Garlean language?

[VargasVermillion]

Based on how Garlean naming conventions are basically roman Latin and with many areas in the game named in the language of beast tribes and ancient nations, do we know if Garleans have their own language as well?

[Cilia]

I don't think they have their own language.

Every Garlean we've encountered speaks... common? No signs of any other languages, except from stuff like demons, voidsent, beast tribes (who also speak common), etc.

[Anonymoose]

I don't think it's actually ever come up. I mean, it'd be kind of silly to name everything in Latin and term everything in Latin and not actually speak Latin. I imagine that they speak Latin and just call it Garlean, the same way the Domans appear to just speak Japanese and call it Doman (the NIN quests say you use the Doman tongue). But I couldn't find any info either way.

Minfilia says during her Operation Archon speech that languages is one of the barriers that separates Eorzeans and yet we've always seen people speak the "common tongue." I imagine it's just the game mechanics glazing right over the implied cultural challenge (and blaming the Echo when needed). The beast tribes, for example, have their own languages.

We've had many instances of interaction with them where even native Eorzeans understood them just fine, however, so some of them likely learn the language of the places they're invading. Varis, for instances, speaks with Alphinaud, a Sharlayan without the Echo. Other than that, I don't think we have any info on who is speaking what when or whether the Echo is playing a part. I imagine Gaius spoke common Eorzean, as well, considering her ruled Ala Mhigo for like fifteen years.

Still, I assume the game glazes right over it for the sake of user-friendliness unless the plot calls for otherwise.

[VargasVermillion]

Well I figured most Garleans we've encountered would speak some common tongue since a nation trying to conquer all the others would benefit from learning other languages. Since Latin is a huge part of their naming conventions and even the lyrical content of nael van darnus's theme I figured they would speak Latin, or something based on it. I guess getting VAs to voice such languages or even having them written in text might require too much time.

[WyrahFhurrst]

As for why we never see other languages, don't forget we have the Echo, and that's our magical auto-translate for everything we meet. When we speak to other NPCs they understand us and we understand them. That's also one of the reasons Minfilia was important in as the leader of the Scions, because she could negotiate with other cultures and mediate between them as she too had the Echo.

[CGMidlander]

I don't think it's actually ever come up. I mean, it'd be kind of silly to name everything in Latin and term everything in Latin and not actually speak Latin.

Not really. Many professional fields (e.g. Law, science, and engineering..etc.) use plenty of Latin terms.

[Anonymoose]

Not really. Many professional fields (e.g. Law, science, and engineering..etc.) use plenty of Latin terms.

My first impression was to reply, "Yeah, but for things that require field-specific labels, such as standardized classification and removal of ambiguity."

However... I have no evidence that they're not just doing the very same thing with their social structure and military, lol.

/shrug