Editing Human languages

{{Status|Canon}}
[[File:Please-remain-calm wide.jpg|thumb|350px|The [[Superintendent]] displaying an alert in multiple languages.]]
{{Series/Species/Human}}
[[Humans]] have a plethora of '''languages''' that they use to communicate with one another. As a space-faring race, humanity spread many of their native [[Earth]] languages as they settled on [[Human colonies|numerous colonies]]. By the 26th century, the English language served as the primary language of the [[Unified Earth Government]] and, by extension, the [[United Nations Space Command]]. Although English is spoken widely across Human-controlled space, several other human languages are still used, mostly with secondary roles in society, as English is often found in conjuncture with them. During the [[Human-Covenant War]], some members of the [[Covenant]] studied and learned one or more human languages in order to interpret human communications.<ref>'''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''', ''page 21''</ref> The [[Armor customization (Halo 5: Guardians)#Visor color|Royal]] [[Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance|VISR]] for [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2)|MJOLNIR [GEN2]]] features a translation system and local database of hundreds of human languages, many of which are now thought extinct after the Covenant War.<ref>'''Halo 5: Guardians'''</ref>

==Languages==
===English===
[[File:H2 CitizenAlert.jpg|thumb|250px|A [[Sign in Metropolis|citizen alert]] in downtown [[New Mombasa]], written in English.]]
[[Wikipedia:English language|English]] is a [[Wikipedia:West Germanic languages|West Germanic language]] originating in England and the first language for most people in [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[Wikipedia:Ireland|Ireland]], [[Wikipedia:New Zealand|New Zealand]], the [[Wikipedia:United Kingdom|United Kingdom]], and the [[United States of America]]—together, commonly known as the [[Wikipedia:Anglosphere|Anglosphere]]. This language has grown to prominence as the dominant language of the Unified Earth Government and the human species, and is the primary language of every known human colony and organization. 

[[Covenant]] [[translation software]] intercepted human [[COM]] transmissions after the [[First Battle of Harvest]], and thus the Covenant learned English quickly.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 275''</ref> Following first contact at [[Harvest]], the [[Prophet of Tolerance|High Prophet of Tolerance]] had five hundred teams of well-educated [[Sangheili]] and [[Unggoy]] formed to study and translate English. These teams could only speak English among themselves and were later required to teach it to all [[Covenant military]] units.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars]]''', ''[[Halo Wars Timeline Events|Timeline]]''</ref> From [[2525]] to [[2552]], the Covenant used this knowledge mainly to broadcast florid curses at human colonies and ships before destroying them, and never actually held conversation with humans. Several other species had the ability to speak English, including the [[San'Shyuum]]<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]</ref> and Unggoy, a fact the latter take great pride in.<ref>'''Halo 3''', ''[[Bestiarum]]''</ref> [[Kig-Yar]] could speak English in a rasped manner,<ref>'''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''', ''pages 156-157''</ref> though most are unable to form a proper "f" sound in speech.<ref>'''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''', ''page 393''</ref> Most Sangheili could speak English, although they had difficulty pronouncing words containing the letter "v" or ending with "p".<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 391''</ref>

[[UNSC]] translation software has been able to decrypt a number of Covenant languages, most notably those of the Unggoy, [[Kig-Yar language|Kig-Yar]],<ref name="BI">'''[[Halo: Evolutions]]''', ''[[Blunt Instruments]]''</ref> [[Sangheili (language)|Sangheili]], [[Jiralhanae]], and [[San'Shyuum language|San'Shyuum]]. By the time of the [[Battle of Earth]], this software could automatically interpret anything that most of the races said, and has apparently been installed in the equipment of all UNSC military personnel, as all personnel appear to have the ability to understand what members of these races are saying.<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]'''</ref> However, by [[2552]], the [[Yanme'e]] [[Yanme'e#Language|language]] was still largely untranslated.{{Ref/Reuse|BI}}

===Spanish===
[[File:HtT Twitter Sign.jpg|thumb|300px|A UEG notice sign written in Spanish.]]
[[Wikipedia:Spanish language|Spanish]] is a secondary language of the UEG and, by extension, the United Nations Space Command. Having its roots in Latin, Spanish bears many similarities to English and is used in various places throughout the UNSC, but has seen diminishing use due to the UEG-wide adoption of English as its primary language.

Spanish is spoken mostly in areas where it saw prominence in earlier eras, such as Latin America and [[Wikipedia:Cuba|Cuba]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx'''</ref> Most of the population of [[Madrigal]] was of Hispanic ancestry and thus spoke Spanish fluently. After the planet was [[Glassing|glassed]] by the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]], the survivors established [[the Rubble]], a self-sufficient community in the asteroids surrounding the nearby gas giant [[Hesiod]]; most on the habitats of the Rubble had Hispanic names. Spanish was also spoken on the colony planet [[Verge]], as evidenced by the name name of the city [[Ciudad de Arias]] and by signs in the city's subway tunnels.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', ''Blunt Instruments'', page 207</ref>

