Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-86.24.50.100-20130623082136/@comment-24590102-20140824082246

If there is a relationship between the ability to 'shout' (i.e. being Dragonborn) and being of "Dragonblood" then the bloodline would be narrowest outside Skyrim and broadest within Skyrim where the 'shout' was most widespread. Moreover, the Emperors would have the shout, were this the case. As it turns out, the ability to shout seems unrelated to the race or family of the person and more related to the place and circumstance - suggesting that it is an unstudied skill which is concealed in Skyrim's culture.

Otherwise, Ulfric need not have shouted the High King apart, but meagrely demonstrated his more potent "dragon blood", perhaps by shouting a passing Centurion a drink and, thence, be escorted directly to his ascent to the Imperial Throne. Alas, it didn't work this way because sometimes the most subtle differences of language are the most extreme. Take the nouns, proscription and prescription for example. In this case, the slightest alteration of enunciation via a single vowel gives the word the opposite meaning.