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Version 1.0 November 15, 2000
After years of playing the World of Darkness games (i.e. Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, etc.), I have realized that my knowledge of languages is lacking. For examble, most times any Assamite characters I've created have had the ability to speak "Arabic". I decided to do a little bit of research and find out some of the languages spoken around the world.
This list can be used for any WoD game using the standard rules. I have always used a "house rule" for languages. Rather than having a Language knowledge, I count every language as a Secondary knowledge. Each character starts with 5 dots in their native language and may learn other languages by spending Freebie and Experience points. I have always felt this is a more realistic way to handle languages, giving players a degree of knowledge in each language rather than fluency with points in Language. The table lists countries along with the primary or official languages in each. Some languages will cross over in countries. Please realize that this is not a comprehensive list, and in many cases it has been simplified for game play. For example, the variations of Tai in Thailand are simply listed as one language.
Languages that are listed in BOLD type are primary languages or languages used be a large percentage of the population. Those languages listed in RED are Gypsy languages.
| World Langauges |
| Australia |
Angloromani, English,
Kala Lagaw Ya, Kriol, Malay |
| Austria |
Allemannisch, Bavarian, German, Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian,
Slovenian |
| Bahamas |
Bahamas Creole, English |
| Bangladesh |
Assamese, Bengali, Burmese, Chakma, Sylhetti |
| Belgium |
Dutch, French, German |
| Bermuda |
English |
| Brazil |
Amapa Creole, Portuguese, Vlach Romani, |
| Cambodia |
Cham, Khmer, Mandarin, Mnong |
| Canada |
Algonquin, Blackfoot, Dakota (Sioux), German, English, French,
Mohawk, Ojibwa |
| Chile |
Huilliche, Rapa Nui, Spanish, Vlach Romani |
| China |
Cantonese, Gan, Hakka, Mandarin, Min Nan, Wu, Xiang |
| Congo |
French, Kongo, Koozime, Lingala, Munukutuba, Ngbaka, Teke |
| Cuba |
Lucumi (secret Santeria ritual), Spanish |
| Denmark |
Danish, German, Traveller Danish |
| Dominican Republic |
Haitian Creole, Samana English, Spanish |
| Egypt |
Arabic, Armenian, Coptic, Domari,
Egyptian Arabic, Nobiin |
| Fiji |
English, Fijian, Fijian Hindi |
| Finland |
Finnish, Kalo Finnish Romani,
Saami, Swedish |
| France |
Alsatian, Breton, Corsican, Dutch, French, Greek, Italian, Portugeuse,
Balkan Romani, Vlach Romani |
| Germany |
Balkan Romani, Bavarian, Danish, Frankish,
German, Polish, Saxon, Sinte Romani,
Vlach Romani, Yiddish |
| Greece |
Albanian, Balkan Romani, Bulgarian,
Greek, Pontic, Macedo Romanian, Romano-Greek,
Slavic, Turkish, Vlach Romani |
| Haiti |
Haitian Creole, French |
| Hong Kong |
Cantonese, English, Hakka, Mandarin, Min Nan |
| Iceland |
Icelandic |
| India |
Assamese, Awadhi, Bengali, Bihari, Bundeli, Chhattisgarhi, Deccan, Dogri-Kangri,
Domari, Garhwali, Gujarati, Haryanvi, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Maithili,
Malayalam, Marathi, Marwari, Nepali, Oriya, Panjabi,
Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu |
| Indonesia |
Bali, Betawi, Cantonese, Indonesian, Javanese,
Mandarin, Mandura, Sunda |
| Iran |
Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Balochi, Domari,
