages, with the same number of characters for letters and numbers.