Denden is the common language spoken on the Northern Hemisphere of Andal, within the area delineated by the former boundaries of the Charyan empire. In the Charyan Empire a considerable linguistic diversity reigned from the beginning, but a lingua franca soon sprang up. This lingua franca was Denden, which however did not supplant the other languages.

Denden never was a prestigious literary language, that place was taken by Classical Charyan, Den'Wenray, which also served as the common language of the imperial bureaucracy. In religious matters Archaic Charyan, Den'Harulon, reigned supreme. Elegant poetry was written in Old Charyan, Den'yunilai, actually an archaizing form of an eastern dialect of Denden. On stage the Broian stage language, Den'fenqar, was used. And of course, in every direction of the compass a local language was spoken, often termed Den'poim, or Peoples' Tongue. All these languages were related to each other, and apart from these related languages, an almost countless number of unrelated, indigenous languages were spoken.

The function of Denden within this linguistic area was to serve as a common language for the common people. Travellers could make themselves understood almost everywhere. Cheap literature was written in Denden and could be read by everyone who knew his letters. Denden literature actually enjoyed some popularity whenever the power of the emperor was at low-tide, as it was during the reign of Emperor Rordal In larger cities, with their varied ethnic make-up, Denden was used even in conversation between neighbours. A servant from the north would be commanded in Denden by her southern master.