Talking The Talk

One thing that messes up some people on a RP server is how to speak. First you have to understand the “world” you are in, be it a high-tech futuristic world or a fantasy one, based in a pseudo-medieval reality. We can bring your character “to life” through speech. You don’t have to have a special accent or way of talking to others but it can offer some fun and creativity in role-playing.

Avoid leet and gamespeak. Also try to use caps and complete sentences. Shying away from most gamespeak is good also in yells and in open chat. If you must use gamespeak terms, please use [ ] or (( )) to denote ooc info on a IC Channel. Now, if such gamespeak is the “norm” for the game/world or server, you can use it more freely. The best way to get a handle on it is to see how Questgivers and NPC (Non-player Characters) actually speak. Here are some examples of speaking in a setting like World of Warcraft:

Example: “wh3r is teh AH”
Revised: “Where is the auction house?”
(yes, it’s more words, but it makes better sense.)

Example: “can any1 give meh +15 agility”
Revised: “Can anyone enchant my sword? ((+15 agility))”
Revised2: “Can anyone enchant my weapon to make it quicker?”

Adding an accent or a dialect can bring out uniqueness to your character - just use it with moderation. Too much of a “good” thing can be bad. Try to be consistent in your mannerisms and patterns but don’t stress over it - have fun.

Note: Actions and wisdom can and do outweigh fancy words. Some assume you -have- to use “olde english” and “thee” and “thou” everything. That is an old generalization - sure, if you wish to use it - go for it. Some rp’ers can pull it off well, just don’t abuse it. Same goes for broken or crude english. Broken speech or crude sentences do not have to make you an unintelligent character. Some character’s histories may limit some language types.

Example: A tech-challenged gnome, or an orc influenced by humankind.

Speech Pattern examples - actual tongues/usage may vary:
Dwarves: “Scottish/Irish/English”, from crude to proper
Blood Elves/Night Elves: “English”, from crude to proper
Draenei: Indo-European/Slavic slant, from crude to proper
Humans: “English”, from crude to proper - some Scottish/Irish.
Trolls: Island slang, “Jamaican/Cajun” influence
Orcs: “English”, from broken crude to proper
Gnomes: “English”, from crude to proper, some with a technology/techo-babble slant to it
Forsaken: “English”, from crude to proper - to downright eerie
Tauren: Spiritual/Nature wording, with Native American influence

Note: Also you will encounter cursing or less than tactful language. While it does occur in RP, it doesn’t not give one the excuse to grief or use OOCly against another. We do have chat filters, yes - but maturity is important also. So choose your words well in that regard.

Note: For Role-playing, please avoid gamespeak. Also try to use caps and complete sentences. In private channels and general, it’s fine, or chatting ooc with friends - but respect the IC channels.

Another good tip is using your racial languages - just remember that other races may not understand you. You can also make your primary language more fluent and the secondaries not as good. Also, give people a break if they are using an accent or similar. If they are trying to be in character and using accents or broken speech, give them the same respect you would want if you were doing the same.

Need more accents or dialects? There is an addon called Lore for those that play WoW (World of Warcraft). Does some amazing things for speech. But remember to use common sense.

Print This Post