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Human languages

Sol Common

With its roots in Mandarin Chinese, Common evolved as the official language of the Sol Alliance, with officials working to tie it together with a common tongue. It's spoken by state officials, taught in schools, and spoken by those who either feel a sense of national pride in the Alliance or otherwise fell sway to the culture. It became the Alliance' official language in 2105.

Accents

• Solarian: The typical Solarian accent has a hundred tiny variants and can be found on a multitude of planets in countless systems, and is often simply regarded as “the accent of humanity” due to its prevalence. It can be found on planets as prominent as Earth or as obscure as settlements of only a few million in the Sol Alliance’s Outer Ring.

• Mercurian: Mercurian Common is often heard in the boardrooms of Einstein Engines, which employs much of the planet’s population. Those who speak with this accent are often – to no fault of their own – regarded with suspicion by the SCC due to this association.

• Cytherean: Venusian Common (referred to as Cytherean Common on Venus itself) is often regarded as one of the most prevalent forms of Sol Common due to Venus' massive entertainment industry. On Venus itself this accent is associated with the entertainment industry and Cytherea, and many prospective actors will attempt to adopt it in order to better fit into the industry. Many high-end entertainment IPCs used throughout human space come pre-programmed with this accent, due to its association with the Venusian entertainment industry.

• Jintarian: While Cytherean Common has a reputation abroad as \"Venusian Common\" it is the accent of working-class Jintarians that is, to many on the planet, the true form of Venusian Common. On Venus itself this accent is associated with the working and middle-class population of the planet rather than the entertainment industry, and many Cythereans look down upon those with this accent as unrefined. Hendrik Strom, one of the Sol Alliance's most notable politicians, is well-known for having a strong Jintarian accent he makes no attempt to hide.

• Earth: The typical Earth, or Terran, accent of the modern era has its roots in Mandarin Chinese, the dominant language of Earth for much of its modern history. All accents found in human space - from Luna to Xanu - are, one way or another, descended from this ancient accent.

• Lunarian: The Lunarian accent is regarded throughout the Sol Alliance, and beyond, as a distinctive mark of being Lunarian. The accent is extremely hard for immigrants to Luna to pick up and replicate, and is carefully maintained by Lunarians abroad to keep their accent distinct. It is essentially impossible for a human not living on Luna to replicate a Lunarian accent, and it is considered a major faux paus to pretend to have one. Many Idris Incorporated IPCs are programmed with Lunarian accents to make them seem high-class in both appearance and in accent.

• Martian: Martian Common is a more guttural form of Sol Common that borrows some elements of Freespeak. The distinctive accent is, as a result, looked down upon as a “hick” dialect on Luna and Venus and regarded as the dialect of quarrelsome and annoying Martians elsewhere. Some Martians go to great lengths to hide their accents due to this reputation, which is still alive in the Republic of Biesel despite its separation from the greater Sol Alliance.

• Enceladian: Enceladian Common is descended from the accents of North and South America, and the residents of this moon of Saturn take pride in ensuring their accent calls back to their ancestral homes on Earth.

• Cassinian: Cassinian Common, the accent of Iapetus, a moon of Saturn, is typically associated with the Solarian Interstellar Intelligence Bureau, and characters affiliated with it in Solarian movies will often talk like a Cassinian: soft-spoken and generally polite, but reserved and often distant.

• Titanii: The accent of Titania, a moon of Uranus home to Sol’s largest offworlder population, Titanii Common involves plentiful hand gestures and other visual signals. Linguists have long theorized the prominence of hand gestures in this accent comes from the moon’s EVA-centric industries.

• Pluto: The Plutonian accent is one of many Sol Common accents found throughout the Sol System itself, though it is almost undoubtedly the furthest one out from the Sun itself. Rooted in a combination of Central Asian and Eastern European dialects, the Plutonian accent is notable for its slow, methodical method of speech. Very few positronics can be found with this accent, due to Pluto's unusual relationship with corporations

• Erisian: Erisian Common bears some resemblance to Lunarian Common due to the planetoid’s long association with the Solarian Navy. Like its counterpart, it is very hard to effectively replicate for an outsider.

