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Compare SmartPeopleKnowLatin. Contrast CommonTongue.

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Compare SmartPeopleKnowLatin. Contrast CommonTongue.
CommonTongue. See also PrimordialTongue, for a proto-language from which all the other tongues of the world descend.



* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': The Genasi see primordial as the world's proto-language and a source of national pride. Haara can also speak it, due to growing up in their empire as a slave.

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* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': The Genasi see primordial [[PrimordialTongue as the world's proto-language proto-language]] and a source of national pride. Haara can also speak it, due to growing up in their empire as a slave.
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* Scholars now suspect that the written standard form of Old English (the language of ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'') had become this, or at least started to, by the Norman Conquest. Numerous misspellings and scribal errors suggest that the late Anglo-Saxons' spoken language had already come to greatly resemble what we now call Middle English even without the much-vaunted impact of Norman French. This is largely attributed to contact with the Old Norse spoken by the vikings and viking descendants of the Danelaw (which consisted of roughly the northeastern half of the country). The viking contact not only gave Old English a bunch of new words, it affected the grammar of the language: Old Norse was related to Old English but had a vastly different set of grammatical inflections, so the English and vikings quickly realized that they could make themselves understood by just dropping the inflections and relying on word order and helper words to convey grammatical information (what linguists call analytical grammar). This quickly became the spoken standard even in areas technically outside the Danelaw, most notably London. Meanwhile the written standard was based on the West Saxon dialect spoken in the court of UsefulNotes/AlfredTheGreat and which continued to be spoken in the southwest, and was therefore essentially free of any Norse influence, including the shift from an essentially inflected to an analytical structure.

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* Scholars now suspect that the written standard form of Old English (the language of ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'') had become this, or at least started to, by the Norman Conquest. Numerous misspellings and scribal errors suggest that the late Anglo-Saxons' spoken language had already come to greatly resemble what we now call Middle English even without the much-vaunted impact of Norman French. This is largely attributed to contact with the Old Norse spoken by the vikings and viking descendants of the Danelaw (which consisted of roughly the northeastern half of the country). The viking contact not only gave Old English a bunch of new words, it affected the grammar of the language: Old Norse was related to Old English but had a vastly different set of grammatical inflections, so the English and vikings quickly realized that they could make themselves understood by just dropping the inflections and relying on word order and helper words to convey grammatical information (what linguists call analytical grammar). This quickly became the spoken standard even in areas technically outside the Danelaw, most notably London. Meanwhile the written standard was based on the West Saxon dialect spoken in the court of UsefulNotes/AlfredTheGreat and which continued to be spoken in the southwest, and was therefore essentially free of any Norse influence, including the shift from an essentially inflected to an analytical structure. Thus by 1066, the written standard language was no longer much like what most English people spoke, especially outside UsefulNotes/TheWestCountry and certain western parts of UsefulNotes/TheMidlands.
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* Scholars now suspect that the written standard form of Old English (the language of ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'') had become this, or at least started to, by the Norman Conquest. Numerous misspellings and scribal errors suggest that the late Anglo-Saxons' spoken language had already come to greatly resemble what we now call Middle English even without the much-vaunted impact of Norman French. This is largely attributed to contact with the Old Norse spoken by the vikings and viking descendants of the Danelaw (which consisted of about half the country). The viking contact not only gave Old English a bunch of new words, it affected the grammar of the language: because Old Norse was related to Old English but had a vastly different set of grammatical inflections, Old English in the Danelaw gradually dropped the highly inflected grammar of "classical" Old English in favor of a more analytic structure, which Norse speakers found easier to grasp. The written standard, based on the West Saxon dialect spoken in the court of UsefulNotes/AlfredTheGreat and therefore essentially free of any Norse influence, would be increasingly far from the spoken language of the English by 1066.

to:

* Scholars now suspect that the written standard form of Old English (the language of ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'') had become this, or at least started to, by the Norman Conquest. Numerous misspellings and scribal errors suggest that the late Anglo-Saxons' spoken language had already come to greatly resemble what we now call Middle English even without the much-vaunted impact of Norman French. This is largely attributed to contact with the Old Norse spoken by the vikings and viking descendants of the Danelaw (which consisted of about roughly the northeastern half of the country). The viking contact not only gave Old English a bunch of new words, it affected the grammar of the language: because Old Norse was related to Old English but had a vastly different set of grammatical inflections, Old so the English in and vikings quickly realized that they could make themselves understood by just dropping the Danelaw gradually dropped inflections and relying on word order and helper words to convey grammatical information (what linguists call analytical grammar). This quickly became the highly inflected grammar of "classical" Old English spoken standard even in favor of a more analytic structure, which Norse speakers found easier to grasp. The areas technically outside the Danelaw, most notably London. Meanwhile the written standard, standard was based on the West Saxon dialect spoken in the court of UsefulNotes/AlfredTheGreat and which continued to be spoken in the southwest, and was therefore essentially free of any Norse influence, would be increasingly far including the shift from the spoken language of the English by 1066. an essentially inflected to an analytical structure.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Scholars now suspect that Old English (the language of ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'') had become this by the Norman Conquest. Numerous misspellings and scribal errors suggest that the late Anglo-Saxons' spoken language had already come to greatly resemble what we now call Middle English.

to:

