Quote:
Originally Posted by KiwiBird  Belgium like most countries has a multitude of dialects, perhaps surprisingly many when you take into consideration how small my country is. |
This is surprising to me. Or mayhaps I should be surprised at how few dialects there are in my country considering it's size?
The problem is that we don't know the basis for the Common Tongue. Is it Andalish? Is it Firstmenish with Andal influences?
Latin was the language of Roman Catholocism in Middle-Age and Medieval Europe, but the general populaces did not speak it regularly, if at all. Contrast this to the Faith and the Common Tongue in Westeros. If the basis for the Common Tongue is Andalish, then it's spread beyond the pale of the Faith is harder to explain? If the Common Tongue originated from the language of the First Men and if the early Andal invaders allowed their services of the Faith to be done in the language of the conquered peoples, then this might better explain the widespread use of Common and the domination of the Faith.
Sorry, I don't have answers... just more speculations.