• Native Silversun: The native accent of Silversun is a sing-song take on standard Sol Common that has, since massive investment into the planet by Idris Incorporated, come to be associated with the planet’s renowned tourism industry. Many native residents of Silversun are bitter that their accent - and planet - are seen as nothing more than an enormous vacation retreat by the greater Orion Spur. This accent is commonly used by Idris Incorporated shell positronicframes, much to the consternation of Silversun's Originals.

• Konyanger: The Konyanger Common accent is quite similar to standard Sol Common, but has drawn some influence from Freespeak due to Konyang’s position near the border between the Sol Alliance and the Coalition of Colonies. A significant number of IPCs possess a Konyanger accent, due to the planet being the origin of IPCs and a major producer of them.

• New Hai Phongese: New Hai Phongese Common is, compared to the typical Sol Common accent, much more tonal. This has lent it a distinctive pattern of speech that is easy to tell apart from the standard Sol Common accent associated with the Solarian core worlds. The accent is often imitated by performers, particularly musicians, due to its unique tonal style. Due to the hazardous environmental conditions present on New Hai Phong, many residents of New Hai Phong carry another distinctive auditory cue: coughing and wheezing due to asthma.

• Himean: Himean Common is more guttural and harsh-sounding than the typical Sol Common accent, due to Himeo’s position in the Coalition of Colonies. The Himean accent and its distinctive guttural method of speaking are easily distinguishable from other Sol Common speakers, even when speaking Tau Ceti Basic or Freespeak. Himean Common has the unusual reputation of making its speaker always sound angry, no matter their mood, due to its more guttural nature.

• Gadpathurian: The Gadpathurian accent, otherwise known as Gadpathurian Common, is an older dialect of Sol Common that is often regarded as dated-sounding by other speakers due to the isolation of the planet during its period of reunification. Due to the government's tight control over Gadpathur, and push for unity in the face of the Sol Alliance, Gadpathurians have been described as sounding relatively similar no matter which area of the planet they hail from.

• Reinstated Eridani Dreg: The clipped and clinical tones of proper "corporate" speech in Eridani are difficult to perfect even for those born into positions of privilege. For those unfortunate individuals born outside Eridani's shining skyscrapers and silver spires, the distinctly uncorporate flow of "dreg" speech can make attaining the standard Eridanian accent almost impossible to fully achieve. The curious middle-ground accent of the so-called "reinstated" in Eridani society allows an individual to go much further than its more criminally-aligned counterpart, but still falls short of most suits' expectations.

• Vulgar Morozi: The most common Dominian accent is Vulgar Morozi, a variation of Sol Common found upon Moroz itself. Dominian-spoken Sol Common and Tau Ceti Basic are both heavily influenced by Tradeband, the common language of both human and unathi nobility in the Empire. Vulgar Morozi has regional variations on the colonies of the Dominian Empire, and in the rebellious Morozian region of Fisanduh. The Fisanduhian accent is considered to be a distinctive higher-pitched variation of Vulgar Morozi that is often suppressed by insurgents to better blend in with the greater Imperial population.

• Fisanduhian: While it is similar to the typical Morozian accent, to those not familiar with it; or not from the Empire of Dominia, the standard Fisanduhian accent has some variations that mark it as distinctive. The accent is higher pitched than its Dominian counterpart, and has been described as more tonal. Members of the Fisanduh Freedom Front will often go to great lengths to disguise this accent, though most will slip back into it when off-world.

• Novi Jadranic: Much like the planet itself, the Jadranic dialect of Solarian Common sits between standard Solarian Common-influenced Vulgar Morozi and the more Freespeak-derived accents of the Imperial Frontier. The dialect possesses grammar and pronunciation similar to Vulgar Morozi but possesses multiple loan words from Freespeak which make it distinct from its Morozian counterpart. Jadraners are valued highly for their loyalty and this dialect is often regarded as the most common accent of the Imperial Army. More educated Jadraners, such as those from the planet's few urban centers, will often leave the dialect's Freespeak loan words our while talking with Morozians or other Dominians.

