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Toral Delvar

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We don't know when the Old Tongue was supplanted, but it was used more commonly in the time of Artur Hawking (or at least still in use after the Trolloc Wars), as one example Birgitte gives of Mat's useage is that sometimes his accent is that of a Tovan Councillor, which is unlikely if nobles at that time learned a few words from their tutors as in the time of the books, rather than using it regularly
 
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Before the Trolloc Wars, the spoken language was the Old Tongue, with a few variations, High, Common and Low. The Low version became widespread after the Trolloc Wars due to the loss of written word, being the simplest language. Books were written in it and so it survived. This did not happen instantly. The Trolloc Wars lasted for about three hundred years, during which old cities and countries were lost, even Tar Valon suffering some damage. After this it took a long time for the humankind to recover stability. Old books survived but were not widespread. People probably spoke many different languages. There were, however, Aes Sedai, long-living people. It's plausible that they spread knowledge and brought unity to humankind after long years of war and betrayal. I'd say that between the Trolloc Wars and Arthur Hawkwing's time the common language evolved from the Low version of the Old Tongue and was used by everyone on the main continent due to Aes Sedai influence and written word. Sharans probably learned the language from the Aiel who learned it from the peddlers. It's probable that the Sharans have a language of their own which they use among themselves. Arthur Hawkwing's son brought the language to Seanchan and since the Seanchan society is very rigid and against change, the language has not evolved from what it was back then. To conclude, it's not unlikely for everyone in the series to speak the same language. It just takes a long string of coincidences.
 
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Before the Trolloc Wars, the spoken language was the Old Tongue, with a few variations, High, Common and Low. The Low version became widespread after the Trolloc Wars due to the loss of written word, being the simplest language. Books were written in it and so it survived. This did not happen instantly. The Trolloc Wars lasted for about three hundred years, during which old cities and countries were lost, even Tar Valon suffering some damage. After this it took a long time for the humankind to recover stability. Old books survived but were not widespread. People probably spoke many different languages. There were, however, Aes Sedai, long-living people. It's plausible that they spread knowledge and brought unity to humankind after long years of war and betrayal. I'd say that between the Trolloc Wars and Arthur Hawkwing's time the common language evolved from the Low version of the Old Tongue and was used by everyone on the main continent due to Aes Sedai influence and written word. Sharans probably learned the language from the Aiel who learned it from the peddlers. It's probable that the Sharans have a language of their own which they use among themselves. Arthur Hawkwing's son brought the language to Seanchan and since the Seanchan society is very rigid and against change, the language has not evolved from what it was back then. To conclude, it's not unlikely for everyone in the series to speak the same language. It just takes a long string of coincidences.


I hate to shoot someone down with only one post, but you're mistaken about a lot of that.

There is no such thing as the variations of the Old Tongue as you have described.

I believe you may be mixing things up with Common, Plain and High Chants. Which are only different means of recitation used by bards and not different languages.
 
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I am not mistaken. In the books there are mentions of a vulgar (Low) form of the Old Tongue and most of the Prophesies were originally written in the High form. I believe it was Moiraine Sedai who mentioned it in the second book. It is plausible that since the Low and High forms exist, the Common form would exist as well.
 

Toral Delvar

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That would seem to be speculation
 
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I am not mistaken. In the books there are mentions of a vulgar (Low) form of the Old Tongue and most of the Prophesies were originally written in the High form. I believe it was Moiraine Sedai who mentioned it in the second book. It is plausible that since the Low and High forms exist, the Common form would exist as well.

I'm sorry but yes you are mistaken. The vulgar tongue was not a recognized form of the Old Tongue.

It was the degeneration of the old tongue into the language that is known as the New Tongue spoken as it stands today. It was what the new language springing up what known by at the time before the Old Tongue had fallen out of fashion.

Once again the prophesies are not in a high form of the Old Tongue, they just written in mind of being interpreted through the High Chant. Which again is a form of bardic recitation not a different form in the language itself.


"In the great libraries," Thom said slowly. "Any number of translations, and even in the Old Tongue, here and there." Rand started to ask if there was any way for him to find one, but the gleeman went on. "The Old Tongue has music in it, but too many even of the nobles are impatient with listening to it these days. Nobles are all expected to know the Old Tongue, but many only learn enough to impress people who don't. Translations don't have the same sound, unless they're in High Chant, and sometimes that changes meanings even more than most translations. There is one verse in the Cycle – it doesn't scan well, translated word for word, but there's no meaning lost – that goes like this.
 
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