The halfling tongue is merry and melodious, but the halfling stature does not lend itself to the creation of loudness. Humans, who have developed a special taste for jokes about halflings and their shouting for help in critical situations, describe their voices as soft and piping. Halflings are generally open-minded and have good relationships with other races. This is one reason why the halfling tongue has adopted a fair number of foreign words. Halfling historians are worried about the general development of their language and sermon about the importance of keeping halfling tongue intact. Halflings have been able to increase their trade by marking their products in the buyer's tongue. The general recognition of the halfling alphabet has become widespread by the double marking of their products. The halfling alphabet is original and its letters have been inspired by nature. The origin of their alphabet is unknown, but halfling legend states: "In the Elder Age, before our gift was tainted, we shaped conversation in our minds. The sun smiled upon our thoughts and gifted us with the leaf and stem. With these blessings we crafted many varieties of flowers and trees. So it came to be that halflings learned to read the swirling of a branch and the ripeness of a fruit, long before the arrival of quill and parchment."