Glossa Communi

Glossa Communi is the name given to the universal spoken and written language used throughout Illuminatia. Glossa Communi is the common language of all humanity on the surface of Neonisi. The language originated on Earth during the preparation period preceding the Lucidus mission. The language was developed specifically to benefit the voyage and the planned civilization that would result from the space expedition.

Glossa Communi was created using a hybrid of the collective vocabulary and grammar styles of numerous existing Earthly languages. Illuminatia is the only known location in the universe where Glossa Communi is used, although it is presumed that any future missions of the same type would make use of a revised version of the same hybrid language.

The Illuminatian authority responsible for maintaining the common language is the Department of Language and Lexicology (DLL). This governmental department monitors usage of Glossa Communi and engages in educational efforts communicating usage, vocabulary, and grammar standards to the public.

In addition to Glossa Communi, the Protolucidian languages form a group of unofficial languages spoken by a minority of Illuminatians. Those who use a Protolucidian language never do so exclusive of Glossa Communi, but instead additionally speak one of the four Protolucidian languages in complement of the common language. This usage is tolerated and appreciated as a cultural artifact as it does not replace or impede the universal usage of Glossa Communi in any way.

Structure

Glossa Communi maintains a simplified structure relative to some of the historical Earthly languages in order to make language acquisition easier for persons of a variety of capacities for literacy and lingual learning. This simplicity ensures usage of the language remains acceptable and accessible to all audiences irrespective of the diverse capacities of the persons using the language.

Glossa Communi makes use of only three primary verb tenses—the past, present, and future. These three tenses in general are the only tenses expected to be utilized in formal communication. Additional verb tenses of increasing levels of granularity representing differing varieties and perspectives relating to the past, present, and future are possible for informal and creative forms of communication, however even this large variety of specific tenses are only represented using the most basic of conjugations. It is considered rude and discourteous to use the advanced verb tenses in formal communication.

The usage of the language otherwise does not change depending upon the relative social status of the persons communicating, furthering a cultural basis of equity and mutual respect. Honorific titles are not utilized in Glossa Communi. All nouns, adjectives, and titles are neuter in orientation, as gender is not utilized in Glossa Communi nor is the concept of gender recognized in general in Illuminatian culture.

History

Anticipating the linguistic necessities that would be encountered aboard a multigenerational voyage involving people originating from a plethora of Earthly cultures and—more importantly—foreseeing the needs of the resulting civilization, Lucidus mission organizers determined it would be best to invent a new constructed language for the Lucidus crew to speak and write. It was understood that the situation would be most equitable if this new language were one with which nobody of the original mission's crew would be exceedingly familiar and with which nearly everybody would be at least vaguely familiar. It was determined that under no circumstance should any of the future crew have a native knowledge of the language chosen for this expedition.

This resulted in linguistic and ethnological researchers developing this much-needed common language in preparation for the mission. Borrowing only the best elements of existing Earthly languages would allow mission personnel to utilize a limited level of existing native language knowledge to help assemble proficiency in the new common language.

It was decided that the seed population of this new human civilization should not favor one Earthly language over another because of serious concerns that the preference of one existing language over another would exclude and devalue specific cultures unevenly. Looking toward a mission that sought to incorporate the best elements of all of Earth's cultures and melt them into one improved unified civilization, it became obvious that a language incorporating pieces of as many of Earth's languages as possible would be the best choice.

Reasoning

Lucidus mission consultants and later Illuminatian authorities acknowledged that creating and maintaining a common language would be critical to ensuring the diverse population of the mission and the widely-dispersed populace of the resulting planet-bound civilization would be able to communicate effectively.

The common recognition and acceptance of one common language for use in trade, industry, science, education, legal and contractual matters, and democratic dialogue facilitates the swift progress that the Illuminatian branch of humanity will endure. The usage of Glossa Communi has succeeded in reducing misunderstandings that might arise from unnecessary translation between unrelated languages. The Department of Language and Lexicology as a language authority in Illuminatia has protected against uncommon or inconsistent usage of the common language.

The Illuminatian linguistic experiment has demonstrated that reducing misinterpretation of verbal and written communication due to inherently faulty translation, the assignment of multiple meanings to terminology, and the variance of terminology used to describe concepts has resulted in countless benefits over the experiences of Earthly civilization. The use of Glossa Communi improves safety, reduces potential unwanted liabilities, and decreases potential losses by maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of communication.

Clarification

Glossa Communi does not resemble English and only incorporates portions of the historical modern earthly English language into its lexicon. While this wiki is written in English for the benefit of its earthly readership, the writings contained here are only loosely translated from Glossa Communi in order to maximize legibility in the modern-ancient form of the English language and provide maximum practical accessibility for the earthly audience.