author’s note: on languages in To Dream of White & Gold

The back matter of To Dream of White & Gold contains a short section entitled A Note on Languages. It goes something like this:

‘The star people brought many things with them when they landed on Eilin soil. They left behind their lands, but not their histories or their languages, though the culture they wrapped around these changed significantly during their long flight across the skies.

To Dream of White & Gold takes place in the year 2447 AL, and in the many years that have passed since the star people set foot in Eilan, the languages they brought with them have morphed with time and usage. While they may still bear some similarity to the original, the tongues spoken in modern Eilan, Brinnica, and Erbide should not be taken as faithful reproductions of the languages of the star people, in either their written or spoken forms.’

There are three languages present in To Dream of White & Gold:

• Eilin, which is spoken in Eilan, Autere, and the Isle of the Gods;

• Brinnican, spoken in both Brinnica and Erbide; and

• Erbidan, spoken only in Erbide and forbidden to outsiders.

Many of the words of Brinnican or Erbidan may be familiar to readers. However, they are - for the most part - not a literal reproduction of present languages, and nor were they intended to be. They are a mangled echo of what currently exists, a suggestion of what might happen to our languages in thousands of years’ time, and a reminder that Lyda’s world has firm beginnings in our own.

A select glossary is provided for readers who crave a literal translation; however, please be assured that it is not necessary to refer to this as you read. All critical information is given in other means through the text - often as Lyda discovers it herself.