Dragon Shouts

Dragon Shouts are an arcane form of magic that was previously far more prominent in Tamriel, as of Skyrim there are few who retain the ability to perfrom Dragon Shouts. Dragonborn (Dovhakiin) are able to use the language of the dragons to great effect due to their ability to absorb the souls of dragons.

There will be 20 dragon shouts in the game and each is performed by the vovalisation of specific words of power. Dragon Shouts are gained by slaying and absorbing the souls of dragons and as more are slain the users ability to learn and use new shouts increases. These shouts have powerful effects and provide the user with a variety of abilities. For instance, one shout sends foes hurtling away from you, another shout instantly teleports you from one spot to another. One powerful shout actually summons a dragon and forces the beast to fight by your side in battle. The player can choose to only vocalise part of a dragon shout which will lower the recharge time of the shout but have a weaker effect. Many shouts can be discovered on the walls of old ruins. More information will surface tomorrow at the start of E3, on June 6th. See Skyrim for all details.

Trivia

 * In an interview with Todd Howard, it was confirmed there will be a dragon shout that allows the player to breath fire similar to a dragon, however, nothing else is known about the shout.
 * Other confirmed shouts are: the ability to slow time, and one that summons a dragon to aid the player-character in battle.

Other Sources

 * http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/01/20/skyrim-s-dragon-shouts.aspx?PostPageIndex=1 (3 page article)
 * http://bethblog.com/index.php/2011/05/01/weekend-update-extended-skyrim-interviews-at-gametrailers/