Guide: Real languages in roleplay

When roleplaying, we usually write our texts in English. However there are two problems tied to this fact. Firstly not all nations in our roleplay use English as their official in-character language. Some also use Constructed languages or other IRL languages. Secondly, "English" and other IRL names of languages are generally to be avoided in our roleplay (depending on the canon), since we write from an in-character perspective. Since names of IRL languages are based on IRL history and culture, our characters cannot know what an "English", a "German" or a "Japanese" is. This is why we use IRP names for IRL languages. The following table gives an overview over the currently existing IRL languages in our canons, what their IRP names are, where they are spoken and, if applicable, where the names have derived from and who invented them. It is advised to use the terms below, but if you want to invent your own name for a language, that already has received an IRP name, then this is alright too. The IC interpretation will then be, that the differing name reflects a difference between your language and the language, for which we have decided on an IRP name before. If your nation speaks e.g German and you choose not to use the name "Alman", and instead you want to call the language "Doitsch", then "Doitsch" will be considered a dialect of Alman, even if out-of-character it is supposed to be the same language.

There are also hybrids of real languages and conlangs, which can either be modifications of real languages and/or a mix of real languages and conlangs.

Table of real languages

Rows in italic are not considered fully canon as they either have not been accepted as the name of the IRL language by a majority of active roleplayers or because the name is too closely tied to one single state on the regional map, which is not desired, as it could limit future roleplayers in creating their nation, culture and history.

IRL name	IRP name	Background	Creator	Notes
Dutch	Friean	Named after Holy Free.	Tin the Free	Friean refers to Standard Dutch as taught and spoken in the Netherlands. While it refers to a single country on the TSP map, the active roleplaying community has currently decided to accept Friean as the name for Dutch. This is due to canon regional history in North-West Cordilia and the resulting similar cultures as well as the lack of other Dutch-speaking countries on the regional map.
English	Austral		Kris Kringle	Lingua franca of Pacifica and standard language of our roleplays. There is no rule demanding the use of American, British or another type of English. The spread of Austral throughout the region is most likely tied to colonialism of the Austral Empire.
French	Boreal			Boreal refers to the standard French spoken in France. It was mainly brought into the region by the Boreal Empire during the era of colonialism.
German	Alman	"Alman" is used by younger generations in Germany to refer to a person acting pretty stereotypical like a German.	GI-Land (LordGianni)	Alman refers to Standard German as taught and spoken in Germany.
Greek	Aegean	Named after the Aegean Sea located between Greece and Turkiye and its many islands. The people living in Rhayna and Proktethia respectively arrived from the Rainbow Islands.	UPRAN (ZeroXZ/Rhayna) Proktethia
Hungarian	Ezervulgish	Named after Ezervulge.	Seraph	While it refers to a single country on the TSP map, the active roleplaying community has currently decided to accept Ezervulgish as the name for Hungarian, also due to the lack of other Hungarian-speaking countries on the regional map.
Icelandic	Old North Almannic	Based on the IRP name for German combined with the fact, it is a North Germanic language, that retained, in comparison to other languages of its family, quite a bit of "old" vocabulary and grammar.	GI-Land (LordGianni)	Due to a lack of roleplayers using Icelandic in the TSP canons, there is currently no better name in use for it.
Japanese	Hinomoto Kotomoto	Hinomoto, or more correctly hinomotogo, is a play on words from the Japanese nihongo (= Japanese).	Hinomoto: Imperial Frost Federation (Senator Frost) Kotomoto: Hammerstar	While Hinomoto refers to Modern Japanese as spoken widely in Japan today and taught worldwide, Kotomoto only refers to Eastern Japanese.
Italian	Tolsian	Named after a region in Kringalia.	Kris Kringle	Tolsian refers to Standard Italian as taught and spoken in Italy. While it refers to a special region in a single country on the TSP map, the active roleplaying community has currently decided to accept Tolsian as the name for Italian, also due to the lack of other Italian-speaking countries on the regional map.
Latin	Montacian	Named after the Izaakian region Montacia.	Izaakia	Pax Dracon has also used Latin in the Pacifica canon, but it was also called after the home of the speakers (Drakari). A final decision on what to call Latin in our canons has not been made yet.
Mandarin Chinese	TBA			Discussion about an IRP name is still undergoing between the nations currently having Mandarin as an official language.
Russian	Karnetvorian	Named after Karnetvor	RandomGuy199
Spanish	Spaninol		Darkstrait	Spaninol refers to Castilian Spanish. It was brought into the region by the Spaninolian Empire during the era of colonialism. Originally invented as a name for a Spanish dialect, but was later adopted by other Spanish-speaking nations.
Thai	Tai		Tin the Free	Canonicity currently unclear as it depends on whether Holy Free continues to speak Tai in the future or not.

Hybrids

IRP name	RL language(s) used	Creator	Notes
Besernian	German	Besern
Transsunerian	German, Dutch, Scandinavian languages	Qwert	Transsunerian belongs to a separate branch on the "Almannic" language family tree, but was heavily influenced by the Alman language due to colonialism.

Who speaks what?

[Placeholder for a TSP languages map]

Can't find your language?

If you cannot find your language in the table above, even though you are sure it is a real language, then congratulations! You may name your language. Maybe people will even pick it up at some point and make it "fully canon". To find the best name for your language, you should look up at first, whether there is really no other somewhat active roleplayer with a nation on the regional map, who also wants their nation to speak your language. You can do this at best on our TSP Roleplay Discord server as most active roleplayers have an account on there and the hivemind of the community knows for a majority of the nations, which languages they're probably speaking. If there is another player, teamwork is needed to find a name, because of our consent rule.

When inventing a name, you can fall back on puns in the target language, important aspects from the culture the target language comes from or you just get creative in another way. We do not advise to use your nation's name or one of a region within it as the basis of the language name, since, as we have written above, this could limit future roleplayers in their opportunities to become creative and would forcefully tie them to your nation. Another thing you should not do, is claiming you are the birthplace of a certain culture and their language for the very same reason. If your nation becomes the main or only nation to use a certain language or has certain cultural traits for years, maybe the community would be willing to accept that claim, but you should not assume this from the get-go and would need to always be prepared for others to challenge that statement.

At last, if you have come up with a name, please refrain from editing it in here yourself. Instead use one of appropriate channels on our Discord server to not only make it known, you have invented a new language name, but also to seek approval from other roleplayers. Maybe someone new joined in the meantime and also wants to have a word with you about it? Maybe you overlooked someone in your "active roleplayer" research? Maybe your language name is unpurposefully offensive? Those and more questions can be cleared up. After that happened and the name was approved by the community, one of the wiki-editors will add your creation to the table above.

Applicability to the canons

Generally the IRP names of languages can be used in all canons. However, each can decide on their own, whether they allow IRL language names or not and, if not, whether they use the above terms, mostly created in the Pacifica canon, or not. If you are unsure about this, you can always ask roleplayers in the respective canon, you want to be active in, which terms to use for which language.