* Scholars now suspect that the written standard form of Old English (the language of ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'') had become this this, or at least started to, by the Norman Conquest. Numerous misspellings and scribal errors suggest that the late Anglo-Saxons' spoken language had already come to greatly resemble what we now call Middle English.English even without the much-vaunted impact of Norman French. This is largely attributed to contact with the Old Norse spoken by the vikings and viking descendants of the Danelaw (which consisted of about half the country). The viking contact not only gave Old English a bunch of new words, it affected the grammar of the language: because Old Norse was related to Old English but had a vastly different set of grammatical inflections, Old English in the Danelaw gradually dropped the highly inflected grammar of "classical" Old English in favor of a more analytic structure, which Norse speakers found easier to grasp. The written standard, based on the West Saxon dialect spoken in the court of UsefulNotes/AlfredTheGreat and therefore essentially free of any Norse influence, would be increasingly far from the spoken language of the English by 1066.
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* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': Elendil befriends Galadriel in Numenor by talking in Quenya with her, assuring her that the Elves still have friends in Numenor, especially on the Western shores where the Faithful resides. Quenya is mostly used only by some parts of the Numenorian aristocracy, such as the Faithful, and most of kingdom's old documents at the Hall of Lore are written in Quenya.
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* In ''TabletopGame/{{Godbound}}'', there are Ancient Akeh, Old Din and Classical Ren. These are the languages of the three Former Empire-era ethnicities of Arcem. Since the Shattering, the various nations' languages have diverged into clusters of mutually-unintelligible languages. Classical Ren is still the court language of Dulimbai (though the peasants primarily speak Modern Ren), while Ancient Akeh and Old Din are purely scholarly and religious languages.
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* ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'': It turns out that the old language is ''English''. For example, the name of their continent, "Dustvin", is a corruption of "Dustbin".

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* ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'': ''Literature/ScrappedPrincess'': It turns out that the old language is ''English''. For example, the name of their continent, "Dustvin", is a corruption of "Dustbin".
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* In the ''VisualNovel/ShinzaBanshoSeries'', whenever a character [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmrM_HhvsBY speaks and]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYcq_WsQ8FE it is]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6ow07-2xzg distorted]], that means that the character in question is currently speaking in a language not of this current world but from a previous one. As this is something not meant to exist in the current reality it creates a BlackSpeech like effect and tends to be exclusive to the Gods or those with close ties to them that populate the series.

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* In the ''VisualNovel/ShinzaBanshoSeries'', whenever a character speaks and it is distorted, that means that the character in question is currently speaking in a language not of this current world but from a previous one[[note]]Compare the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmrM_HhvsBY speaks and]] com/watch?v=psT6WryHNVo before]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYcq_WsQ8FE it is]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6ow07-2xzg distorted]], that means that the character in question is currently speaking in a language not of this current world but from a previous one.com/watch?v=TmrM_HhvsBY after]]. Same character, same chant, different eras[[/note]]. As this is something not meant to exist in the current reality it creates a BlackSpeech like effect and tends to be exclusive to the Gods or those with close ties to them that populate the series.
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* In the ''VisualNovel/ShinzaBanshoSeries'', whenever a character speaks and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYcq_WsQ8FE it is]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6ow07-2xzg distorted]], that means that the character in question is currently speaking in a language not of this current world but from a previous one. As this is something not meant to exist in the current reality it creates a BlackSpeech like effect and tends to be exclusive to the Gods or those with close ties to them that populate the series.

to:

* In the ''VisualNovel/ShinzaBanshoSeries'', whenever a character speaks and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmrM_HhvsBY speaks and]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYcq_WsQ8FE it is]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6ow07-2xzg distorted]], that means that the character in question is currently speaking in a language not of this current world but from a previous one. As this is something not meant to exist in the current reality it creates a BlackSpeech like effect and tends to be exclusive to the Gods or those with close ties to them that populate the series.
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[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* In the ''VisualNovel/ShinzaBanshoSeries'', whenever a character speaks and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYcq_WsQ8FE it is]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6ow07-2xzg distorted]], that means that the character in question is currently speaking in a language not of this current world but from a previous one. As this is something not meant to exist in the current reality it creates a BlackSpeech like effect and tends to be exclusive to the Gods or those with close ties to them that populate the series.
[[/folder]]
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* ''Literature/TolkiensLegendarium'': Creator/JRRTolkien, a linguist by trade, devised several for his works:

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* ''Literature/TolkiensLegendarium'': ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'': Creator/JRRTolkien, a linguist by trade, devised several for his works:

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* Ancient Belkan (which is [[GratuitousGerman suspiciously similar to modern German]]) in the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise is spoken only by a few old-fashioned Knights and their Devices.
* In ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'' it turns out that the old language is ''English''. For example, the name of their continent, "Dustvin", is a corruption of "Dustbin".

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* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'': Ancient Belkan (which is [[GratuitousGerman suspiciously similar to modern German]]) in the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise is spoken only by a few old-fashioned Knights and their Devices.
* In ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'' it ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'': It turns out that the old language is ''English''. For example, the name of their continent, "Dustvin", is a corruption of "Dustbin".



* In ''Fanfic/RWBYScars'', [[LittleBitBeastly Faunus]] have a language separate from the CommonTongue everyone uses known as "Ishvi". They only use it amongst other Faunus because for years they've been [[FantasticRacism persecuted by humans]] for speaking it.
* In ''Fanfic/LetUsBeYourPoison'', many Faunus don't speak the CommonTongue of New Kingspeak. They only speak their own tongue, Zhoviyak.
* In ''Fanfic/FromBehindBars'', "lion-latin" is this to lions. It's actually Swahili.
* In ''Fanfic/FlamesShade - Revisited'', faunus have a basic primal "language" consisting of animal-like noises. This language is something they know from birth. Some noises are known species-wide but some are only understandable to their own kind of faunus (such as cat faunus growls or rabbit faunus clicking).