• Lyodic Morozi: Most commonly associated with Lyodii, otherwise known as the People of the Lyod, Lyodic Morozi is a variation of the common Vulgar Morozi dialect which is most notable for its sing-song pace of speech which makes it distinctive from standard Vulgar Morozi and its higher-pitched counterpart in Fisanduh. Lyodic Morozi is uncommon to hear in the broader Empire, or abroad, due to the isolation of the Lyodii in the Morozian poles, and contains slight variations between the Northern and Southern Lyod. Those who speak the dialect are sometimes looked down upon as backwards savages by their Morozian counterparts. Those who hear the dialect spoken or sing during Lyodic rituals often state it has an eerie beauty, as the sounds of these rituals can carry for kilometers across the barren landscape of the Lyod.

• Native Orepitter: Native Orepitters developed their own way of speech that stemmed from centuries of complete isolation. The vast distances of the planet's desert surface required loud, high pitched sounds for reliable communication, making it the primary characteristic of the Orepitter accent.

• Providence Trinarist: While the capital of the Trinarists never had a sole language, its people from all over the Spur have come to adopt a unified accent. Characterised by fast-paced speaking and unique intonations to match the style of their synthetic brethren, IPCs have also come to adopt the accent for non-EAL languages.

• Galatean: Galatean Ministerial Common is one of two Ministerial Common dialects within the Federal Technocracy. Centrally managed by the Ministry of Galatean Culture (MfGC), Galatea proper's dialect is an unusual Solarian Common dialect characterized by its total lack of loan words and use of antiquated Common terms which date to the early 2300s when it was established as a dialect and have since fallen out of common use. Linguistically it is similar to Gadpathurian Common but lacks the Freespeak influence of Gadpathurian Common due to the MfGC's tight control over the language.

• Tsukuyomian: Significantly more rare abroad than Galatean Ministerial Common, Tsukuyomian Standard is one of two Ministerial Common dialects managed by the Ministry of Galatean Culture (MfGC). Like Galatean Ministerial Common, it lacks loan words due to central management and sounds comparatively antiquated when compared to more modern Solarian Common dialects. Tsukuyomian Standard is commonly associated with the Galatean Federal Navy, which has its headquarters on Tsukuyomi.

Tau Ceti Basic/Common

A spiritual successor of Esperanto, established in 2404 in Tau Ceti by Ceti intellectuals. Its unique, fully customized alphabet and structure allow it to be spoken even by most alien species. It's the official language of Tau Ceti and has growing traction in diplomatic circles and Universalists across human space. It is the most common trade language in human space and the official language of commerce in the Sol Alliance and numerous systems as well as being heavily promoted in non-human business schools.

Accents

• Biesellite: Often described as the “true” way of speaking Tau Ceti Basic, the Biesellite accent is easy to reproduce due to the phonetics of TCB.

• Ovanstad: The New Gibson Ovanstad accent is very close to the accent of Tau Ceti proper, due to the nature of the planet's colonization. However, New Gibsoners are known for talking with a faster and more clipped accent than those from Biesel and, at times, sound as if they are tripping over their words due to the rapid pace at which they speak.

• Undirstad: The New Gibson Undirstad accent is not wildly known or heard outside of New Gibson itself, as those hailing from the Undirstads are quite insular and isolated from the more attractive surface archologies. The Undirstad accent is much slower than the Ovanstad accent, and keeps more to its cultural roots.

• Valkyrian: The Valkyrian accent is a difficult accent to replicate, mostly due to the cultural melting pot in which it exists. Influences from across the Orion Spur have impacted the development of the accent, with traces of Sol Common, Tau Ceti Basic, Elyran Common and even Vulgar Morozi.

• Reade: Though it is far from wholly unified, the manner of speaking native to Reade is ubiquitous throughout the outer regions of Tau Ceti and its spacefaring populations. Due to the isolation of these communities from the wider system, most describe the dialect as both strongly archaic and very colloquial, similar to the voice of a Biesellite heard from an old recording.

Tradeband

Descended from Latin and romance languages of old Earth, Tradeband remains the main tongue of the upper class of humanity. The language sounds elegant and well structured to most ears. It remains in popular use with traders, diplomats, and those seeking to hold onto a piece of a romantic past. It gained Sol Alliance recognized legal status in 2317 and is prominent in systems that have historically been major centers of trade.

Accents

• Eridanian: The accent of Eridanian “suits” is almost universally looked upon as the accent of corporate excellence throughout the Sol Alliance and Republic of Biesel. Speaking with this accent is a surefire way to get one’s foot into the door in the corporate world, and wealthier Suits often devote time and resources to refining their accent to be more properly Eridanian.

