> [!quote] [How would ancient people go about learning totally foreign languages?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/kk9mrq/how_would_ancient_people_go_about_learning/) by [[Roel Konijnendijk|Iphikrates]] via [[rAskHistorians]] > > When Columbus reached the Americas, he encountered peoples he had never heard of before; he hadn't even encountered any other peoples who had heard of them before. _This is not normally how humans make contact._ Historical peoples generally had regular contact with other groups, often over huge distances. Isolation is rare. Antiquity is no exception; we have good evidence of extensive trade (and therefore migration) networks even in the Stone Age A couple of thoughts here: first, even in the Recluse novels by [[L. E. Modesitt|Lee Modesitt]], Nylan and the other angels were able to figure out a common tongue, despite the vast time and distances involved. Second, it's worth making this point if I do a "first contact" short story, and in fact I can imagine this inspiring a great piece of flash fiction for [[Worldbuilding Magazine]], so I should definitely consider on this idea a #storystem/fic Third, I can (and should) definitely make this point in the exposition of [[ Civil Mage]] when I'm dealing with the different languages involved when [[Irella]] makes mention of the different dialects. I should also do a little more thinking about different the different dialects spoken by the [[Monche Nomads]]