Language desk
< July 1	<< Jun \| July \| Aug >>	July 3 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

July 2[edit]

Highborn English[edit]

So me and my friends has been playing a lot of JRPGs (FF12, FF Tactics and Octopath Traveler) and we noticed that a lot of highborn people speak English in interesting ways. They used interesting phrases like mayhap, perchance and pray tell. We call this speaking style highborn English, is there an actual term of this? Is there more example phrases of this English style. Me and my friend want to try to speak like that 121.211.242.59 (talk) 15:20, 2 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Those kinds of words these days are probably best known from Shakespeare (“To sleep – perchance to dream" etc). They're just outdated terms, which makes them stand out. Fgf10 (talk) 15:44, 2 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Technically, it's called Early Modern English. Generally, nobody speaks like that anymore (outside of video games that is), however English people occasionally use outdated words and phrases for comic effect; this article, What Is an Archaism? tries to explain. Alansplodge (talk) 16:16, 2 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Forsooth, it hath gone the way of the dodo (at least that is what methinks). Clarityfiend (talk) 20:29, 2 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

There is an association between high linguistic register and archaism. Partly because fancy people are taught with the classics, partly because they're taught prescriptivist grammar that holds on to older rules on what's correct. I imagine that this might be showing up in these games because of the fantasy elements that have an old flavor, and perhaps to emulate some register differences in the Japanese. If you want to play with this kind of speech, first get a hold on the very simple grammar. Do not emulate games like Chrono Trigger, where the translators made an embarrassing mess of their fake early modern English. Check the inflection: I have, thou (singular) hast, you (plural) have, she hath, they have. You can't go wrong reading a little Shakespeare. Another good source would be people like your American "founding fathers" types, whose writings can be (to us) circuitous, florid, redundant, and precise in a way that feels nicely aged. Or check out some of the characters in the TV show Deadwood. Some of them do a beautiful version of old talk, in a way that feels more high fantasy than old West. Temerarius (talk) 21:23, 2 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Give me perchance, mayhaps, gadzooks and forsooth any day, over "So me and my friends has been playing ...". Sorry. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 08:30, 3 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Don't all Aussies speak like the OP, Jack?--Phil Holmes (talk) 08:53, 3 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

If only one counter-example is required, I'm it. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:47, 3 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

In the Society for Creative Anachronism it is (or was) called "speaking forsoothly". —Tamfang (talk) 06:32, 5 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

And in written material it can be called Wardour Street English. Deor (talk) 14:30, 5 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]