• High Morozi: The less common Dominian accent is High Morozi, a variation of Tradeband found upon Moroz itself. While Vulgar Morozi is typically associated with the common citizenry of the Empire, High Morozi is associated with the Imperial nobility. While most typically associated with nobles it is often taught to wealthy commoners in order to more easily brush shoulders with nobility. This accent is one of the most readily-recognised markers of Dominian nobility abroad.

• Jovian: The Jovian accent is an odd mish-mash of accents from Jupiter’s various moons, and has heavy variation on each of the moons. On Idris Incorporated-dominated Europa, the Jovian accent often takes on traces of Tradeband due to the amount of high-income tourism, while the Callistean Jovian accent is known for the rapid, breathless pace at which it is typically spoken. Ganymede is often seen as the “standard” Jovian accent, though some on Callisto vehemently believe that the Callistean accent should be the standard.

• Europan: Europans are known to be much quieter and speak at a slower pace than their counterparts on Callisto, despite the close proximity of the two moons. Solarian linguists have traced the whisper-like nature of the accent origins to the planet’s submarines: crews believed that quieter voices interfered less with sonar, and were less likely to be heard by whatever was outside the hull. Europans that have succumbed to "Deep Crazy", a psychological phenomenon found on the moon, are known to abandon the typically hushed nature of Europan speech for screaming hysterically.

• Silversun Expatriate: The accent of Silversun's wealthy Idris Incorporated-aligned minority population is rooted in Tradeband dialects from Eridani and Luna rather than the Sol Common dialect of the Originals, making it audibly distinctive compared to the 'native' accent of the planet. This accent is most commonly associated with Idris Incorporated employees from Silversun, which tend to be overwhelmingly from the Expatriate population. Many Idris Incorporated positronics are programmed with this accent, and it is often regarded as the unofficial accent of the megacorporation.

• Assunzionii: The Assunzionii accent is one of the most unusual found in the Coalition of Colonies, due to the planet's colonial roots in the Mediterranean. Heavily influenced by Romance languages the Assunzionii dialect is most notable for its elegant-sounding and evenly-paced method of speaking compared to rougher-sounding Coalition and frontier dialects. Liturgical Assunzionii is a small subset of this dialect, and is generally only spoken during Luceian services and can be distinguished by its use of archaic language.

• Visegradi: The Visegradi accent is unique for that of a Solarian world, being a Tradeband accent with strong influences from the various languages of the Warsaw Pact on Earth. Decidedly harsh and characterized by unusual and eclectic pronunciation, it can be fairly difficult to parse for those unfamiliar with it. This is only somewhat stymied by the fact that Visegradi people tend to speak very loudly, an adaptation necessitated by the need to make oneself heard during the planet's torrential downpours.

• Callistean: Considered to be one of the most recognizable accents in the Sol System due to its uniquely breathless pace, the stereotypical Callistean accent has its roots in the moon's port district of New Valletta. While not all Callisteans speak with the breathless pace of those from New Valletta, the district's status as a port has led to its accent becoming the moon's most recognized one. As a whole the Callistean accent can be easily recognized by its fast pace of speaking and seeking disregard for pauses.

• San Colettish: The Colettish dialect belongs to the larger linguistic family of Tradeband but unlike many of its counterparts, it is descended from Earth-based Tradeband dialects rather than Luna-based dialects. It is easily distinguished from its Lunan contemporaries by its differences in pronunciation and tone, and still retains many of its linguistic roots from Earth.

• Port Antillean: There are two distinct dialects present on the planet: one that sees heavy lifting from Tradeband and the other more influenced by Solarian Common. It is relatively easy to identify the differences between the two: Antilleans influenced by Tradeband sound more nasal and rhythmic, whereas those that grew up in regions where Solarian Common is the dominant language are more soft-spoken and enunciated.

• Mictalani: The Mictlanian accent is a variation on Tradeband that is usually recognized as being folksy and warm. This welcoming, soft voice is one of the reasons the planet of Mictlan has seen a boom in tourism. While some youth may try to sound rebellious and conceal the softness of their voice, this musicality is still prevalent and universally recognizable.