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* In ''Fanfic/RWBYScars'', [[LittleBitBeastly ''Fanfic/RWBYScars'',:[[LittleBitBeastly Faunus]] have a language separate from the CommonTongue everyone uses known as "Ishvi". They only use it amongst other Faunus because for years they've been [[FantasticRacism persecuted by humans]] for speaking it.
* In ''Fanfic/LetUsBeYourPoison'', many ''Fanfic/LetUsBeYourPoison'': Many Faunus don't speak the CommonTongue of New Kingspeak. They only speak their own tongue, Zhoviyak.
* In ''Fanfic/FromBehindBars'', "lion-latin" ''Fanfic/FromBehindBars'': "Lion-latin" is this to lions. It's actually Swahili.
* In ''Fanfic/FlamesShade - Revisited'', faunus -- Revisited'': Faunus have a basic primal "language" consisting of animal-like noises. This language is something they know from birth. Some noises are known species-wide but some are only understandable to their own kind of faunus (such as cat faunus growls or rabbit faunus clicking).



[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
* The Divine Language spoken by esoteric priests and sexy living {{MacGuffin}}s in ''Film/TheFifthElement''.
[[/folder]]

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[[folder:Film %%[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
* %%* ''Film/TheFifthElement'': The Divine Language spoken by esoteric priests and sexy living {{MacGuffin}}s in ''Film/TheFifthElement''.
[[/folder]]
{{MacGuffin}}s.%%Is an example how?
%%[[/folder]]



* "High Speech" from ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'', which is the language of Gilead, the city of Gunslingers, and is considered a "civilized" language compared to the Low Speech of everyday communication. It's an "old" language in the sense that, by the time of the first novel (''Literature/TheGunslinger''), Roland is the last of the Gunslingers and thus one of the few people left in the world who actually can speak it.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has High Valyrian, the language of the lost Valyrian Freehold. In Westeros it's taught to the highborn as a sign of noble education, particularly in the Valyria-descended Targaryen dynasty. In the East, it's been absorbed into local "bastard Valyrian" dialects in the Free Cities and blended with Old Ghiscari in the languages of Slaver's Bay. Some notable words or phrases include ''valar morghulis'' ("all men must die", an Essosi greeting that is traditionally replied by ''valar dohaeris'', "all men must serve"), ''valonqar'' ("little brother", part of a prophecy that haunts Cersei Lannister since childhood), and ''dracarys'' ("dragonfire", used by Daenerys to command her dragons to breathe fire).
* During the Archprelate's funeral in ''Literature/TheElenium'', there's a reference to the prayers and chants being in an archaic form of the Elene language that hardly anyone present understands.
%% * The High D'Haran from ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth'' series.
* Several in the [[Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium Middle-earth works]] of Creator/JRRTolkien:

to:

* ''Literature/AlexBenedict'': The series takes place 9,600 years in the future, more than enough time for civilizations to rise and fall and give our future antiquities dealers something to pick through. Many languages have come and gone in that time. Notably, modern English vanished in the third millennium, and modern French only lasted a millenium more before both languages became only known by their written form -- no one has recordings to know how they sounded.
* ''Literature/ACanticleForLeibowitz'': English and Latin have this status for the Church. One aspiring monk remarks on the strangeness of English grammar.
* ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'': Kens is the Kencyr language. High Kens is a super formal and archaic form of the langugage. The scholarly Jaran's battle cry is in High Kens, in the vein of SmartPeopleKnowLatin.
* ''Literature/TheDarkTower'':
"High Speech" from ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'', Speech", which is the language of Gilead, the city of Gunslingers, and is considered a "civilized" language compared to the Low Speech of everyday communication. It's an "old" language in the sense that, by the time of the first novel (''Literature/TheGunslinger''), Roland is the last of the Gunslingers and thus one of the few people left in the world who actually can speak it.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Latatian, the language of the ancient Ankh-Morporkian Empire. It's used by wizards, lawyers, and doctors, all of whom reckon that their professions are greatly enhanced if ordinary folk don't understand a word they're saying. In the same way as modern Morporkian ''just happens'' to be identical to 20th century English, Latatian bears a remarkable resemblance to CanisLatinicus. There is also [[UsefulNotes/{{Greece}} Classical Ephebian]].
* ''Literature/TheElenium'': During the Archprelate's funeral, there's a reference to the prayers and chants being in an archaic form of the Elene language that hardly anyone present understands.
* ''Literature/GentlemanBastard'' has Throne Therin, the courtly language of the defunct Therin Empire. Amusingly, WordOfGod [[http://www.scottlynch.us/faq.html states]] that the Therin nobility {{invoked|Trope}} this, [[ConLang creating]] a "tarted-up" version of common Therin to set them apart from the common folk and flaunt their erudition.
* ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'': The Ancient Language, an ancient tongue once used by the Grey Men, the first recorded civilization. As an added bonus, it's a LanguageOfMagic and LanguageOfTruth due to a ritual used by the Grey Men to bind the formerly wild and uncontrolled forces of magic to it, which probably explains why it's no longer in common use.
* ''Literature/LordPeterWimsey'': At the end of ''Gaudy Night'', Wimsey makes his last marriage proposal to Harriet Vane in Latin and she accepts in the same language ("Placet," meaning "it pleases"). They're both highly educated graduates of Oxford University, where the novel is set. The event is special, in that Wimsey unsuccessfully proposed marriage to Harriet (in the vernacular) '''repeatedly''' over the course of several years and several novels.
* ''Literature/MissPeregrinesHomeForPeculiarChildren'': Old Peculiar. Some peculiar-specific vocabulary comes from Old Peculiar, like ''syndrigasti'' and ''ymbryne'', and there's one song in it. But even Millard -- who prides himself as a scholar of all things peculiar -- only knows a little, and there's definitely no one having conversations in Old Peculiar.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has High Valyrian, the language of the lost Valyrian Freehold. [[NobleTongue In Westeros it's taught to the highborn as a sign of noble education, education]], particularly in the Valyria-descended Targaryen dynasty. In the East, it's been absorbed into local "bastard Valyrian" dialects in the Free Cities and blended with Old Ghiscari in the languages of Slaver's Bay. Some notable words or phrases include ''valar morghulis'' ("all men must die", an Essosi greeting that is traditionally replied by ''valar dohaeris'', "all men must serve"), ''valonqar'' ("little brother", part of a prophecy that haunts Cersei Lannister since childhood), and ''dracarys'' ("dragonfire", used by Daenerys to command her dragons to breathe fire).
* During the Archprelate's funeral in ''Literature/TheElenium'', there's a reference to the prayers and chants being in an archaic form of the Elene language that hardly anyone present understands.
%% *
%%* ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth'': The High D'Haran from ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth'' series.
D'Haran.
* Several in the [[Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium Middle-earth works]] of Creator/JRRTolkien: ''Literature/TolkiensLegendarium'': Creator/JRRTolkien, a linguist by trade, devised several for his works:



