The Beginnings of the Common Language

The Common Language began shortly after the Awakening Summons. Reformers around the Coalition complained of the differences in teaching children on different planets, and even on different continents of these planets. The language barrier was so great that computers often failed while communicating with a computer in another language.

The High Clerist Bigm formed a large panel with two members from every single language spoken by more than two thousand people in the Coalition. After meeting daily for three years, the full Common Language had been developed. Every word from every language had a new name in Common, even sentence structure and grammar was standardized. The Common language was made mandatory in schools, and speaking any language other than Common outside of your home or religious ceremonies was made illegal.

After about three generations of everyone being taught Common, High Clerist Yorte declared the Coalition united in language as well as politics.

Since then, every citizen has used Common. Native languages are found only in old archives designed to preserve them and in a few homes where parents insist on preserving their language. However, Common words often slip into these people's vocabulary as the old languages are forgotten.

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