Just for fun: This word would exist in most Fantasy settings, what is it?

[Hainted]

I like asking this question of creative people because I like seeing the responses, and it's all for fun. Anyway, in the real world we use Mankind or Humankind or Humanity to refer to everyone living on the planet. In a fantasy world with multiple intelligent races, where these words could be considered offensive, what is the word to use? It would have to exist, and take into account ALL forms of recognized intelligence in the world.

 

[Ruby]

I've never considered this before, Hainted. How about "Specieskind".

 

[Shockley]

Well, there are real world analogies to religions that tend to view humans and animals as beings on the same level. In Buddhism, the term is 'all sentient beings.'

 

[wordwalker]

I like the idea that "people" includes any sapient species. Some stories say that "man," "woman," and the rest also apply whenever age and gender do, though that gets iffy with aliens where those aren't as straightforward.

By the way "sentient" isn't the word, it should be "sapient." Though that's become a casual-SF tradition.

 

[Shockley]

It is 'the word' in certain real world traditions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, etc.), which was my only point.

 

[wordwalker]

I like the idea that "people" includes any sapient species. Some stories say that "man," "woman," and the rest also apply whenever age and gender do, though that gets iffy with aliens where those aren't as straightforward. (On the other hand, there are enough words to cover all the options for feyfolk: man= "elf," woman= "fairy," boy= "sprite," girl= "pixie.")

By the way "sentient" means able to feel, but not necessarily think; animals are sentient, but the proper word should be "sapient." Though using the one for the other has become a casual-SF tradition.

 

[Shockley]

That is correct if you are limiting it to sapient beings - the OP stipulated any being of recognized intelligence, which would by definition include most animals.

 

[CupofJoe]

I might not have understood the question fully and I have lots of caveats [I don't think there is one definition of what might be called "recognized intelligence". Who does the recognising? What is considered intelligence? Are we including learning computer systems or only things with a nervous system? What about Slime Moulds?] but I'd go with "cognisant"...

 

[skip.knox]

I'm with wordwalker. My world has a great many sentient species and one "common tongue", a descendant of Latin. In that language, the word is "people" (I'm not writing my novel in Latin!); similarly, "man" and "woman" are applied regardless of species.

Some of the other species may be more, er, racist. They may regard all other creatures as lesser and have a separate name for them. I'll burn that bridge before I get to it.

 

[JRFLynn]

In a fantasy world with multiple intelligent races, where these words could be considered offensive, what is the word to use?

Personally, I use the term "mortals" or "mortalkind" when referring the many races as a whole. There's a few legendary immortals in my book, so that would be the reasoning behind it. Sapient sounds great too.

Not sure if it's just me, but I think it's okay to make up words or even change the intended meaning of things, since language usually changes over time and has more than one meaning anyway. So, if you want to use "Sapientkind", that wouldn't bother me in the least.

 

[Hainted]

CupofJoe: Let's say for legal purposes races that would have all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that we would her in the real world. My problem came with trying to figure out different types of intelligence so I broke it down to....
1.Races with a developed culture(s) (i.e, Human, Elf, Orkhe)
2. Races with equivalent intelligence, but no culture or political organization. (Dragons, Vampires, Talking Animals)
3. incorporeal Intelligences(Ghosts, Elementals, Banshees)
4.Manufactured Intelligence(Golem, A.I., Homonculus)
5.Otherworldly Intelligence (Fae, Djinn, Daemons)

 

[psychotick]

Hi

I take it the word "people" is not being considered?

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Abbas-Al-Morim]

Just use the name of the world/planet? Earthlings? Martians?

 

[Inglorion]

When in doubt, you could give them some made-up word from some fictional language.

 

[mbartelsm]

For sentient beings I use the term Mortals, but there are a few categories depending on the characteristics of the soul of the creature:

Immortals: Think, Feel and live but cannot die
Mortals: Think, Feel and live
Beasts: Feel and live
Golems: Think and live
Plants: Live
Spirits: Think and feel
Fairies: Feel
Ghosts: Think

Creatures can change their state of soul and move from category, one of the most common examples is death, a mortal who dies (looses the property of living) becomes a spirit. Interestingly enough, if a mortal dies by beheading his soul will be split in two parts as his head (thoughts) and belly (feelings) are separated, becoming a ghost and fairy that will probably never again merge. This is why beheading is considered taboo in all but exceptional situations