The Echo and languages

[CyrilLucifer]

Elidibus speaks "common" to you (but not Minfilia, which is really odd and I'm going to chalk it up as an inconsistency) when you speak with him during 2.1, and to Urianger, but as you said, he's a bit of an outlier and I'm not sure if we can judge the rest from him.

Igeyorhm speaks "common" to you after Bismarck, but reverts back to Ascian in the Research Facility. I can't really tell if they're speaking "common" or "Ascian" before the battle in the facility, since it's a cutscene, but they're definitely speaking Ascian after you defeat them.

And you're right, he definitely understands Lahabrea and the Ascian language. Before he becomes a Primal. How strange. There's really no reason for him to be able to do that.

[Ayuhra]

And you're right, he definitely understands Lahabrea and the Ascian language. Before he becomes a Primal. How strange. There's really no reason for him to be able to do that.

I wonder sometimes if Ascians operate like the dragons. Dragons speak Draconic to us but people can understand them regardless. Alphinaud comments on being able to comprehend Hraesvelgr despite the language obviously not being a common tongue and Alphinaud does not have the Echo. Nor does Estinien, who can also understand Dragons.

By the Twelve... Mine ears hear the tongue of dragons, yet the meaning rings clear within my mind... How can that be...? - Alphinaud

Maybe Ascians speaking in their dark tongue are talking directly into the minds of people and when they speak the language of their hosts they speak common?

[CyrilLucifer]

I've been curious about that dragon line for a while as well. It really came off like Alphinaud was experiencing something Echo-like from the dragon communication, but he's not sure how to describe it, having never really experienced it before.

But at the same time, even you with your Echo hears the Dragonspeak as its own language, rather than the words being Echo-translated for you into "common" like with the Ascian language. What I mean by this is that we can understand Lahabrea, his voice acting is in our common language when he's speaking in his language (source: CS after killing Igeyorhm) and the dragons speak, even to you, in a language that's definitely not "common."

So basically the dragons seem really odd, again, like the Echo can be turned off in some situations.