Difference between revisions of "Language"

Revision as of 07:55, 15 January 2005

This article deals with Language as it relates to NationStates. For more general information, see the Wikipedia article on this subject.

Language is a system of communication or reasoning using representation along with metaphor and some manner of logical grammar. Many languages use gestures, sounds, symbols, or words, and aim at communicating concepts, ideas, meanings, and thoughts.

This article deals with the use of language on the forums, the ins and outs of the national languages of NS nations, roleplaying conventions relating to language, the use of language in gameplay and nationsstates slang.

Language in gameplay

English is the primary language of NationStates and the language that is generally used on the forums as well as on regional boards. In Gameplay it is usually the medium of communication except in some regions.

While many non-native speakers have nations in predominantly English-speaking regions and take part in English-based forums, there are regions in Nation States created by and for specific languages. Players in such regioms may be less likely to take part on forums and in United Nations debates but their regions can still be as varied and lively as those made by English-speaking players. Regional languages exist in regions which are dedicated to a RL nation. An example is Dutch in the Nederland region (for the RL Netherlands) or French in France (for RL France). There are also regions which are dedicated to languages themselves, such as the Deutschsprachige Region.

National languages in roleplay

Prevalence

In Roleplay, a great deal of nations have English as their primary language. This is likely because a majority of the NS players are from English-speaking countries such as the United States, Great Britain, Canada and Australia. Rather then attributing historical developments in roleplay (such as RL English settlers), the language is often, but not always, assumed to have always been there. In this sense, Anglosaxon culture is dominant in NS Earth and beyond.

There have been some attempts at forming an alternative Lingua Franca; many Elvish nations speak Quenya and in the roleplaying circles around them it is sometimes used as a language of diplomacy. Many Quenya-speaking nations are part of the VERITAS alliance. More common then Quenya, however, are the RL languages. German and Russian feature prominently amongst them, but French, Dutch and Spanish are also quite common.) There can be a wide range of different reasons for choosing a certain RL language (see choice of language

A very interesting asset to linguistic diversity are the nation-specific languages, which are often made up as a constructed language (conlang). Often citizens are just assumed to be speaking "nationian" without there being any existing words or grammar rules behind it, but some players have made up entire languages for the game. An excellent example of such a language is Rejistanian.

Some nations do not limit themselves to having one single national languages, but instead have different languages for different regions or different sections of the population. These nations can have various constructed languages, a number of different RL languages, or a mix.

Choice of language

There are several factors that influence the choice of a player for his nation to have a certain (RL) language.

• The background of the player is very important, and often the choice of national language will reflect the language(s) the player is familiar with. However, sometimes the language reflects other things (listed here below)
• Other characteristics of nations that imply a certain language. Elvish nations for example are obviously bound to Quenya, Sindarin or some variant thereof. But often this also has to do with stereotypes. Communist nations (especially those that use a stereotype of the Soviet Union popular in the Western world) tend to have Russian as their national language. Fascist or authoritarian nations often have German in reference to the Third Reich. French is sometimes the chosen language of nations who wish to be more 'refined'.
• Location in the RL world. Nations in, for example, Earth II will often occupy a portion of RL territory. It is reasonable that the people inhabititing this territoriy will speak their native language and, as a result, this also becomes the language of choice for the NS nation claiming to posess those territories.
• Assumed or RPed history. People may adopt certain languages because of historic ties with other (NS or RL) nations. An example of a language that s entirely the result of such a history is Belmorian-Rejistanian)
• Cultural affinity. (Japanese quite naturally becomes the language in nations of Manga-freaks)

Roleplay conventions relating to language

Virtually all roleplay is in English and the language for interaction between characters of different nation is often also English, at least OOC. Sometimes, English is used OOCly while assuming that the characters are speaking an IC language that is either fictional or incomprehensible to other players. (An example of a fictional language is "Celdonian" in Celdonia, which is functionally similar to English.) Using another language is sometimes indicated by using a different colour for the spoken text when players do not want to assume away the language barrier but still want other players to understand what their characters are saying.

• Assuming everyone speaks English
• (alternatively) use of coloured text
• (alternatively) posting in that language
• Something about the use of rude language

NationStates Slang