Freespeak

A language of renegades and frontiersmen descending from various languages from Earth like Hindi combined into a multi-rooted jumble that sounds incoherent or even barbarian to non-native speakers. This language is the only common cultural identity for humans in the frontier. Speaking this language in itself boldly declares the speaker a free spirit. Often called 'Gutter' by Alliance citizens. It was Recognized by Sol Alliance as a spoken language in 2321. Considered a 'rough, informal' language, Freespeak is believed to have evolved in Martian slums, quickly spreading throughout the Galaxy. It is prominent in working class settlements across human space leading it to be the most common language in the frontier and second most common in the outer rim of known space. It is one of the few frontier cultural identity pieces.

Accents

• Frontiers Folk: The frontier is home to an unknowably vast amount of humans and settlements, covering everything from small outposts of only a few hundred to major planets such as Xanu Prime. It is difficult to define a standard "Coalition accent," or dialect due to the diversity and regionalism of the Coalition, along with its lack of a strong central government. Solarian linguists generally define the Coalition dialect as an umbrella encompassing all Freespeak native speakers not from a major settlement of the Coalition.

• Xanu Standard: The Xanu Standard dialect is arguably the most notable Freespeak dialect. Xanu Standard first emerged as an informal creole designed to make communication between the various nationalities who settled the planet more easily and possessed loan words from upwards of a half-dozen languages during this early period. Over time this creole would morph into the Xanu Standard dialect of Freespeak and is arguably the oldest and most widespread of the 25th century's common Freespeak dialects. Freespeak taught abroad, such as in the Serene Republic of Elyra and Republic of Biesel, is most often based upon the Xanu Standard dialect.

• Scarabs: The common accent of the Scarab Fleet has dozens, perhaps hundreds, of small variations due to the Fleet itself being spread throughout a massive number of individual ships, most of which have their own unique variations upon the standard Scarab accent.

• Eridanian, Dreg: The Eridanian “dreg” accent is almost universally looked upon as the accent of petty criminals and ne’er-do-wells throughout the Orion Spur. Speaking with this accent in the proximity of most humans is a surefire way to gain their suspicion, and those speaking with this accent often find themselves under enhanced security surveillance in corporate facilities. Eagle Corp, one of the major employers of dregs in Eridani, devotes a significant amount of its training to making its dreg recruits drop this distinctive accent.

• Vysokan: The typical Vyoskan accent is regarded as a throatier and harsher variation of Freespeak, with the planetary accent possessing many harsh tones. Some non-Vysokans have noted that the accent sounds similar to Himean Common at times, due to both accents being more guttural than average. However, the Vysokan accent remains distinctive from Himean Common due to its roots in Freespeak rather than Sol Common.

• Non-Coalition Frontier: The non-Coalition frontier 'accent' is not a true accent in of itself, but is instead used as a catch-all term for human accents originating outside of the frontier controlled by the Coalition of Colonies. These planets and systems vary wildly, and all sorts of people and places can be found within them.

• Imperial Frontier: Resembling more Freespeak than the Vulgar Morozi dialect found in more civilised regions of the Empire, most accents of the Imperial Frontier are looked down upon by those from the Core Worlds. Many Primaries and Secondaries look down upon the dialects of the Imperial Frontier as rogue, coarse, and often grating to hear compared to their Common-descended dialects. Many from this region who wish to rise through the ranks of the Empire's Ma'zals spend great amounts of time learning an ersatz Solarian Common dialect based upon this one which is known as the Refined Imperial Frontier Dialect. While not nearly as prestigious see its counterparts the Refined Frontier dialect is often viewed as a mark of loyalty and dedication to the Empire.

• Empyrean: Empyrean Federal Freespeak is a creole of Coalition Freespeak and Ministerial Common which features a multitude of Solarian Common loanwords due to most residents of Empyrean being bilingual, and often speaking Freespeak and Solarian Common. Compared to Svarogite Freespeak it features a heavier influence from foreign Freespeak and Solarian Common dialects due to Empyrean's status as a major point of entry for the Yggdrasil System.

