The Pandaren language script as shown at BlizzCon 2011
Pandaren was the original language of the pandaren race before they were enslaved by the mogu and forced to speak the mogu language.[1][2][3] Now considered a dead tongue, the "old tongue" can no longer be spoken or understood by most common pandaren and is considered a "language of emperors and scholars".[4]
History
When Lei Shen, first emperor of the mogu, first began conquering the other races in the land later known as Pandaria, he saw great potential in the pandaren, and for this reason he did not trust them. After he conquered the land, the pandaren were forbidden to learn to read or write. Their leaders and philosophers were executed. All pandaren art and literature was burned. Anyone caught speaking anything but the mogu tongue was considered to be a conspirator, a charge often punished with death.[1][3]
All of the work of the earliest pandaren artists and writers has been lost forever. Ages later, other great pandaren scholars would be born, but the language they spoke was not truly their own.[1]
Modern usage
The "old tongue", the "language of emperors and scholars" that common pandaren can no longer speak or understand, is mentioned by Lorewalker Amai at the Wandering Isle. Lorewalker Ruolin sings the Song of Liu Lang, an ancient pandaren song that tells a story about Liu Lang and his adventures on the back of Shen-zin Su. Pandaren children who listened to the song could not understand any of the words.[4] The song is also sung by Lorewalker Cho at the Wanderer's Festival.
Although unlikely to be examples of true pandaren speech, there are several unique words and expressions used by pandaren:
- Pandowan: A term for the young Pandaren who are training on the Wandering Isle[5][6] (likely based on the term 'Padawan' from the Star Wars series, meaning an apprentice or student).[7]
- Pandriarch: Likely based on the term "Patriarch". Used in the names of the ancestors of the Goldendraft, Windfur and Bramblestaff families.
- Paw-paw: Seems to be the pandaren equivalent of the word "Papa" (father).[8]
Player characters
Despite the fact that pandaren speak mogu, playable pandaren have the ability to speak the pandaren language. However, it is not a true language; all one- or two-letter words appear as "om" to non-pandaren, while all words with three or more letters appears as "nom", thus producing little more than "om nom nom" joke speech.
Although pandaren are capable of speaking their own language, cross-faction communication between pandaren characters is not allowed. While on the Wandering Isle, pandaren characters actually speak "Pandaren Neutral", which then changes into "Pandaren Alliance" or "Pandaren Horde" upon leaving the isle.
Pandas can't talk to each other? Why? | 2011-10-24 09:15 | 
Zarhym
This isn't very related, nor is it a way of properly compensating for that communication limitation, but one thing we'd like to do (we think is cool and warranted) is make a unique place in the world exclusive to monks -- think Moonglade for druids.
In the RPG
Untranslated words
Names
Pandaren naming practices are simlar to those of humans: each pandaren has a given name and a surname. The names themselves, of course, are different.
- Male Names: Chen, Jinto, Kesha, Masha, Mushi, Polo, Sinjo.
- Female Names: Huan, Jiang, Lian, Mei, Ping, Shui, Zi.
- Surnames: Earthsong, Greentouch, Honeybrew, Lightgrace, Reedwine, Sweetbarrow, Swiftpaw.
References
- ^ a b c The Pandaren Problem
- ^ Unity at a Price
- ^ a b Chronicle Volume 1, pg. 82: Fearing that the pandaren's peaceful philosophies would undermine his rule, Lei Shen forbade them from learning how to read or write, or even how to speak any language other than the mogu tongue. To disobey was to be killed in slow, brutal fashion.
- ^ a b Lorewalker Amai#History lesson
- ^ Pearl of Pandaria, pg. 11
- ^ Micky Neilson on Twitter
- ^ Wiktionary: Padawan
- ^ Quest:Trapped!#Notes
- ^ Manual of Monsters, pg. 76
- ^ Dark Factions, pg. 16
- ^ Manual of Monsters, pg. 80
- ^ a b Manual of Monsters, pg. 78
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