How many of you have watched the newer series of Doctor Who? This is from 2005 onwards. The Doctor, a traveller through time and space, has a telepathic time machine called a TARDIS. It telepathically links you to the appropriate language wherever you are in space and time so that it seems that everyone is conversing in their own native language. For us that would be English.
My question: how does this sort of explanation square with Planeswalkers?
Let us take Elspeth Tirel (Babe Errant) as an example. She comes from an unknown plane, visited Alara, Zendikar and Theros. Other PWs have, of course, visited multiple planes as well. Does a person’s spark automatically allow them to overcome the language barrier present between planes? Or are we to believe that people on all planes speak English?
This has always bothered me too! I vaguely recall Doug Beyer answering this question once and his response was basically "Suspension of Disbelief", which is unsatisfying. If we assume people's speech is being "translated" into English for us but proper nouns are not, Theros clearly speaks Greek, Innistrad a mixture of German and Dutch, etc. I could see Jace being able to telepathically learn languages easily, but other planeswalkers shouldn't have that luxury.
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Xantcha, Phyrexian Reject
Jodah, Archmage Eternal
Tovolar, Howlpack Alpha
Pivlic, Orzhov Informant
Crixizix, Master Engineer
Feather, Boros Peacekeeper
Marisi Coilbreaker
O-Kagachi
Gix, Phyrexian Praetor
Karn, Father of Machines
Yawgmoth, Father of Machines
Serra, Mother of All Angels
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
Leshrac the Nightwalker
Jeska, the Thrice-Touched
Elspeth Returned
Crucius the Mad
Taysir the Infinite
Urza's Head (Unglued!)
Huh! This is strange, especially since frequently there has been excused inconsistencies via goblins and Fblthp and such, even on their home planes
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My own bit of headcanon says it's a simple spell that planeswalkers learn fairly quickly. I'm sure that after a few awkward moments, it'd become a worthwhile investment to get a universal translator. I want to accept the spark making all languages understandable, but that doesn't sound fun nor does it feel right.
It's also possible that there isn't a language barrier between planes, but a language barrier between races.
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^ Well, even that sounds slightly suspect to me. At least if I’ve understood you correctly. Are you saying that one race would speak a comprehensible language across multiple planes (e.g. all goblins speaking Goblinese)?
Take our planet, for instance. Earth contains more than 7 billion ‘Creature — Human’ and they speak somewhere in the region of 6,909 different languages. It seems to me like there WOULD be a barrier between the same race on different planes.
My own bit of headcanon says it's a simple spell that planeswalkers learn fairly quickly. I'm sure that after a few awkward moments, it'd become a worthwhile investment to get a universal translator.
I’m starting to think I may have to hand wave it using this sort of rationale!
By the way, none of this lessens my enjoyment of the game — it merely had me wondering.
The Planeswalker Spark thing makes the most sense. Well, my opinion is while it's possible some humans, goblins, merfolk, etc speak differently on different planes, I think the most COMMON of language barriers is between races.
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My own bit of headcanon says it's a simple spell that planeswalkers learn fairly quickly. I'm sure that after a few awkward moments, it'd become a worthwhile investment to get a universal translator. I want to accept the spark making all languages understandable, but that doesn't sound fun nor does it feel right.
I remember in Planeswalker (novel) when Urza was speaking to Xantcha when they met in Serra's PLane, they were apparently switching languages and stuff and it irritated Serra to the point of leaving them alone.
But yeah, if all else fails... use the Spark~! It's the end answer for all Post-Mending Planeswalker mysteries.
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It amused me when it dawned on me. You know how a card is the same regardless of its language version? Moreover the text is irrelevant if you can recognize it. What if it was the spells and mana that made it all possible to communicate?
I would think the language between races is only slightly relevant, since you know, you gotta have the facilities to make certain languages possible. I figure I'd have a hard time using plosives without lips if I instead have powerful insectoid mandibles.
For the record, there is technically a language barrier.... but WotC very specifically downplays it and pretends it doesn't exist because it is nothing but a can of worms that if they acknowledge would require a LOT of time to deal with.
So they just don't.
It was one of the answers Brady Dommermuth gave in his answers thread. I'd try and get you the link, but the WotC forums are impossible to navigate now and have no functional search function.
As for humans in earth we speak diferent leguages but if you look back those are just derivations of 2 maybe 3 .
As for canon planeswalkers(old walkers) could have worked on a type of multiversal linguage or just spreated some form on the multiverse
And if so i think it would not be imposible for a spell(passive) to translate from mmenbers of the same rece derivations of the same lenguage or even for inprint a new lenguage that the other use :in your brain
I'm kinda late but I remember that discussed in-universe. AoA, mission on Kamigawa:
[Jace] whispered as he drew near, drawing on the lore of an ancient spell he rarely had opportunity to practice, one that would solve the language problem entirely. Many mages sought such magic, but they came far more easily to planeswalkers; something about the Spark, their connection to the world beyond all worlds, opened their minds more readily to the magic of meaning.
