Your race specifies the languages your character will speak by default, and the backstory can give you some more Languages of DND 5E to choose from. In this post, you will have access to the Full list of standard and exotic languages spoken by humans and humanoids in Dragon and dungeon 5th edition (DND 5E). Draconic is the language of dragons and is perhaps the oldest of them all. Giant, Elven, and Dwarven are also ancient languages.
The oldest known date of human languages is approximately three to four thousand years. They come from four main cultural groups namely Chondat Ansky, Imaskar, Nar, and Netherese which had their languages, some of which have survived to this day in altered forms after centuries of mixing and trading.
Some of these languages are families of languages with numerous dialects. For example, the Primary Language may include the Aquan, Auran, Ignan, and Terran dialects, one for each of the four elemental planes. So, creatures speaking different dialects of the same language can communicate with each other easily.
Common Language
All speaking people from different countries have their native language. In addition, all humans and many non-humans speak Common as in a second language. Common grew out of Chondathan only with little difference though it is much simpler and less expressive.
The nuances of speech, designations, and phrases are better conveyed in older, more mature languages since Common is a little more than a trade language. The great advantage of the Common, of course, is its prevalence. Everyone in the Heartlands speaks Common well enough to conduct any, even the most secret conversations.
Alphabets
The human and humanoid languages of Faerнаn use six sets of characters for writing: Thorass, human symbology; Espruar, a notation invented by the elves; Detek, runes created by dwarves; Dragon, dragon alphabet; Celestial who came long ago through contact with the good peoples of other planes; and an Infernal brought from outsider fiends.
The Languages of DND 5E are divided into two major categories
Standard or Conventional languages are Giants and spoken by giants and ogres, Dwarf spoken by gnomes, Goblin by goblinoids, Elven by elves, General by humans, Orcish by orcs, Halflings by halflings, and Dwarven spoken by dwarves.
Exotic languages are Sylvan language is spoken by fae creatures, Underground spoken by Underdark merchants, Primary spoken by elementals, Heavenly spoken by celestials, Infernal spoken by devils, Draconic spoken by dragons and Dragonborn, Out of the abyss spoken by demons, and Deep Speech is the language of the illithids and evil eyes.
Other exotic Languages and explorer’s guides to wildemount
Zemniansky
This ancient language was spoken by the inhabitants of Zemniaz in the era of Arcanum. This ancient culture fell long ago, but its language and its people continue to live in the Dwendal Empire. Many of the Elder Scrolls were written in Zemnian, but this language is now primarily spoken by farmers, as Common is now the Empire’s default language.
Marquesian
The Beast Coast was inhabited by colonists from the arid lands of the Marche, and their language now occupies an unusual position in the Concord Clovis. It is the language of the elite, as many of Clovis’s elite descend from the Marquis, but it is also the language of pirates, as countless lower-class Marquis left Concorde and formed the Feasting Pirates.
Naush
Originally spoken by the inhabitants of the Ki’Nau Isles, natives of the Beast Coast, the naush is a thriving language in the multicultural cities of Concord Clovis. Even sailors who only speak Common have dozens of Naush words in their maritime jargon.
Daelkir Language
This is the language of the Daelkir and their creatures, as well as those of the other inhabitants of the Xoriath plane. The Daelkir brought their tongue with them from Xoriath when they first invaded Eberron. The Daelkir language is the progenitor of the language of the Deep Speech.
Vedalken Language
Technical treatises and catalogues of information about the natural world and the aether that pervades it are well-known in the Vedalken language.
Gitsky
The Gitas use a writing system consisting of letter symbols arranged in circular clusters called tir’su. Each “spoke” of the wheel corresponds to a letter of the alphabet. Each cluster of symbols is a word, therefore any tir’su will form phrases and sentences.
Both Githyankas and Gitserai speak Gitsky, though each race has its distinct dialect and accent, they have different ways of writing tir’su.
Loross
The language spoken by the Netherilians is a dead language. Very few creatures in modern times know about it, let alone communicate using it. Lorossus used the Draconic alphabet in their writing, while the spoken language had much in common with Elvish due to the cultural influence of the Elves on Netheril’s civilization.
An Elven-speaking character can understand what a Loross-speaking creature is saying, and vice versa. A character with a Sage or Scholarly Hermit backstory, or a sorcerer with the invocation of “Eyes of the Rune-Keeper,” can translate what Loross has written without stats checking.
Githyankis write tir’su clockwise, starting from the top. The Gitcerai use the same symbols but play their tir’su counterclockwise, starting from the bottom.
Qualith
The mind flayer writing known as qualith is not just a collection of symbols representing sounds or ideas. The inscription on qualith reflects the thoughts of the creator and psionically conveys them to a fresh body, who later reads the inscription by touching it with his tentacles.
Mind flayers write in qualith, psionically typing their messages on nonmagical, inanimate material held or stroked by tentacles. Writing will cause minor changes to the surface of the object, and scratching or decay of the material can also erase or destroy the inscription.
Expression in qualith consists of four-line stanzas, packed in intersecting blocks, creating complex patterns that are not decipherable for other creatures. However, anyone who touches the Kualit inscription can get a fragmentary idea of the multi-layered thoughts it contains.
A non-illithid who wants to understand the inscription in qualith can make an Intelligence check and try to identify some of the meaning of the inscription. Multiple successful attempts can reveal different sides of the author’s illithid, the meaning of the inscription, and who it was written for.
This great list must have given you a deep understanding of various languages of DND 5E, giving you the full lists of standard and exotic languages you’d come across while playing your role in the Dungeons and Dragons game.