Many members of the [[UNSC Marine Corps]] speak Spanish, including [[Corporal]] [[Perez (Marine)|Perez]]<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Metropolis]]''</ref> and the deceased [[Private]] [[Manuel Mendoza]].<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark]]''</ref>

===Chinese===
The [[Wikipedia:Chinese language|Chinese language]] comprises a variety of different dialects spoken in various provinces of China.  Standard Chinese, commonly known as '''Mandarin''', is spoken in most of northern China and part of western China. Earth-born freshman Cadet [[Junjie Chen]] regularly video-conversed with his father in Mandarin about his progress at [[Corbulo Academy]].<ref>'''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn''', ''Part 1 and Part 2''</ref>

Other major Chinese dialects include Wu and Cantonese. '''Cantonese''' is primarily spoken down south in China's Guangdong Province and in Hong Kong. Being half-Chinese on her mother's side, Sergeant [[Lian Devereaux]]  is at least partially fluent in her mother's native tongue, as evidenced by her habit of swearing in Cantonese.<ref>'''Halo: The Thursday War''', ''page 267''</ref>

===Indian languages===
India is home to several hundred languages spoken by different ethnic and religious groups. The most commonly spoken and most well-known language in India is '''Hindi'''. Hindi continues to be spoken and is used in some [[Andesia]]n cities like [[Promesa]].<ref>'''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''', multiplayer map ''[[Plaza]]''</ref> '''Sanskrit''' is an ancient Indian language. It is the sacred language of [[Religion|Hinduism and Buddhism]]. Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]] is knowledgeable in Sanskrit scripts, having read the Hindu holy book ''Rigveda'' and written some of its verses into her [[Dr. Halsey's personal journal|diary]].<ref>'''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'''</ref>

===Portuguese===
[[Wikipedia:Portuguese language|Portuguese]] originates from the southern European country of [[Wikipedia:Portugal|Portugal]]. It is Earth's second most spoken romance language after Spanish and is spoken in parts of South America, Africa and Asia. The Portuguese language continues to be spoken by some humans in the 26th century.<ref>'''Halo 5: Guardians''', campaign level, ''[[Meridian Station]]''</ref> 

===Russian===
The [[Wikipedia:Russian language|Russian language]] is primarily spoken in the nation of [[Russia]]. The language continues to be used in many locations like in [[Tyumen (Icebox)|Tyumen]].{{Ref/Map|H3|[[Icebox]]}} Originating from Russia, Corporal [[Vasily Beloi]] spoke his native land's tongue.<ref>'''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''', ''page 324''</ref>

===German===
[[File:Holography civilian welcome.jpg|thumb|200px|A [[holography|holographic]] sign on the [[Quito Space Tether]], with "welcome" written in both German and in Japanese.]]
German is a language spoken by a number of humans, originating from the [[national government|country]] of [[Germany]] in [[Europe]] on Earth. The German language was spoken by the [[Unified German Republic]], the [[Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]] and the [[Frieden]] rebel forces during the [[Interplanetary War]],<ref>''Xbox.com'': The Halo Timeline (defunct, [[Archive:Xbox.com/Halo/Timeline|Archived]])</ref> and continues to be spoken by some humans in the 26th century despite the adoption of English as the ''lingua franca'' of the UEG.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', multiplayer map ''[[Orbital]]''</ref>

===Japanese===
The [[Wikipedia:Japanese language|Japanese language]] is spoken in the archipelago nation of [[Wikipedia:Japan|Japan]]. It continues to be spoken in the 26th century. Lieutenant [[Aki Hikowa]], who was of Japanese ancestry, could speak the Japanese tongue.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', Chapter 21, ''page 196''(2001 paperback); ''page 226''(2010 paperback)</ref>

===French===
[[Wikipedia:French language|French]] is a language primarily spoken in the European nation of [[Wikipedia:France|France]], but is also spoken in other regions around Earth. Like Spanish and Portuguese, French is also a romance language that descended from Latin. Due to French and Belgian colonialism from the 17th and 18th century onward, the French language was introduced to various parts of [[Africa]]. In many parts of the African continent, the French language is often spoken mixed in with regional indigenous languages. By the 26th century, a dialect of [[Wikipedia:African French|African French]] was spoken locally by [[Unidentified salesman|some vendors]] in the [[Old Mombasa|older sector]] of [[Mombasa]] in [[Kenya]].<ref>'''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''', ''[[Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa]]''</ref> Because most of the first colonists who settled on the planet-moon [[Meridian]] came from France, some of the world's locales had French names.<ref>'''Halo 5: Guardians''', campaign level, ''[[Glassed]]'' - Mission Intel</ref>

===Korean===
[[Wikipedia:Korean language|Korean]] language is primarily spoken in the [[Wikipedia:Korean Peninsula|Korean Peninsula]]. It continues to be spoken in the 26th century.<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]'''</ref> The [[M6G|M6G Magnums]] have [[Wikipedia:Hangul|Hangul]] or Korean writing, printed on its barrel and on the bottom of its magazine.

===Hungarian===
[[Wikipedia:Hungarian language|Hungarian]] is a [[Wikipedia:Uralic language|Uralic language]] in the [[Wikipedia:Ugric languages|Ugric language]] group. It is spoken in [[Wikipedia:Hungary|Hungary]] and countries with large Hungarian minorities.

