Prose

[TrollSlayer]

How should Woses and Mermen speak?


Also, I'm having trouble getting my Dwarf to speak rough. Any suggestions?

[A-Red]

Like people. If you can create your own distinct voice for their cultures, by all means do it. If you can't make a dialect sound natural, whether it's accepted Wesnothian speech or your own invention, you shouldn't use it. Most of the Wesnoth racial "dialects" are pretty poorly used as it is.

[TrollSlayer]

Ok, thanks! I'll have an eloquent dwarf, then! xP

[thespaceinvader]

Don't bother trying to transcribe accents, would be my advice. Use words to convey how people talk, not spellings. If your dwarf is rough, keep his words short and his sentences uncomplicated.

Woses, I feel, should be slower and more long-winded.

Merfolk, flighty, and quick-talking, probably quite changeable in emotions.

[TrollSlayer]

What do you mean by slow and quick?

[thespaceinvader]

Longer sentences and particularly longer clauses. Longer words.

Quick - long sentences, but composed of shorter words and shorter clauses.

[TrollSlayer]

Hm... okay! I'll try doing that!

While you're at it, could you explain how Orcs should speak? I'm having trouble with that too.

Thanks for all your help!

[artisticdude]

While you're at it, could you explain how Orcs should speak? I'm having trouble with that too.

I'm not a very good source, but I'd imagine that the orcs would use bad grammar (such as 'me and him took the prisoner in back of the camp'). Some people try using some slang terms, but in general I think that ends up making the dialogue too modern and punk-ish, so I'd avoid it. Aside from that, I'd also make them use short and uncomplicated words, like tsi suggested for the dwarves.

But take my suggestions with a grain of salt, because, like I said, I'm no expert on the matter.

[thespaceinvader]

Orcs are crude. Bad grammar, direct speech, little flowery language, definitely avoid purple prose with them.

[A-Red]

Not flowery, certainly, but I'd also avoid making them sound like a modern high-school student's idea of a 1920s mafia thug, which is what the ones in mainline campaigns tend to sound like currently. You want them to be rough, but you don't want to turn them, or dwarves, or anyone else, into shallow caricatures.

[Icarusvogel]

Also, I think that too many grammar mistakes sound stupid - they won't be THAT bad at their own language.