I don't get this (spoilers)

2 worlds, never had contacts other than through the renagades, yet they use the same currency and language? I don't get, it hurts my head thinking about it even if they were once one (I think), they still would have evolved differently, right? Sorry if its explained in the story XD

They've been split up for 4000 years.

Indeed, there ought to be huge differences in culture, currency and languages, as well as the physical characteristics of its inhabitants.

However, both worlds have always been actively governed by Cruxis, and Cruxis in turn has always been actively thwarted by the Renegades.

Over the course of 4000 years, civilizations have risen and fallen and risen from the ashes of the old ones again and again. With every switch between the declining and flourishing worlds, one world's civilization would spiral into chaos while the other would experience previously unknown levels of economic growth.

the non-existent language barrier is probably in part due to Cruxis and the Renegades, and in part because it would suck not to have the same language from a gameplay perspective.
Except that it wouldn't actually suck from a gameplay perspective, so basically, I'm guessing that regarding the language at least, the development team just opted to go for the easiest course.

I doubt the renegades have much influence on culture. Cruxis, however, does, as it directly controls the Church of Martel, which probably plays a big role in education.

Symphonia is one of the only games where the lack of language barrier can make sense. (Eternia is still the best because it actually has one x3)

Yup, But in Dawn of the New World that changed. Cruxis is no longer part of the world, but tell that to the ignorant priests of the Church of Martel.

Yume Hanabi wrote:

I doubt the renegades have much influence on culture. Cruxis, however, does, as it directly controls the Church of Martel, which probably plays a big role in education.

I mentioned the renegades because they were the only ones (save Cruxis) who were able to freely travel between worlds. They could easily (and accidentally) carry over customs and clothing, expressions, stories, etc from the other side.

Well, so all FF games are part of the same world too?

I would agree that Cruxis and the Church would maintain some standard of language, while the systematic rise and fall of empires in line with the mana makes the physical state of the populace malleable, at least in the abstract, since mana is tied to the degree of food production.  The "simple and honest versus developed and seedy" dichotomy the game gives is rather simplistic,

Spoiler:

What about currency, I mean other than to not piss off gamers by making them get new money in the separate worlds?

All Tales worlds have the same currency XD

Yup, it's called Gald and it's good anywhere.

I do find it interesting that there is no gap in the language after 4000 years, which is near impossible to believe. One question, that we could probably never answer, is how big is the world? Is it about the size of Earth, or is more the size of Mars or Mercury?

I have been meaning to do some research on Vesperia, since there is an achievement that is difficult to unlock where you must travel 100,000 km, and I think the distance spent flying counts (someone please correct me if I am wrong on this, since I haven't unlocked the achievement). If flying counts, imagine how small the world on Vesperia is. The achievement is not unlocked easily and the radius of Earth is approximately 6400 km. That would put the circumference of Earth at a rough 40000 km. If Vesperia were the size of Earth, the achievement would be unlocked after 3 trips of flying around the world.

I digress... While the fact that the language does not change after 4000 years in Symphonia, I am almost more curious about the "ancient" angelic language. How did that one come about?

Bo Staff Katana wrote:

I digress... While the fact that the language does not change after 4000 years in Symphonia, I am almost more curious about the "ancient" angelic language. How did that one come about?

I always thought that that language was just old "elvish", because Kratos knew about it, too, and I guess, that Martel(?) taught him how to read it or something like that. While Volt could "speak" it and Raine could unterstand that, too, but not read it? Was it ever made clear if Raine did understand the angelic language?

I hope you'll follow through on that experiment Bo, it sounds very promising.

I always assumed the Ancient Angelic language was used by one of the factions during the Ancient Kharlan War, and subsequently adopted by Cruxis.

Bo Staff Katana wrote:

I digress... While the fact that the language does not change after 4000 years in Symphonia, I am almost more curious about the "ancient" angelic language. How did that one come about?

Hang on, I got this.

We know from the signs in Iselia and Lloyd's wanted poster that they use a stylised Latin script in everyday life. The common, modern day language seems to be close to English if we take said signs and everyone's names into account, Irving, Wilder, Bryant, Brunel, Sage, Combatir, it's all European in origin (English, French and Spanish respectively). Why not Japanese? Apart from the fact that all signs appear to be written in English, Sheena is the only main character with a Japanese name and is from a secluded village of Japanese inspiration, with it's own culture and probably it's own language, let's call it Japanese Mizuhan. Cruxis ensured that the language evolved similarly in both worlds, with only slightly different accents and slang easily mistaken for regional dialects.

So far, we have a Medieval/Renaissance setting of European influence, surprisingly lacking in Norse references for something so heavily based on Norse mythology; unless we look at the organisation lead by a 4,000 years old guy who grew up in the period during which what we know as Ancient Angelic was the common language. Thanks to Arredoval, we know that the Renegade bases are covered in Elder Futhark runes, Elder Futhark being the Proto-Norse alphabet. Nice touch to add in something based on Norse mythology, right? Except that Heimdall, Yggdrasill, Ymir, Niflheim, everything that has to do with the Elves, the first society to inhabit the land, is Norse in origin. Not Sylvarant, Yuan Ka-Fai is Chinese. Not Tethe'alla, Kratos Aurion is Greek. Only the Elves, the culture most likely to be at the origin of written language and to have transmitted language to the early humans, are Norse.

Those evidences lead me to believe that the Ancient Angelic language or Old Aselian, the original language of the Elves spoken at the time of the Kharlan War, is Proto-Norse, complete with it's own little twist on the Elder Futhark.