Languages

Post Reply
User avatar
Artemis
Global Mod
Posts: 392
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 3:31 am
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Contact:

Languages

Post by Artemis »

Nafeela (Hamachel Pilot's Tongue): Pilot's Tongue is the most commonly spoken language in the galaxy. It is the dominant language in the culturally-diverse Interstellar Commonwealth, Hamachel in origin, and despite what its name might suggest, it is anything but a specialist language – it is used for commerce, shipping, literature, and casual conversation with equal ease. Along with being truly ubiquitous within the Commonwealth, it also enjoys an 82% and 67% fluency rate in the United Nations and the Klashnoi Confederation, respectively, and the language is even catching on within the more moderate Carepakeh fiefdoms, though it is still rarely spoken outside the diplomatic circles of the Empire.

Pilot's Tongue originated with the early Hamachel aeronauts in the 1620s, hence its name. Most Hamachel languages at the time (and most regional and familial languages still retain this nature) were far more dependent upon body language, hand and tail gestures, scent, and subtle emphasis on certain syllables, rather than pure phonetics. The largely isolated Hamachel clan-nations had also developed drastically different languages in their time apart, some incorporating elements at the core of their languages that simply did not exist in other languages – for example, one clan would tap out a tune on a nearby surface with their foot-claws while they spoke and gestured, with subtle changes in the rhythm and speed of the tapping carrying contextual meaning. However, the only way to communicate between pilots of airplanes and helmsmen of airships was via radio, meaning that only oral communication could be used. Pilots started out using short, precise wording, attempting to construct a spoken language that would be able to incorporate all the meaning and subtlety they were used to, using only their mouths and ears.

What emerged was a language that, by necessity, could convey a wealth of information in short, concise sentences, was easy to teach to new students as more and more Hamachels leapt into the sky during Hartess' International Period, and could be heard and understood over the constant crackle and interference of primitive radio communication. As the language spread across Hartess, it became a de facto diplomatic and trade language between the thousands of Hamachel clans, and it is largely accepted that the introduction of Pilot's Tongue led directly to the Conclave of Trees in 1880, and later the Parliament of Clans, the global Hamachel government that lasted until 1953, when the Hamachels and the Algians cemented the new Interstellar Commonwealth. The Algians began using the language, adding some of their own lexicon but not changing the overall grammar and structure of the language.

Initial contact with the Carepakeh Empire led shortly to the Imperial-Commonwealth War (a.k.a. the Second Galactic War), and as a result Pilot's Tongue never spread to the Empire past the diplomatic and intelligence communities; however, after the more peaceful first contacts with the Krioli (in 2001) and the Saryans (in 2014), the language caught root in the disproportionately large xenophile communities in both races, and two variants of Pilot's Tongue emerged. When both races joined the Commonwealth together in 2019, Pilot's Tongue evolved again, reconciling the faster-paced, more guttural elements of the Krioli variation and the liquid flow of the Saryan dialect, blending these with the older version, adding contextual complexity with a more effective temporal grammar system, while still managing to retain Pilot's Tongue's simplicity and ease of learning.
"The universe's most essential beauty is its endlessness. There is room and resources enough for all of us. Whether there is room for all of our passions is the question, and the problem that we work tirelessly to find a solution to."

-Qhameio Allir Nlafahn, Commonwealth ambassador, during the signing of the Kriolon Treaty.
User avatar
Artemis
Global Mod
Posts: 392
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 3:31 am
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Contact:

Re: Languages

Post by Artemis »

Eurocom (European Commercial): The most commonly-spoken language among Terrans and other citizens of the United Nations, Eurocom is a Romanic-based language incorporating Spanish, French, and Italian, but incorporating terms and phrases from languages all over Europe. It was developed in the late 21st during Operation: Blunderbuss as a way for militaries and humanitarian groups from all over Europe, Africa and North America developed a quick-and-dirty method of communication when translators were not present. Truth be told, Eurocom's origins were as early as the late 20th century, as the European Union fostered greater communication and literacy between the citizens of its member nations – slang and common phrases were already crossing borders, and it didn't take long for grammar to start integrating. Eurocom is simply the name given to this phenomenon, and the finishing touches that were put on it to make it a truly international language. While France still predominantly spoke French, and Germany still spoke German, almost everyone in Europe, and many parts of North America, Russia, and the Middle East became fluent in the language, and by the 2050s Eurocom had replaced English as the standard international trade and diplomatic language.