** Quenya serves in the same capacity for the Elves, being the language spoken by the Elves who (at least momentarily) lived with the [[PhysicalGod Valar]] in the Undying Lands.
** Khuzdul (Dwarvish) is a static, ceremonial language, and Dwarves rarely speak their own tongue to outsiders outside of their BattleCry (and presumably the hearers are expected to soon be dead). When talking to outsiders and sometimes even among themselves they use Common Speech. And if an outsider knows Khuzdul, that is a sure sign that they are considered to be a very honored friend and possibly that they have [[GoingNative Gone Native]].
* The Old Tongue in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', precursor to the CommonTongue used in the books. It was similarly the universal language in its own time, and is now used mainly by nobles to show off their status, much as Latin was in the real medieval age.
* There's ''Literature/InheritanceCycle's'' Ancient Language. As an added bonus, it's a LanguageOfMagic and LanguageOfTruth, which probably explains why it's no longer in common use.
* In ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'', which takes place in the 43rd century, more or less, English is a dead language, which [[TheOlderImmortal Lazarus Long]] insists on speaking when dealing with the Howards.
* At the end of ''[[Literature/LordPeterWimsey Gaudy Night]]'', Wimsey makes his last marriage proposal to Harriet Vane in Latin and she accepts in the same language ("Placet," meaning "it pleases"). They're both highly educated graduates of Oxford University, where the novel is set. The event is special, in that Wimsey unsuccessfully proposed marriage to Harriet (in the vernacular) '''repeatedly''' over the course of several years and several novels.
* The ''Literature/AlexBenedict'' novels take place 9,600 years in the future, more than enough time for civilizations to rise and fall and give our future antiquities dealers something to pick through. Many languages have come and gone in that time. Notably, modern English vanished in the third millennium, and modern French only lasted a millenium more before both languages became only known by their written form -- no one has recordings to know how they sounded.
* In ''Literature/ACanticleForLeibowitz'', English and Latin have this status for the Church. One aspiring monk remarks on the strangeness of English grammar.
* High Imperial in ''Franchise/{{Mistborn}}'''s ''Literature/WaxAndWayne'' books is the language once spoken by [[spoiler:Spook]] the Lord Mistborn, founder of the new civilization, and is now only used in old historical documents and occasional government ceremonies. To readers, it's Spook's bizarre street slang from [[Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy the Original Trilogy]].
* Kens is the Kencyr language in ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath''. High Kens is a super formal and archaic form of the langugage. The scholarly Jaran's battle cry is in High Kens, in the vein of SmartPeopleKnowLatin.
* ''Literature/MissPeregrinesHomeForPeculiarChildren'': Old Peculiar. Some peculiar-specific vocabulary comes from Old Peculiar, like ''syndrigasti'' and ''ymbryne'', and there's one song in it. But even Millard--who prides himself as a scholar of all things peculiar--only knows a little, and there's definitely no one having conversations in Old Peculiar.
* The ''Literature/GentlemanBastard'' series has Throne Therin, the courtly language of the defunct Therin Empire. Amusingly, WordOfGod [[http://www.scottlynch.us/faq.html states]] that the Therin nobility {{invoked|Trope}} this, [[ConLang creating]] a "tarted-up" version of common Therin to set them apart from the common folk and flaunt their erudition.
* Latatian, the language of the ancient Ankh-Morpork Empire, in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''. Used by wizards, lawyers, and doctors, all of whom reckon that their professions are greatly enhanced if ordinary folk don't understand a word they're saying. In the same way as modern Morporkian ''just happens'' to be identical to 20th century English, Latatian bears a remarkable resemblance to CanisLatinicus. There is also [[UsefulNotes/{{Greece}} Classical Ephebian]].

to:

