I love the old english and its always fun to learn new words, so I too have to disagree with the OP.
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I love the old english and its always fun to learn new words, so I too have to disagree with the OP.
SE must needs create a dislike button.
I don't mind it, but it does seem like some people go a little over board with it, the main culprit... Urianger Augurelt!
A snip from primal awakening...
"Lest thou wonder, this maiden is of our order. Thus did the Antecedent straightways consent that thou shouldst assist her howsoever thou mayest. As soon as thou art able, hie thee to Wineport, where thy petitioner doth await thee even now. Thou shalt for a certainty find her visage strikingly familiar."
It's not that i don't understand him, i'm just outta breath by the time im done reading it a second (maybe even a third) time lol.
I want them to introduce a character that does nothing but speak in Cockney rhyming slang. See how fast that hurts people's brains.
nnnggggg... /flails
It's not ancient English, it's definitely not Old English. It's an easy to read version of Middle English. Closer to what Shakespeare and the English the Puritans spoke (Early Modern period, just before they finally got rid of the -eths for the good of us all >< ).
Old English (Beowulf opening lines)
HWÆT, WE GAR-DEna in geardagum,
þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon!
oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas, syððanærest wearð
feasceaft funden; he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum weorðmyndum þah,
oð þæt him æghwylc ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan; þæt wæs god cyning!
Good luck reading that!
Middle English (Canterbury Tales Prologue)
Whan that aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of march hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
Tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye
(so priketh hem nature in hir corages);
Modern readers have a chance to get used to reading this form of English.
Personally, I think it's too heavy handed in this game. And this is coming from someone who loves language history and evolution. You can portray characters as more formal without spackling the -eths to every verb. Having some ancient primal speak this way... ok, believable. Urianger? Unnecessary (totally imo).
The citizens of Limsa can also convey their 'culture' without being nearly completely unreadable. If native speakers of English have to puzzle out the words, I can only imagine non-native speakers just have to give up. There's a balance that needs to happen. Add a little hint of the accent, please don't be quite so heavy handed with it. ^^;
On a side note, if a game ever comes out that uses Old English as the spoken dialog with subtitles in modern English, I will go buy it right away. :3
I agree with OP somewhat. Although it could be more to due with a ADD issue I have. It's hard enough to keep my attention on the story. But when I start having to concentrate to make out words I'm not use to seeing it gets frustrating. I wouldn't want SE to change it sense I'm sure at least half the user base enjoys it. They go out of there way to make sure there's many different languages. So maybe they can add one more. Clear to read English, for those of us that maybe getting a little older and find it difficult to follow what some of these guys are saying. I think if I was back in my teens I'd probably have no issues, IDK. But it is hard for me when they start using words like that.
This brings up a question for me now. Sense we have these different English speaking people in the game. Is it similar in the other languages. ESP Japanese? Like do Japanese players get to *cough*enjoy*cough* the same hard to read sentences that we do, in their own language? Or do they not have to deal with that at all? I'm sure with voice over's they could do that, but is it as easy to convey accents in their language as it is in ours?