From Auberdine Community Wiki
Key:
Blue - Normal Darnassian accent
Cyan - Slightly different, not always noticeable
Green - Very distinct accent, almost always noticeable
Grey - No night elven settlements in zone
Over the course of the Long Vigil, various accents have developed among the kaldorei, mostly due to isolation and local slang terms.
The degree varies region by region; vast majority lacks any significant accent, thus recognition of certain folk from stray areas becomes easier.
Contents |
Regional Accents
Ashenvale Forest
- (Please note, Ashenvale forest consists of Darkshore, proper Ashenvale and Felwood.)
During the Vigil, Ashenvale remained the core of the Kaldorei civilization (the other core being Moonglade). Thus, all other accents are compared to the standard speech of local denizens.
Felwood, though, is a peculiar case. During the Long Vigil, it served as the primary hub between Astranaar, Moonglade, Hyjal and Azshara, making travellers a very common sight. The locals, who were always known for their stubbornness, had actively tried to avoid speaking "standard" Darnassian, so as to be unique rather than become a part of the general Darnassian culture. They usally speak faster and more quietly, and consider the correct pronunciation to be superfluous; many vowels are incorrectly stressed, sometimes even differently each time the word is reused. Its influence has also been observed in the central-northern regions of Ashenvale.
Moonglade
Moonglade served as the night elven capital city during that time. Its speech thus shared many, if not all characteristics with the speech of Ashenvale Forest (by way of Darkshore).
Winterspring
- For full article, see: Winterspring Dialect
Winterspring, especially the village of Starfall, has been nearly isolated from the rest of Kaldorei society for ten millenia. As a result, the locals have started to speak with their own "slang" terms. Gradually, most villagers began shortening words in their speech, so as to not have to spend too much time on talking when out hunting bears for a winter pelt, or gathering Icecaps for the night's stew.
By now, the local dialect of Starfall Village has become indecipherable to those unfamiliar with it.
Azshara
The denizens of Azshara, although few and far between, are those who are presumed to still hold a fraction of longing after the lost Queen. Though unaccounted rumors, night elves of the eastern land still hold true to the ancient darnassian used before the Sundering.
Their speech, while hard to understand by the younger elves, reeks of ancient words no longer used in the society. Their manner is also very formal and, so to speak, almost regal. Hypercorrection is also a well known gimmick of the Azsharians. What is curious is that these elves know and speak normal, modern darnassian fluently and without any errors; they just choose not to.
Feralas
In many ways, the speech of Feralas shares its traits with that of Azshara and Felwood. Elves there are fond of using words that are no longer found in the common-day darnassian speech. Their voices are lowered, and words are said slowly and, at least, correctly.
Feralas elves differ substantially from other kaldorei due to their use of another tense that is unique to their region. It's used to describe things that are probable to happen in the future and are based on what happened in the past, or vice-versa. It's commonly used among themselves, but to an unfamiliar ear, it sounds just as a simple, although incorrectly stitched future or past tense. It is said one must be born of Feralas to truly understand its meaning.