** Quenya serves in the same capacity for the Elves, being the language spoken by the Elves who (at least momentarily) lived with the [[PhysicalGod Valar]] in the Undying Lands.
Lands. The Elves of the Third Age mostly use it for poetry and formal literature, and speak a distinct tongue among themselves.
** Khuzdul (Dwarvish) is a static, ceremonial language, and Dwarves rarely speak their own tongue to outsiders outside of their BattleCry (and presumably the hearers are expected to soon be dead). When talking to outsiders and sometimes even among themselves themselves, they use Common Speech. And if If an outsider knows Khuzdul, that is a sure sign that they are considered to be a very honored friend and possibly that they have [[GoingNative Gone Native]].
* The Old Tongue in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', precursor to ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'': In the CommonTongue used in the books. It was similarly the universal language in its own time, and is now used mainly by nobles to show off their status, much as Latin was in the real medieval age.
* There's ''Literature/InheritanceCycle's'' Ancient Language. As an added bonus, it's a LanguageOfMagic and LanguageOfTruth, which probably explains why it's no longer in common use.
* In ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'',
setting, which takes place in the 43rd century, more or less, English is a dead language, which [[TheOlderImmortal Lazarus Long]] insists on speaking when dealing with the Howards.
* At the end of ''[[Literature/LordPeterWimsey Gaudy Night]]'', Wimsey makes his last marriage proposal to Harriet Vane in Latin and she accepts in the same language ("Placet," meaning "it pleases"). They're both highly educated graduates of Oxford University, where the novel is set. The event is special, in that Wimsey unsuccessfully proposed marriage to Harriet (in the vernacular) '''repeatedly''' over the course of several years and several novels.
* The ''Literature/AlexBenedict'' novels take place 9,600 years in the future, more than enough time for civilizations to rise and fall and give our future antiquities dealers something to pick through. Many languages have come and gone in that time. Notably, modern English vanished in the third millennium, and modern French only lasted a millenium more before both languages became only known by their written form -- no one has recordings to know how they sounded.
* In ''Literature/ACanticleForLeibowitz'', English and Latin have this status for the Church. One aspiring monk remarks on the strangeness of English grammar.
*
''Literature/WaxAndWayne'': High Imperial in ''Franchise/{{Mistborn}}'''s ''Literature/WaxAndWayne'' books is the language once spoken by [[spoiler:Spook]] the Lord Mistborn, founder of the new civilization, and is now only used in old historical documents and occasional government ceremonies. To readers, it's Spook's bizarre street slang from [[Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy the Original Trilogy]].
* Kens is ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': The Old Tongue, precursor to the Kencyr CommonTongue used in the books. It was similarly the universal language in ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath''. High Kens is a super formal its own time, and archaic form of the langugage. The scholarly Jaran's battle cry is in High Kens, now used mainly by nobles to show off their status, much as Latin was in the vein of SmartPeopleKnowLatin.
* ''Literature/MissPeregrinesHomeForPeculiarChildren'': Old Peculiar. Some peculiar-specific vocabulary comes from Old Peculiar, like ''syndrigasti'' and ''ymbryne'', and there's one song in it. But even Millard--who prides himself as a scholar of all things peculiar--only knows a little, and there's definitely no one having conversations in Old Peculiar.
* The ''Literature/GentlemanBastard'' series has Throne Therin, the courtly language of the defunct Therin Empire. Amusingly, WordOfGod [[http://www.scottlynch.us/faq.html states]] that the Therin nobility {{invoked|Trope}} this, [[ConLang creating]] a "tarted-up" version of common Therin to set them apart from the common folk and flaunt their erudition.
* Latatian, the language of the ancient Ankh-Morpork Empire, in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''. Used by wizards, lawyers, and doctors, all of whom reckon that their professions are greatly enhanced if ordinary folk don't understand a word they're saying. In the same way as modern Morporkian ''just happens'' to be identical to 20th century English, Latatian bears a remarkable resemblance to CanisLatinicus. There is also [[UsefulNotes/{{Greece}} Classical Ephebian]].
real medieval age.



* {{Downplayed}} on ''Series/{{Grimm}}'' when Nick needs a text translated that is written in a medieval dialect of German. Monroe explains that the dialect has not been used in a long time but he can still translate it because it is close enough to modern German. Played straighter with the cloth covering the Templar treasure, which has writing in Aramaic and Latin. Rosalee can translate some of the Latin, but says it's archaic Latin, not Classical Latin (which, ironically given the trope name, would be easier to translate).
* It's mentioned in one episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' that French has become a dead language.
* Old High Gallifreyan in ''Series/DoctorWho'' is the ancient language of the Time Lords, since become so obscure that the Doctor writes a diary in the language to ensure it can't be read by others.

to:

* {{Downplayed}} on ''Series/{{Grimm}}'' when Nick needs a text translated that is written in a medieval dialect of German. Monroe explains that the dialect has not been used in a long time but he can still translate it because it is close enough to modern German. Played straighter with the cloth covering the Templar treasure, which has writing in Aramaic and Latin. Rosalee can translate some of the Latin, but says it's archaic Latin, not Classical Latin (which, ironically given the trope name, would be easier to translate).
* It's mentioned in one episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' that French has become a dead language.
*
''Series/DoctorWho'': Old High Gallifreyan in ''Series/DoctorWho'' is the ancient language of the Time Lords, since become so obscure that the Doctor writes a diary in the language to ensure it can't be read by others.others.
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' has Old Luxan, which D'Argo needs specialized TranslatorMicrobes (as opposed to the regular ones everyone has) to understand, and which Jool disparages him for not knowing. There's also an ancient Hynerian language, which Rygel ''does'' know as he's their deposed emperor.