Today, Eurocom is taught in every school in the UN starting at the elementary school level, and it is estimated that at least 95% of UN citizens are at least conversationally fluent in the language. It is the standard language for most international Terran organizations, including the UNCAF, UNCSF, and ICECOM.
"The universe's most essential beauty is its endlessness. There is room and resources enough for all of us. Whether there is room for all of our passions is the question, and the problem that we work tirelessly to find a solution to."

-Qhameio Allir Nlafahn, Commonwealth ambassador, during the signing of the Kriolon Treaty.
Mobius 1
Global Mod
Posts: 1099
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 11:40 pm
Location: Orlando, FL

Re: Languages

Post by Mobius 1 »

This is another thing I liked about Growing Pains/Universal Constants: the verse isn't human-dominated, and the humans arn't all thorwing around English or some descendant if it a thousand years into the future. Both of the languages work well as tongues built for quick-and-dirty expediency before evolving into a larger context. Goes to show why UC/GP is one of better verses on the OZ when it comes to culture and in-your-mouth flavor.
SHADOW TEMPEST BLACK || STB2: MIDNIGHT PARADOX
The day our skys fe||, the heavens split to create new skies.
User avatar
Shroom Man 777
Global Mod
Posts: 4637
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:09 pm
Contact:

Re: Languages

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

That's very unexpected. I'd never expect some kind of strange pan-European EU-derived creole to become the basic standard medium of instruction for space humanity in the future. But even then, it totally works for Growing Pains (:P) because GP is just so colorful and vibrant and cultural!
Image

"Sometimes Shroomy I wonder if your imagination actually counts as some sort of war crime." - FROD
User avatar
Artemis
Global Mod
Posts: 392
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 3:31 am
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Contact:

Re: Languages

Post by Artemis »

Chatterclack (Imperial Common): While it is not widely spoken outside the Empire, there are more Carepakeh than any other race (double the combined populations of the Krioli, Saryans, and Tekks combined), and as such their common language, called Chatterclack by other races, is the second most-commonly spoken language in the galaxy. It is a very rapid-fire, rhythmic language, which relies as much on posture, subtle gestures, and scent expression as it does on spoken words. True to its name, Chatterclack's vocal element is made primarily with the mandibles and pedipalps, clicking and tapping them together to create patterns not unlike Terran morse code. A second component of Chatterclack is stridulation, as a Carepakeh rubs the sides of their hands (the fore set, in the case of Drones) together, creating a pleasant-sounding chirp or trill, like the sound made by crickets. This is the “tone” aspect of a sentence, implying sarcasm, extreme joy, anger, or nearly any other emotion coloring a phrase.

Chatterclack can be spoken by any Carepakeh, and is the only major language which Workers can speak, as all other Carepakeh languages require other body parts. There are some dialects of Chatterclack which are exclusive to particular fiefdoms or regions, but the basic version is spoken across the Empire. With certain apparatus and sufficient training, non-Carepakeh can also speak Chatterclack, and many Klashnoi diplomats and businessmen are proficient in the common language of their economic and political allies, but Chatterclack gets little use in either the Commonwealth or the UN.
"The universe's most essential beauty is its endlessness. There is room and resources enough for all of us. Whether there is room for all of our passions is the question, and the problem that we work tirelessly to find a solution to."

-Qhameio Allir Nlafahn, Commonwealth ambassador, during the signing of the Kriolon Treaty.
User avatar
Artemis
Global Mod
Posts: 392
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 3:31 am
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Contact:

Re: Languages

Post by Artemis »

Ragrabish (Nor'kass Continental): Though there are more than a dozen Tribal languages spoken in the Klashnoi Confederation, they all have their origins in Ragrabish, or Continental as it is more commonly known. Before the Tribes were formed, the majority of Klashnoi were ruled by a theocratic dictatorship that spread across Nor'kass supercontinent. The language of this empire was Ragrabish, and though that empire was overthrown and replaced by first the Tribal League and more recently the Confederation, the language has endured, evolving and growing with the Klashnoi.

