Comprehend Languages and Tongues

[Bad Paper]

When under the influence of either spell, do you know which language you are reading/hearing/speaking?

 

[Dimwhit]

I suspect you'll be venturing into house rules here, since I don't think the books cover it. My thoughts? No, not inherently. It could obviously be assumed or deduced, based on who you are talking/listening to, but if you were, say, blind and started communicating, I don't think you would automatically know.

I'm sure my mind could be changed on the matter, though. Interesting question--never thought of it before.

 

[Mistwell]

I'd say no, for an odd reason. Comprehend Language specifically limits how fast you can read to one page per minute, and a touch to the specific document in question. You cannot read at your natural reading speed. You cannot read a second untouched document in that exact same language even if that document is right in front of you and next to (but detached from) the first document.

That implies some sort of translation into your own native language is going on. You can't actually read the language written there with full knowledge of that language. If you could, you would be able to read at your regular rate for reading a page, and you wouldn't have to touch a second nearby document written in the same language. I think you just perceive a divination of the document you touch that is revealed to you at a fixed rate in your native language.

 

[ForceUser]

I'd say that no, you don't know the language you're magically comprehending and conversing in. It's magic. I'll also echo the statement that the PHB is vague, but so what? This is a good spot to apply a DM's ruling for how the effect works in his campaign.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I'd say no, for an odd reason. Comprehend Language specifically limits how fast you can read to one page per minute, and a touch to the specific document in question. You cannot read at your natural reading speed. You cannot read a second untouched document in that exact same language even if that document is right in front of you and next to (but detached from) the first document.

Well, that's a little bit unclear - certainly touching a candidate of the unknown language is required for the spell to function, but after that, I always read that it gave an understanding of the language, as opposed to an understanding of a particular creature or instance of writing.

I think you just perceive a divination of the document you touch that is revealed to you at a fixed rate in your native language.

I prefer to think that you do gain the knowledge, but the process is similar to reading when you are a newcomer to a language. Each word has to be looked up in your mental dictionary, rather than the natural process of simply understanding what is written.

 

[Mistwell]

Well, that's a little bit unclear - certainly touching a candidate of the unknown language is required for the spell to function, but after that, I always read that it gave an understanding of the language, as opposed to an understanding of a particular creature or instance of writing.

I prefer to think that you do gain the knowledge, but the process is similar to reading when you are a newcomer to a language. Each word has to be looked up in your mental dictionary, rather than the natural process of simply understanding what is written.

"...you must touch the creature or the writing."

I always thought it was quite clear that the spell only enabled you to comprehend one single object or creature, not one single language.

 

[Starglim]

This is not a listed function of the spell, so, no. I think you would still perceive that the speech or writing was in a strange language and could make appropriate Knowledge checks to recognise it.

 

[Nim]

I'm with Starglim on this. My interpretation would be that Comprehend Languages translates the text for you. It doesn't reveal the name of the language or anything else about it. But it also shouldn't prevent you from recognizing it through other means (like a Knowledge check).

 

[Saeviomagy]

"...you must touch the creature or the writing."

I always thought it was quite clear that the spell only enabled you to comprehend one single object or creature, not one single language.

"The spell enables you to understand or read an unknown language".

So.

Also - I always ran it that you cast the spell, touch a writing or creature, and from then until the duration expires, you can understand the language used in the writing or by the creature.

However it occurs to me that the spell could simply allow you to understand whatever writing or creature you are currently touching for the duration, which would make sense in view of the fact that it can be made permanent...

In fact, I think that's going to be how it works in my games from now on.