-->''Finish The Task, Reveal Their Guilt, Eat Their Flesh...''
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' has Old Luxan, which D'Argo needs specialized TranslatorMicrobes (as opposed to the regular ones everyone has) to understand, and which Jool disparages him for not knowing. There's also an ancient Hynerian language, which Rygel ''does'' know as he's their deposed emperor.

to:

-->''Finish The the Task, Reveal Their Guilt, Eat Their Flesh...''
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' ''Series/{{Grimm}}'': {{Downplayed}} when Nick needs a text translated that is written in a medieval dialect of German. Monroe explains that the dialect has Old Luxan, not been used in a long time but he can still translate it because it is close enough to modern German. Played straighter with the cloth covering the Templar treasure, which D'Argo needs specialized TranslatorMicrobes (as opposed to has writing in Aramaic and Latin. Rosalee can translate some of the regular ones everyone has) to understand, and which Jool disparages him for Latin, but says it's archaic Latin, not knowing. There's also an ancient Hynerian language, which Rygel ''does'' know as he's their deposed emperor.Classical Latin (which, ironically given the trope name, would be easier to translate).
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': It's mentioned in one episode that French has become a dead language.



** In the default setting, Draconic is one of the most ancient languages still in use, partly thanks to its use in magical notation and partly because dragons are candidates for longest-lived non-immortal creatures.



** In the default setting, Draconic is one of the most ancient languages still in use, partly thanks to its use in magical notation and partly because dragons are candidates for longest-lived non-immortal creatures.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'''s Golarion setting, the language of the [[AdvancedAncientHumans ancient Azlanti empire]] hasn't been used in millennia, but has been incorporated into the {{common tongue}}s of Taldane and Varisian and can still be found in some ruins.
* High Gothic of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''. It's rendered as DogLatin in the books as a TranslationConvention, per WordOfGod.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} Fantasy'' had (at least in earlier editions) the Latin expy called Classical language. Not surprising given the setting's tendency for FantasyCounterpartCulture.
* Among Darrians in ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'' the Old Script ''Yaser Te-yulep'' is used for poetry and legal documents and the Roman Script ''Rome Te-yelup'' is used generally.



* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': The language of the [[AdvancedAncientHumans ancient Azlanti empire]] hasn't been used in millennia, but has been incorporated into the {{common tongue}}s of Taldane and Varisian and can still be found in some ruins.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'': Among Darrians, the Old Script ''Yaser Te-yulep'' is used for poetry and legal documents and the Roman Script ''Rome Te-yelup'' is used generally.
%%* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': High Gothic. It's rendered as DogLatin in the books as a TranslationConvention.
* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'' had (at least in earlier editions) the Latin expy called Classical language. Not surprising given the setting's tendency for FantasyCounterpartCulture.



%% * Ancient Hylian in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''.
* Several in ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''. Most prominent is Aldmeris, the language of the Aldmer (Old or First Elves), {{Precursors}} to all of the modern [[OurElvesAreDifferent races of Mer (Elves)]]. It parallels Latin in that it didn't so much die out as evolve into several distinct but clearly related languages, some living and others, like [[OurDwarvesAreDifferent Dwemeris]] and the Falmer language, extinct. Translating Dwemeris is a side-quest plot point in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' while translating the Falmer language is a side-quest plot point in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]''. Rediscovering the language of the dragons (Dovahzul) is a main quest plot point in ''Skyrim''.
* The Ancient Language in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'' is used as a [[LanguageOfMagic spellcasting language]] in most contemporary settings and is the primary language for the Heron tribe. Most of what Princess Leanne says is in this language. In fact, it's simply [[CypherLanguage English in an invented script]]; translations can be found [[https://serenesforest.net/path-of-radiance/miscellaneous/ancient-language/ here]] and [[https://serenesforest.net/radiant-dawn/miscellaneous/ancient-language/ here]].
* In ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'' negotiating with different species requires researching their [[http://wiki.swordofthestars.com/sots1/Category:Xenotech_Technology languages]], most of them have three, a "CommonTongue" that allows Ceasefire agreements, a secondary language that allows the formation of alliances or Non-Aggresion Pacts, and a third that enables tech sharing and demands for their surrender. Humanity's are English, Latin, and Hanzi.
* For ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'', Creator/BioWare commissioned a 2,500 word ConLang called [[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/19/arts/do-you-speak-tho-fan-its-all-the-rage-in-jade-empire.html Tho Fan]], also known in universe as "the Old Tongue". Though, they ended up using it to save memory on dialogue as they could get away with using only a few sentences in what would sound like gibberish to most players, and the majority of [=NPCs=] speak "English" anyways.

to:

%% * Ancient Hylian in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''.
* Several in ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''. Most prominent is
''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': Aldmeris, the language of the Aldmer (Old or First Elves), {{Precursors}} to all of the modern [[OurElvesAreDifferent races of Mer (Elves)]]. It parallels Latin in that it didn't so much die out as evolve into several distinct but clearly related languages, some living and others, like [[OurDwarvesAreDifferent Dwemeris]] and the Falmer language, extinct. Translating Dwemeris is a side-quest plot point in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' while translating the Falmer language is a side-quest plot point in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]''. Rediscovering the language of the dragons (Dovahzul) is a main quest plot point in ''Skyrim''.
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'': The Ancient Language in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'' is used as a [[LanguageOfMagic spellcasting language]] in most contemporary settings and is the primary language for the Heron tribe. Most of what Princess Leanne says is in this language. In fact, it's simply [[CypherLanguage English in an invented script]]; translations can be found [[https://serenesforest.net/path-of-radiance/miscellaneous/ancient-language/ here]] and [[https://serenesforest.net/radiant-dawn/miscellaneous/ancient-language/ here]].
* In ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'' negotiating with different species requires researching their [[http://wiki.swordofthestars.com/sots1/Category:Xenotech_Technology languages]], most of them have three, a "CommonTongue" that allows Ceasefire agreements, a secondary language that allows the formation of alliances or Non-Aggresion Pacts, and a third that enables tech sharing and demands for their surrender. Humanity's are English, Latin, and Hanzi.
* For ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'',
''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'': Creator/BioWare commissioned a 2,500 word ConLang called [[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/19/arts/do-you-speak-tho-fan-its-all-the-rage-in-jade-empire.html Tho Fan]], also known in universe as "the Old Tongue". Though, they They ended up using it to save memory on dialogue as they could get away with using only a few sentences in what would sound like gibberish to most players, and the majority of [=NPCs=] speak "English" anyways.anyways.
%%* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': Ancient Hylian.
* ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'': Negotiating with different species requires researching their [[http://wiki.swordofthestars.com/sots1/Category:Xenotech_Technology languages]]. Most of them have three, a "CommonTongue" that allows Ceasefire agreements, a secondary language that allows the formation of alliances or non-aggresion pacts, and a third that enables tech sharing and demands for their surrender. Humanity's are English, Latin, and Hanzi.