• Svarogite: Svarogite Federal Freespeak is an unusual creole which combines Coalition Freespeak with the Ministerial Common dialect of Solarian Common. It features many Solarian Common loanwords and speakers of this dialect are almost always bilingual, speaking both Solarian Common and Freespeak, which can lead to further linguistic blending. The universal lung bioaugmentations of Svarogites ensure that they, unlike their New Hai Phongese counterparts, do not suffer from chronic lung issues which would impact their speech.

• Sun Reach: Regarded by most linguists as a Freespeak dialect, but classified by the Empire as a dialect of Vulgar Morozi, the Sun Reacher dialect is one of the more well-known accents of the Imperial Frontier. Previously associated with the Pirate Lords of Sun Reach and their raids on nearby worlds, the Reacher accent is now commonly heard from the voidsmen and officers of the Imperial Fleet and Goddess' Flotilla. Reachers who wish to demonstrate their loyalty to the Empire and a desire to assimilate into its culture will often go to great lengths to learn and speak a House Zhao-design pronunciation system which replaces the more guttural sounds of the Reacher dialect with lighter sounds closer in pronunciation to Jadranic Common.

Elyran Standard

Elyran Standard, so-called because it was the language created to be the standardised method of communication across the Elyran Republic after its revolution, is the official language of the Republic of Elyra. It was created by the Ministry of Education shortly after the Elyran Revolution at the behest of Prime Minister Abd Al-Hamid for the purposes of giving his new republic a single language that could be used for government, law, military organization, and trade. Many in the Republic praised this initiative as they saw it as either the practical thing to do or saw it as just another step in the Elyran Revolution, creating a new language that was untainted by Solarian influence. A large mass-education and literacy program began in 2317 to educate the Elyran people on this new language, to a point where the government banned the teaching of old Earth languages, such as in public schools, though still allowed them to be taught and used in higher education and religious institutions. The program was completed in 2336, with almost all of the Elyran population being fluent in the new language created by taking influences and grammar from Arabic, Turkish, and Farsi.

Accents

• Elyran: The typical Elyran accent is a relatively nondescript affair, typically sticking close to the accepted dictionary norms of pronunciation. The standard language of the Republic of Elyra is Elyran Standard, a constructed language which melds elements of Arabic, Farsi, and Turkish into one standardised tongue. This variation of Elyran Standard is the one officially taught in schools, but is rarely able to overpower more significant regional variations in the language.

• Persepolitian: Well-known across Elyra for its rapid-fire, energetic cadence, the Persepolitian accent is characterised by a vibrant and fast-paced nature that represents the New Ankaran Jewel's cosmopolitan nature. Speakers of this variant of Elyran Standard tend to be affluent and well-cultured, in keeping with the Elyran capital's general prosperity.

• Damascene: One of the most venerable of all Elyra's linguistic variations, the Damascene accent is famous across the Serene Republic for its scholarly, almost archaic air. Drawing more heavily from Arabic influence than the standard dictionary might, Damascene Elyran retains a refined, cultured, and historically resonant weight to its words, much like the storied planet itself.

• Medinan: Medinan Elyran is characterised by its breathy and almost stutter-step characteristics, both of which are thought to result from the elevated altitudes citizens experience living day-to-day in their sand-skimming cities. The variation has seen little spread outside Medina itself, owing to the planet's relatively minimal footprint on Elyran cinema and television.

• Aemaqi: Aemaqi Elyran is often described as a more considered and methodical variation on the standard dictionary dialect, and its speakers are frequently stereotyped as speaking slowly and languidly. Elements of Tradeband from the planet's Dominian refugee population have helped to reinforce this effect, and the variation is rarely found in those born off Aemaq itself or its innumerable orbital stations.

• New Suezi: Often labelled the most divergent large-scale variation of Elyran Standard, the New Suezi accent has evolved rapidly since the moon's megacorporate opening to mix elements of Freespeak, Basic, and even Solarian Common into its vocabulary and grammar. While purists might frown upon these deviations from the accepted linguistic standard, the melodic and almost singsong tones of the New Suezi variation feature increasingly often across many forms of Elyran media.

• Bursa: The Bursan accent is characterized by its soft and slightly lisping intonations, compared to the throatier sounds of most other Elyran accents. Across the wider Republic of Elyra, the Bursan accent is usually stereotyped as belonging to a country bumpkin or a career soldier.