The Literalists
A Coterie of the Fraternity of Order
An excerpt from a speech made in the Trianym by Gharia Vhisten (planar bariaur priest [she/her] / Guvners / LN), a rising light in the Fraternity of Order:
“We must always express ourselves with perfect precision, for to fail to do so is to deceive those who listen to us, and to admit imprecision of thought. We cannot allow ourselves to be marred by the inaccuracies of metaphor and simile.
“Purity of language is the ultimate aim of the Literalists. To this end, all words in all languages must be catalogued, and all those with the same meanings equated. We can then remove all synonyms and false meanings, and obtain a language of beautiful purity, spoken by all. Absolute explicitude is of paramount importance. Any variation of meaning – observe I do not say ‘shade’ – must be removed to improve and render perfect our ability to express ourselves. There can be no place for inaccuracy.
“The slang in this toroidal city is a pathetic example of the inability of people to express themselves correctly. It is as if sentients possess a counter-intuitive desire to spoil their dealings with inclarity and imprecision. The so-called cant of Sigil is a deliberate attempt by the underclass to prevent themselves from being understood.
“I propose a single language for all worlds, that expresses all sensible thoughts perfectly, with no room for any possibility of deception. Ultimately, such a language could order the thoughts of all creatures everywhere, enabling them to think as I do. Any creature could then communicate with any other. That is our aim and that is our method.”Â
Source: Alex Roberts