* In ''Webcomic/EarsForElves'', some children argue about the proper pronunciation of "Taurë", the word for "wood elves" in the Forgotten Tongue. It's the first part of the name of the Taurëcuiva Festival.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'', the dead Old Tainish language has been replaced by Tainish and [[CommonTongue Continental]] in common speech, but is still studied extensively as the LanguageOfMagic. Since it's the only language the BackgroundMagicField of the Khert understands, spell composers put a lot of work into rediscovering long-lost bits of vocabulary.

to:

* In ''Webcomic/EarsForElves'', some ''Webcomic/EarsForElves'': Some children argue about the proper pronunciation of "Taurë", the word for "wood elves" in the Forgotten Tongue. It's the first part of the name of the Taurëcuiva Festival.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'', the ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': The dead Old Tainish language has been replaced by Tainish and [[CommonTongue Continental]] in common speech, but is still studied extensively as the LanguageOfMagic. Since it's the only language the BackgroundMagicField of the Khert understands, spell composers put a lot of work into rediscovering long-lost bits of vocabulary.



* ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'' has a RunningGag where French has become one by the year 3000.

to:

* ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'' ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' has a RunningGag where French has become one by the year 3000.



** The Orthodox Sephardi also traditionally considered Hebrew a holy tongue, and their own common language was Ladino. Unfortunately, unlike Yiddish, which developed among Eastern European Jews who were forcibly segregated from the rest of the community, and therefore was not very much like German, Ladino was invented by Spanish and Portuguese Jews who lived in a Muslim-dominated society, which meant they were tolerated and allowed to mingle - which means that modern Ladino sounds almost exactly like Spanish, with hardly any Hebrew influence—to the point where the official language regulator for Ladino in Israel is a member of the ''Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española'', the general council of Spanish-language regulators. Which is why most modern Sephardim just prefer Hebrew.
* Arabic is an interesting case. Classical Arabic--the flowery language of Literature/TheQuran--is unquestionably dead, but it's not difficult to understand for one who speaks Modern Standard Arabic, which is less flowery and more businesslike. However, nobody speaks MSA as a first language, either: they speak one of the numerous varieties of Arabic. However, none of these are traditionally written down, and high-class colloquial Arabic blends seamlessly into MSA anyhow. The result is that while Classical Arabic is a classical language for Arabs (and a holy language for Muslims, Arab or otherwise), Arabic in general is very much alive.[[note]]The same process is how we got from Latin to the various Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian, etc.), incidentally. Vulgar Latin, the form spoken by the masses, gradually broke up into different dialects that evolved in different directions. The difference is that the printing press and widespread literacy--and eventually broadcast media and the Internet--arrived in the Arab world before the split was complete. One of the peculiar discoveries of recent Arabic linguistics is that if you write most Arabic dialects in Arabic script and use etymological spellings, Arabic-speakers can mostly understand passages in each other's dialects even if they wouldn't have a clue what was going on if the passages were read out loud. As it turns out, grammatical differences between most dialects aren't big enough to affect understanding, the pronunciation differences are mostly elided by the script (variant vowels are hidden because Arabic script leaves them out and variant consonants follow consistent sound laws and are thus covered up through etymological spelling), and vocabulary differences are easy to resolve for an educated speaker (as they usually derive from synonyms or near-synonyms in Classical Arabic). This discovery became widespread with the advent of the Internet, as Arabic-speakers increasingly needed to spell out their vernacular speech for chats, text messaging, Facebook posts, tweets, and so on.[[/note]]
* Classical or Literary UsefulNotes/{{Chinese|Language}} differs from modern vernacular Chinese mostly in style and vocabulary, one of the more salient features being the lack of multi-character words. It survives mostly in literature, certain formal contexts, and school exams.
** Classical Chinese provides a straight example in Chinese-influenced, but non-Chinese countries, such as Vietnam, Korea, or Japan. The educated elites of the bygone era in these countries could read and write classical Chinese easily. The peasants of their own time or their modern descendants, not so much.

to:

