User blog comment:Getgroundhog/Dragon Shouts or Thu'um concept./@comment-4057437-20130105095805

That dragons can speak isn't new to TES lore. Some cultures even have stories of dragons using human speech. Some asian stories tell of dragons advising rulers, for instance.

In the story "The Two Brothers", from Grimm's Fairy Tales, the dragon speaks. Other European folk tales feature dragons talking and even having conversations with people.