Common - The most abundantly spoken language in most fantasy worlds; also known as Human tongue, peasant’s tongue, or trade tongue.  This language is constantly changing and is heavily influenced by other main languages such as elvish, dwarvish, and orcish.  Most business dealings are conducted with the use of common. Further, most business contracts are written in common.  Guild notes, money orders, and letters of credit also use common tongue for universal distribution from kingdom to kingdom. 

Note - It is important to note that there is no ancient common; older (250 years or more) dialects are vastly different and cannot offer a common basis for communication.  This is the reason that most legal documents are written in other languages.  Letters of credit, written in common, older than 50 years are commonly discarded and considered valueless. 

Elvish - Unlike other languages, Elvish changes little over time.  Most races consider it timeless yet eloquent.  Perhaps the language with the largest vocabulary elvish is very descriptive and colorful.  Three distinctive dialects of elvish exist.  Ancient Elvish (typically over 1250 years old), Aquatic-Elvish, and Modern Elvish.  Although the Dark Elves consider their language spate from Elvish, its roots are unmistakably Elvish.  Elvish is musical sounding and less guttural.

Ancient Elvish, again unlike standard languages, is less formal and more simplistic.  Many core elvish words are also magical phrases, or rather, most magical command words are derived from elvish.  Also known as the language of wizards, elvish is the best language to describe magical formulas, processes, or phenomena.  Moods, emotions, and feelings are also conveyed better with all the forms of elvish, as are artistic descriptions. 

Aquatic-elvish retains more of the ancient elvish and has been adapted for specialized use.  Vowel sounds have been adapted to underwater use, and most words have been shortened.  Visual hand movements to convey meaning typically accompany a great many of Aquatic-elvish words. 

Modern elvish is also known as wizard tongue, fay speech, or poet’s tongue.  Pleasant to listen to, modern elvish is melodious in its flow, and non-provoking in its tone.  Many non-elvish aristocracies consider elvish as the nobleman’s tongue, and it is typically seen as a sign of culture and refinement. 

Imperial Elvish is also known as bastard elvish or kings’ tongue.  It is perhaps the least melodious and contains a large number of legal terms.  Typically spoken in the high court, Imperial elvish is used sparingly.  The elven church of Time uses Imperial elvish in its most powerful ritual and proceedings. 

Dwarvish - Perhaps the most demanding language when speech is considered, dwarvish seems harsh (much like present-day German or Gaelic) to the ears of many other races.  Its written form is also difficult as many literary rules are used.  Dwarvish has more letters or symbols than any other written language.  Its letters must be precise and crisp, or the meaning of words can be distorted.  Dwarves take pride in their language and do not add to it without great thought; it is perhaps the purest of all the languages, containing very few words from other languages.  Dwarvish is an exacting language that is well under the test of time. 

Ancient Dwarvish is also known as Dwarven Runes or Runic.  This form of language is both simpler and more complicated at the same time.  Picture-graphs and letters compose ancient dwarvish (much like ancient Chinese); the number of symbols is so expansive that no single dwarf knows them all.  Most dwarves believe that a great amount of knowledge and secrets are hidden in the lost runes of ancient Dwarven.  Ancient dwarvish is rarely spoken and commonly used in diagrams and blueprints.

Imperial Dwarvish is not much different from modern Dwarvish, though very formal.  Typically used to catalog clan history, this form of the language is used in high court and formal gatherings.  This cumbersome form of the language is used to record formal agreements between guilds, clans, and/or kings.  Rarely used for technical documents, this form of dwarvish is typically reserved for politics. 

Deep Dwarven is a distinct dialect of dwarvish with dark overtones.  Only about 30% of the main Dwarven language is used with heavy modifications and references to dark arts and rituals.  Deep dwarvish is considered by most dwarves to be a bastardization of dwarvish, and as such, rarely spoken by good-aligned dwarves.  Both ancient and imperial versions of deep Dwarven exist. 

Gnomish - Both modern and ancient gnomish are complex languages with multiple rules and contradictions, both in verbal and written forms.  This language lends itself to technical writing, though it is rather long-winded.  A single word in other languages translates to a small group of words or sentences in gnomish.  Modern Gnomish is filled with obscure meanings, and two individuals reading the same passage can come up with different details while preserving the general written concepts. 

Ancient Gnomish is not much different from modern Gnomish, though it uses words that have been omitted from the modern version.  These old words are typically associated with theories or concepts that have been disproven.  There is no Imperial form of Gnomish, and the language is sufficiently complex and does not require additives with regard to politics and law.

Halfling - Modern common is very close in speech and written word to the halfling tongue.  Some halfling words are directly taken from common, especially verbs.  Many historians believe that this language was derived from a common spoken many years ago, but due to the longer lifespan of halflings when compared to humans, it did not evolve as common did.  Many of these historians call halfling ancient common; there is no form of ancient halfling or an imperial version. 

Giant Tongue - Perhaps the most cumbersome spoken language, Giant Tongue has many dialects typically linked to the various giant tribes.  Further, not all giants have the same level of sophistication or intelligence, resulting in many versions of the single word.  The giant tongue spoken by a less advanced tribe, although the same language, is not the same as the Giant tongue spoken by more advanced tribes.  Although both tribes can effectively communicate core ideas using giant tongue, deep internal meanings are simply not possible.   Further, giant races live in different geographical regions and have specialized words for environmental conditions that other giants may not understand.  All in all, this makes for a confusing language and has resulted in most of the more sophisticated giant races developing their own spoken and even written form.  The most common of these is ‘Storm Giant’.  Fire giant, cloud giant, and desert giant are also widely used. 

Ancient Giant is considered the true giant tongue devoid of racial additions and changes.  Rarely spoken by the less intelligent giant tribes, it is typically the domain of tribal shamans, chiefs, and historians.  It is a descriptive and colorful language lending itself to both poetry and song easily.  Many giants consider Ancient Giants sacred and take offense to anyone slandering or belittling them.  No known form of imperial giant tongue exists.

Orcish - Also known as dark speech, this language is very fragmented.  A simplistic core of words allows basic communication, but the communication is limited.  Moods, feelings, and emotions cannot be effectively conveyed with this language, as there are no words to describe them.  Short sentences are more the norm than long, elaborate dialog.  This language is harsh on the vocal cords, though it excels in military uses.  Precise commands can be delivered with this language, making it ideal for military situations.  Many of the dark races call Orcish, battle language.  Each orc tribe has its own dialect of Orcish that builds upon the basic language.  Typically, grunts that have specific meanings attached to them, these additions rarely modify or replace the core language.  Orcish is the common tongue of the darker races and perhaps the most widely used among them.

Although some advanced tribes have developed written versions of Orcish, no standard exists.  Written Orcish varies from tribe to tribe, making written communication very difficult.  Not noted for historical record-keeping, Orcish tribes rarely make extensive use of a written form of the language.  The notable exception to this is the simple symbolist pictographs used by many of the tribes.  Nearly all orcs recognize these symbols.  A very simplistic form of heraldry can be associated with these symbols, though the meanings are lost to most other races.  There is no form of ancient Orcish.