** The Orthodox Sephardi also traditionally considered Hebrew a holy tongue, and their own common language was Ladino. Unfortunately, unlike Yiddish, which developed among Eastern European Jews who were forcibly segregated from the rest of the community, and therefore was not very much like German, Ladino was invented by Spanish and Portuguese Jews who lived in a Muslim-dominated society, which meant they were tolerated and allowed to mingle - -- which means that modern Ladino sounds almost exactly like Spanish, with hardly any Hebrew influence—to influence -- to the point where the official language regulator for Ladino in Israel is a member of the ''Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española'', the general council of Spanish-language regulators. Which is why most modern Sephardim just prefer Hebrew.
* Arabic is an interesting case. Classical Arabic--the Arabic -- the flowery language of Literature/TheQuran--is Literature/TheQuran -- is unquestionably dead, but it's not difficult to understand for one who speaks Modern Standard Arabic, which is less flowery and more businesslike. However, nobody speaks MSA as a first language, either: they speak one of the numerous varieties of Arabic. However, none of these are traditionally written down, and high-class colloquial Arabic blends seamlessly into MSA anyhow. The result is that while Classical Arabic is a classical language for Arabs (and a holy language for Muslims, Arab or otherwise), Arabic in general is very much alive.[[note]]The same process is how we got from Latin to the various Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian, etc.), incidentally. Vulgar Latin, a simplified version of the elaborate Classical Latin and the form spoken by the masses, gradually broke up into different dialects that evolved in different directions. The difference is that the printing press and widespread literacy--and literacy -- and eventually broadcast media and the Internet--arrived Internet -- arrived in the Arab world before the split was complete. One of the peculiar discoveries of recent Arabic linguistics is that if you write most Arabic dialects in Arabic script and use etymological spellings, Arabic-speakers can mostly understand passages in each other's dialects even if they wouldn't have a clue what was going on if the passages were read out loud. As it turns out, grammatical differences between most dialects aren't big enough to affect understanding, the pronunciation differences are mostly elided by the script (variant vowels are hidden because Arabic script leaves them out and variant consonants follow consistent sound laws and are thus covered up through etymological spelling), and vocabulary differences are easy to resolve for an educated speaker (as they usually derive from synonyms or near-synonyms in Classical Arabic). This discovery became widespread with the advent of the Internet, as Arabic-speakers increasingly needed to spell out their vernacular speech for chats, text messaging, Facebook posts, tweets, and so on.[[/note]]
* Classical or Literary UsefulNotes/{{Chinese|Language}} differs from modern vernacular Chinese mostly in style and vocabulary, one of the more salient features being the lack of multi-character words. It survives mostly in literature, certain formal contexts, and school exams.
**
exams. Classical Chinese provides a straight example in Chinese-influenced, but non-Chinese countries, such as Vietnam, Korea, or Japan. The educated elites of the bygone era in these countries could read and write classical Chinese easily. The peasants of their own time or their modern descendants, not so much.



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[[/folder]][[/folder]]
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* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'': Latin is the standard academic language in [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy Mythic Europe]]. Characters need to have a formal education to learn it, and it's necessary in order to learn Academic Knowledge [[SkillScoresAndPerks abilities]]. It's also the common language of European MagicalSociety, used in tribunal meetings and in magical scholarship.

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* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'': Latin is the standard academic language in [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy Mythic Europe]]. Characters need to have a formal education to learn it, and it's necessary in order to learn Academic Knowledge most [[SkillScoresAndPerks abilities]]. Academic abilities]] are only taught in Latin. It's also the common language of European MagicalSociety, used in tribunal meetings and in [[LatinIsMagic magical scholarship.scholarship]].
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* Latatian, the language of the ancient Ankh-Morpork Empire, in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''. Used by wizards, lawyers, and doctors, all of whom reckon that their professions are greatly enhanced if ordinary folk don't understand a word they're saying. In the same way as modern Morporkian ''just happens'' to be identical to 20th century English, Latatian bears a remarkable resemblance to CanisLatinicus.

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* Latatian, the language of the ancient Ankh-Morpork Empire, in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''. Used by wizards, lawyers, and doctors, all of whom reckon that their professions are greatly enhanced if ordinary folk don't understand a word they're saying. In the same way as modern Morporkian ''just happens'' to be identical to 20th century English, Latatian bears a remarkable resemblance to CanisLatinicus. There is also [[UsefulNotes/{{Greece}} Classical Ephebian]].
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* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'': Latin is the standard academic language in [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy Mythic Europe]]. Characters need to have a formal education to learn it, and it's necessary in order to learn Academic Knowledge [[SkillScoresAndPerks abilities]]. It's also the common language of European MagicalSociety, used in tribunal meetings and in magical scholarship.
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None

Added DiffLines:

* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': The Genasi see primordial as the world's proto-language and a source of national pride. Haara can also speak it, due to growing up in their empire as a slave.
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Wiki/ namespace cleaning.


See also: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_language classical language]] on Wiki/TheOtherWiki.

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See also: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_language classical language]] on Wiki/TheOtherWiki.
Website/TheOtherWiki.
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* Latatian, the language of the ancient Ankh-Morpork Empire, in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''. Used by wizards, lawyers, and doctors, all of whom reckon that their professions are greatly enhanced if ordinary folk don't understand a word they're saying. In the same way as modern Morporkian ''just happens'' to be identical to 20th century English, Latatian bears a remarkable resemblance to CanisLatinus.

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* Latatian, the language of the ancient Ankh-Morpork Empire, in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''. Used by wizards, lawyers, and doctors, all of whom reckon that their professions are greatly enhanced if ordinary folk don't understand a word they're saying. In the same way as modern Morporkian ''just happens'' to be identical to 20th century English, Latatian bears a remarkable resemblance to CanisLatinus.CanisLatinicus.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* Latatian, the language of the ancient Ankh-Morpork Empire, in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''. Used by wizards, lawyers, and doctors, all of whom reckon that their professions are greatly enhanced if ordinary folk don't understand a word they're saying. In the same way as modern Morporkian ''just happens'' to be identical to 20th century English, Latatian bears a remarkable resemblance to CanisLatinus.

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