There are many different languages on Orizon, most of them are racially based and descended from the pre-Breaking cultures. One of the more subtle influences of the gods has been preserving a common language between the various people of Orizon, though there are numerous regional dialects and accents of that common language. International travelers may have to spend some time figuring out each other’s meaning despite their shared language. Common is directly rooted to the ancient language, but there has been drift over time.
Most people of Orizon are literate. Though the further they are from the major cities in the Skylands, the less likely they are to be more than barely literate. And most people on Orizon are at least conversationally passing in another language in addition to common, typically this is their racial language, taught to them by their families.
Learning the racial language of another species is difficult to completely master, as they often involve sounds or inflections that are easier for one race’s voice than another’s. Other languages, like those of the Tsukiusagi or the Merfolk, may involve motions of unique body parts to add context or inflection.