Farsi, Gilaki, Kurdi, Kurmanji, Luri,
Mazanderani, Pashto, Turkmen |
| Ireland |
English, Gaelic |
| Israel |
Arabic, English, Hebrew, Hungarian, Judeo-Georgian, Polish,
Romanian, Russian, Yiddish |
| Italy |
Albanian, Bavarian, Corsican, French, Fruilian, German, Italian,
Ligurian, Lombard, Neapolitan-Calabrese,
Piemontese, Sicilian, Venetian |
| Jamaica |
English, Western Caribbean Creole |
| Japan |
Japanese, Korean, Okinawan |
| Kazakhstan |
German, Kazakh, Sinte Romani,
Uyghur |
| Korea |
Korean |
| Mexico |
Chatino, Chinanteco, Chol, Huasteco, Maya, Mazahua, Mazateco, Mixteco,
Nahuatl (Aztec), Spanish, Vlach Romani,
Zapoteco |
| Mongolia |
Buriat, Kalmyk-Oirat, Kazakh, Mandarin, Mongol, Russian, Tuvin |
| Myanmar |
Arkanese, Burmese, Hani, Jingpho, Karen, Shan |
| Netherlands |
Dutch, Frisian, Saxon, Sinte Romani,
Vlach Romani |
| New Zealand |
English, Maori |
| Nigeria |
Adamawa Fulfulde, Agatu, Alago, Anaang, Bana, Bata, Berom, Bokobaru, Ebira, Edo, Efik, English,
Hausa, Ibibio, Igbo, Kanuri, Nupe, Shuwa Arabic,
Tiv, Yoruba |
| Norway |
Norwegian, Saami, Traveller Norwegian,
Vlach Romani |
| Pakistan |
Bagri, Balochi, Balti, Brahui, Farsi, Gujarati, Gujari,
Hindko, Kashmiri, Panjabi, Pashto, Saraiki,
Shina, Sindhi, Urdu |
| Palau |
English, Palauan, Sonsorol |
| Panama |
Hakka, Cantonese, Guaymi, Kuna, Spanish, Western Carribean Creole |
| Peru |
Aymara, Quechua, Spanish |
| Puerto Rico |
English, Spanish |
| Poland |
Baltic Romani, Belorussian,
Carpathian Romani, German,
Kashubian, Polish, Sinte Romani,
Ukranian, Vlach Romani |
| Portugal |
Portuguese, Vlach Romani |
| Romania |
Bulgarian, Carpathian Romani, German,
Hungarian, Romanian, Serbo-Croatian, Turkish,
Vlach Romani |
| Russia |
Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Tartar,
Udmurt, Vlach Romani |
| Saudi Arabia |
Arabic |
| Singapore |
Cantonese, English, Hakka, Japanese, Malay, Mandarin,
Min Nan, Tamil, Thai |
| Solomon Islands |
Babatana, English, Malu |
| Spain |
Basque, Catalonian, Galician, Spanish |
| Sri Lanka |
English, Sinhala, Sri Lankan Malay, Tamil |
| South Africa |
Afrikaans, English, Hindi, Sotho, Swati, Tamil,
Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Zulu |
| Sweden |
Kalo Finnish Romani, Saami, Swedish,
Traveller Swedish, Vlach Romani |
| Switzerland |
French, German, Italian, Lombard,
Sinte Romani, Schwyzerdutsch |
| Taiwan |
Amis, Bunun, Hakka, Japanese, Mandarin, Min Nan,
Paiwan, Taroko |
| Thailand |
Hakka, Khmer, Malay, Min Nan, Tai, Thai, Urdu |
| Trinidad & Tobago |
Antillean Creole, Caribbean Hindi, English, Trinidad Creole |
| Turkey |
Arabic, Balkan Romani, Bulgarian,
Domari, Kirmanjki, Kurmanji,
Tartar, Turkish |
| Ukraine |
Carpathian Romani, Hungarian, Romanian,
Ukrainain, Vlach Romani |
| United Kingdom |
Cornish, English, Gaelic, Vlach Romani,
Welsh |
| United States |
Apache, Blackfoot, Cajun French, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Comanche,
Cree, Crow, Dakota (Sioux), English, German, Hawaii Creole, Hawaiian,
Hopi, Inuktitut, Keres, Louisanna French Creole, Mohawk, Navaho, Russian, Spanish,
Vlach Romani, Zuni |
| Vietnam |
Cantonese, Iu Mien, Jarai, Khmer, Nung, Tai Daeng, Tai Don, Vietnamese |
| Western Samoa |
English, Samoan |
| Ancient/Classical Langauges |
| Dead Languages |
Akkadian, Aramaic, Avestan, Etruscan, Gothic, Hurrian, Latin, Lycian, Parthian, Pelasgian, Phrygian,
Scythian, Sogdian, Sumerian, Trojan, Urartian |
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