Though to the ears of most other races Continental sounds very simple and terse, it is in fact a very formal, precise language, with a strong use of onomatopoeia and poetic formalism. Every eleven syllables (eleven was considered a significant number in ancient Klashnoi religion) in Continental, the speaker makes a brief pause, even if in the middle of a word, which can make the language sound staggered or halting to some, but it doesn't take long to get used to the pattern, and non-Klashnoi who speak the language rarely even notice the pauses. Klashnoi will rhyme whenever possible, especially when imparting special importance or emotional emphasis to a word or phrase, and it is not uncommon to add nonsense syllables to words to make them rhyme with others. For those learning the language, it is the poetic rules and forms that are far more difficult than the lexicon, which is relatively small, especially compared to Algian, Carepakeh and Terran languages.
"The universe's most essential beauty is its endlessness. There is room and resources enough for all of us. Whether there is room for all of our passions is the question, and the problem that we work tirelessly to find a solution to."

-Qhameio Allir Nlafahn, Commonwealth ambassador, during the signing of the Kriolon Treaty.
User avatar
Artemis
Global Mod
Posts: 392
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 3:31 am
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Contact:

Re: Languages

Post by Artemis »

Krizamian (Krioli Dominant Language): In particularly strong Krioli populations, both within the Commonwealth and the UN, Krioli will usually revert to Krizamian, the pidgin language that formed in the cave cities during the Evil Howling Death Storm. A combination of five original languages, Krizamian is the Krioli equivalent to Eurocom, created to integrate governments and societies who were thrown together will little warning during the global crises, and is a very simple, modular language that can easily integrate new words and meanings, even from languages that did not originally go into the making of Krizamian. As a result, Krizamian has borrowed words and phrases from Pilot's Tongue, Hyuwamese, Eurocom, and even bits of Klashnoi Tribal languages. As the Krioli continue to integrate themselves into foreign society and bring the best of those societies back to their own, this process is an ongoing one. Because of the simplicity of the language, combined with the fact that it isn't spoken nearly as ubiquitously as Pilot's Tongue, Krizamian is also gaining popularity in the Commonwealth military as a code base and specialized battlespeak.
"The universe's most essential beauty is its endlessness. There is room and resources enough for all of us. Whether there is room for all of our passions is the question, and the problem that we work tirelessly to find a solution to."

-Qhameio Allir Nlafahn, Commonwealth ambassador, during the signing of the Kriolon Treaty.
User avatar
Artemis
Global Mod
Posts: 392
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 3:31 am
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Contact:

Re: Languages

Post by Artemis »

English: English, while no longer the dominant Terran trade language, is still commonly spoken, particularly on Earth, the Jovian moons, and Avalon, as well as in starports and skipways all across the UN. It is the official language of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the United States of America, the People's Republic of Utopia Martia, the Jovian Alliance, the United Kingdom of Avalon, the Republic of Morganna, and many other nations. English is still widely spoken thanks to the fact that English was the common language in space for many years, as the American, Russian and Chinese space programs used the language for cooperative efforts in the 20th and early 21st Centuries, and it was later used by the builders of the four space station complexes, the Mars and Jupiter colonists, and the Cameron Company scientists who pioneered Second Space travel. While Eurocom is still by far the most commonly spoken language in the UN, most Terran starmen, no matter their nationality, have at least a basic grasp of English, and many foreigners who often deal with Terrans endeavor to learn English as well as Eurocom.
"The universe's most essential beauty is its endlessness. There is room and resources enough for all of us. Whether there is room for all of our passions is the question, and the problem that we work tirelessly to find a solution to."

-Qhameio Allir Nlafahn, Commonwealth ambassador, during the signing of the Kriolon Treaty.
User avatar
Booted Vulture
Posts: 965
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 9:33 pm

Re: Languages

Post by Booted Vulture »

Chatterclack is the best nickname for a language ever and its good to see english hasn't completely vanished. The way eurocomm was formed from common slang phrases gives me the idea that's descended from txtspk and aol phrases which is an almost terrifying origin for any language.
Ah Brother! It's been too long!
Post Reply