The Githyanki Language.

The way githyanki speak differs wildly from the mode of speech adopted by their githzerai cousins. That is not to say, however, that they speak entirely different languages - it would in fact be more accurate to say that they speak vastly different dialects. Githyanki speech sounds vastly different to githzerai talk when first heard, although with a little experience and concentration, the similarities become apparent. A student of the actual speech patterns of these races will observe that a common language lies beneath both of their dialects. We normally call this the Gith Tongue, although githkindgenerally describe their language as (to offer a rough translation) ‘sword-speak’.

The main characteristic of the githyanki sword-speak is that it has been adapted for use on the battlefield. Such is the extent to which the language has been refined that it seems almost completely impenetrable to outsiders.Long, complex instructions have been whittled down to simple barked commands, stripped of any elaboration and even, according to Samael Johansen, author of the Common-Gith Dictionary, of any meaningful components whatsoever. Such modification of the language serves two purposes on the battlefield. It ensures that orders can be given quickly, saving valuable time; and further more it minimises any chance on the enemy’s part of understanding what is being said. The hyper-abbreviated, ultra-truncated githyanki patois is a triumph of linguistic encryption.

Phonetically, githyanki speech has little relation to our own Common Tongue. Hisses, barks and clicks are not unknown, making the resultant cacophony sound a little reptilian and completely inhuman. Punctuation seems to occur almost at random, before, after or even in the middle of words, again making their speech hard to follow. Johansen observes that the language appears to have a few vague similarities to the dialects spoken by kobolds and lizardfolk on the Prime. As unlikely as this may sound, his suggestion does have some merit when one considers that kobolds and lizardfolk are in fact Draconic-speaking peoples.One of the few races with which githyanki can be said to be at all friendly is the species Draco Conflagratio Horribilis or, as it is commonly known, the red dragon. Githyanki on the Prime will almost always work with these unpleasant creatures, and since their co-operation goes back thousands of years, it would hardly be surprising if there were some draconic influence on the githyanki tongue.

Unsurprisingly, many githyanki might also have Draconic among their languages; usually the gish will be speakers of this language, although there are occasionally cases where no Draconic-speaking githyanki are available for a mission on the Prime. If this is in fact the case, one who is not so blessed will instead carry a ring of Gith’s bargain, allowing them to communicate normally with their red dragon allies. Even if this capability fails them, there is always the option of telepathic communication.

Telepathy plays a rather important role in githyanki communication. Githyanki psions are almost as common as their own warlocks, and many githwarriors harbour some psychic talent too. It is not too much of a stretch of the imagination to imagine a band of githwarriors linked together in psychic rapport whenfighting, sharing their instinct and thus reducing the need for complex instructions. This in itself provides an alternate explanation for the characteristic githyanki ultra-abbreviation; a few heard words accompanied bytelepathic signals to put the message in context.

-EhlonIdlewild