His clumsy, filthy course took him just near enough to the outermost patrol of soldiers to hear their words. At first they were unintelligible, a language he didn't know spoken in voices that were far from human. But the words passed deep into his mind, filtered through his spell, and grew clear. He still heard the Kamigawa tongue, but the meaning of the words sprang to mind half an instant after the sounds reached his ears, as though he remembered definitions he'd never actually learned.
So yes, when everything else fails, use the spark.
I'm kinda late but I remember that discussed in-universe. AoA, mission on Kamigawa:
[Jace] whispered as he drew near, drawing on the lore of an ancient spell he rarely had opportunity to practice, one that would solve the language problem entirely. Many mages sought such magic, but they came far more easily to planeswalkers; something about the Spark, their connection to the world beyond all worlds, opened their minds more readily to the magic of meaning.
So yes, when everything else fails, use the spark.
Eh, there's still a distinction between having a spark translating everything and having a better grasp on magic that translates things.
It's also possible that there isn't a language barrier between planes, but a language barrier between races.
Isn't this the standard D&D answer? People speak 'Human' with various accents, Elvish with varying accents, and most other species learn to speak human in some form.
I like the response that the Stargate producers gave to that question:
"Why does everybody in the galaxy speak English?"
"That is a very good question."
It's also possible that there isn't a language barrier between planes, but a language barrier between races.
Isn't this the standard D&D answer? People speak 'Human' with various accents, Elvish with varying accents, and most other species learn to speak human in some form.
In D&D the spell "Tongues" is a pretty low level. I assume the same is true of Magic. Probably the first thing Planeswalkers do is learn the equivalent of Tongues or buy something enchanted with it.
In the IDW comics, Dack actually uses a "minor" translation spell to read Sifa's notes on Innistrad to get the lead to travel to Grixis. The cathars were unable to read the language of the notes, but he was able to read them with his spell. I assume similar spells exist for other modes of communication.
My question: how does this sort of explanation square with Planeswalkers?
Let us take Elspeth Tirel (Babe Errant) as an example. She comes from an unknown plane, visited Alara, Zendikar and Theros. Other PWs have, of course, visited multiple planes as well. Does a person’s spark automatically allow them to overcome the language barrier present between planes? Or are we to believe that people on all planes speak English?
Xantcha, Phyrexian Reject
Jodah, Archmage Eternal
Tovolar, Howlpack Alpha
Pivlic, Orzhov Informant
Crixizix, Master Engineer
Feather, Boros Peacekeeper
Marisi Coilbreaker
O-Kagachi
Gix, Phyrexian Praetor
Karn, Father of Machines
Yawgmoth, Father of Machines
Serra, Mother of All Angels
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
Leshrac the Nightwalker
Jeska, the Thrice-Touched
Elspeth Returned
Crucius the Mad
Taysir the Infinite
Urza's Head (Unglued!)
Take our planet, for instance. Earth contains more than 7 billion ‘Creature — Human’ and they speak somewhere in the region of 6,909 different languages. It seems to me like there WOULD be a barrier between the same race on different planes.
I’m starting to think I may have to hand wave it using this sort of rationale!
By the way, none of this lessens my enjoyment of the game — it merely had me wondering.
I remember in Planeswalker (novel) when Urza was speaking to Xantcha when they met in Serra's PLane, they were apparently switching languages and stuff and it irritated Serra to the point of leaving them alone.
But yeah, if all else fails... use the Spark~! It's the end answer for all Post-Mending Planeswalker mysteries.
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I would think the language between races is only slightly relevant, since you know, you gotta have the facilities to make certain languages possible. I figure I'd have a hard time using plosives without lips if I instead have powerful insectoid mandibles.
So they just don't.
It was one of the answers Brady Dommermuth gave in his answers thread. I'd try and get you the link, but the WotC forums are impossible to navigate now and have no functional search function.
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As for canon planeswalkers(old walkers) could have worked on a type of multiversal linguage or just spreated some form on the multiverse
And if so i think it would not be imposible for a spell(passive) to translate from mmenbers of the same rece derivations of the same lenguage or even for inprint a new lenguage that the other use :in your brain
[Jace] whispered as he drew near, drawing on the lore of an ancient spell he rarely had opportunity to practice, one that would solve the language problem entirely. Many mages sought such magic, but they came far more easily to planeswalkers; something about the Spark, their connection to the world beyond all worlds, opened their minds more readily to the magic of meaning.
His clumsy, filthy course took him just near enough to the outermost patrol of soldiers to hear their words. At first they were unintelligible, a language he didn't know spoken in voices that were far from human. But the words passed deep into his mind, filtered through his spell, and grew clear. He still heard the Kamigawa tongue, but the meaning of the words sprang to mind half an instant after the sounds reached his ears, as though he remembered definitions he'd never actually learned.
So yes, when everything else fails, use the spark.
Eh, there's still a distinction between having a spark translating everything and having a better grasp on magic that translates things.
Isn't this the standard D&D answer? People speak 'Human' with various accents, Elvish with varying accents, and most other species learn to speak human in some form.
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"Why does everybody in the galaxy speak English?"
"That is a very good question."
In D&D the spell "Tongues" is a pretty low level. I assume the same is true of Magic. Probably the first thing Planeswalkers do is learn the equivalent of Tongues or buy something enchanted with it.
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