Because a number of its original settlers were Eastern European in origin, Hungarian is a common language on [[Reach]] and many of the regions on the planet have Hungarian names. Being a native of the planet, [[Jorge-052]] spoke Hungarian, and it may have been his native language.<ref>'''[[Halo: Reach]]''', campaign level ''[[Winter Contingency]]''</ref> The [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|ODST]] [[Tarkov]] was also a native Hungarian speaker and his unit appeared to be composed mostly of Hungarian speakers.<ref>'''[[The Life]]'''</ref>

===Swahili===
[[File:Moto ondoka.jpg|thumb|250px|A sign in [[Traxus Factory Complex 09]], with "fire exit" spelled out in Swahili and English.]]
[[Wikipedia:Swahili|Swahili]] (also called Kiswahili) is a Bantu language widely spoken in East [[Africa]], Earth. Swahili is the mother tongue of the Swahili people who inhabit a 1,500 kilometers (931.5 miles) stretch of the East African coast from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique. As of the early 21st century, it was spoken by over 50 million people, of whom there were approximately five million first-language speakers and thirty to fifty million second-language speakers. Swahili has become a ''lingua franca'' for East Africa and surrounding areas.

Although Swahili has somewhat diminished due to the adoption of English as the primary language of the UEG, it is still widely spoken in its native areas around the modern [[East African Protectorate]]. Swahili was utilized extensively in Kenya, as evidenced by [[Outskirts announcements|a number of intercom announcements]] in Mombasa and signs around the town of [[Voi]].<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Outskirts]]''</ref><ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Storm]]''</ref>

===Latin===
[[Wikipedia:Latin language|Latin]] is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region surrounding Rome. It gained wide currency, especially in [[Europe]], as the formal language of the Roman Republic, Roman Empire and – after Rome's conversion to Christianity (later known as Catholicism after the "[[Wikipedia:Great Schism|great schism]]") – of the Roman Catholic Church. Principally through the influence of the Church, it became the language of later medieval European scholars and philosophers. It widely influenced a number of languages that came after it, including some used by the modern UNSC, such as Spanish and English. By 26th century, Latin had become extinct from everyday usage.

[[Onyx Sentinel]]s were capable of attenuating their communication systems to produce [[COM]] signals on UNSC devices and use Latin phrases. After one of the Sentinels approached [[Ash-G099]], informing him of the status of the "[[Trevelyan|Shield]]" and demanding the "[[Reclaimer]]" to provide a proper counter-response, it referred to Ash's confused reply as a "non sequitur" (Latin for "it does not follow"). In addition, they are capable of modifying their lexicon based on samples of [[human]] language and speaking fluent English.<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 133''</ref>

Some UNSC ships follow the tradition of older Earth vessels by putting Latin phrases on their [[ship emblem]]s.<ref>'''[[Halo Wars]]'''</ref> The [[UNSC Marine Corps]] carries the tradition of the ancient [[Wikipedia:United States Marine Corps|United States Marine Corps]] by using the motto "Semper Fidelis", which is Latin for "Always Faithful".<ref>'''[[Halo: The Flood]]''', Chapter 5, ''page 138'' (2003 paperback); ''page 154'' (2010 paperback)</ref> The [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] also uses a variant of this term for their own emblem, "Semper Vigilans" ("Always Vigilant").<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]'''</ref>

===Sign Languages===
Apart from spoken languages, certain humans with hearing or vocal disabilities also communicate non-verbally through the use of sign languages. Much like the [[Huragok]], who use precise tentacle gestures and signs to convey information, Sign Language speakers utilize sets of meaninful hand signals and body movements as a form of visual communication. There is no universal human sign language but instead many different signed languages that vary by different regions. After an injury to the throat left him unable to speak, Lance Corporal [[Chris Preston]] was able to communicate using British, Australian and New Zealand Sign Language ([[Wikipedia:BANZSL|BANZSL]]).{{Ref/Generic|Id=Unspoken|Heading=[[Become]]|Subheading=[[UNSC Archives]]|Detail=[[Unspoken]]}} [[SPARTAN-III program|Spartan-III]] supersoldier [[Lucy-B091]] suffered from [[post-traumatic vocal disarticulation]] as a result of [[Operation: TORPEDO]]. Although she eventually recovered from her muteness years later, she and [[Tom-B292]] still often utilized a private sign language they had developed, one based on the [[Spartan signals]] used by both the Spartan-IIs and III's.<ref>'''Halo:  Fractures''', "Lessons Learned"'</ref>

==Trivia==
*[[Unggoy]], [[Sangheili]], [[Kig-Yar]], [[Jiralhanae]], and [[San'Shyuum]] can be heard speaking English in ''[[Halo 2]]'', ''[[Halo 3]]'', ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'' and ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' due to UNSC translation software.
*The Halo Waypoint administrator {{Plain|[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_profile601146.aspx Catalog]}} (posting in-character as the [[Juridical]] agent of the [[Catalog|same name]]) makes frequent use of Latin terms and phrases in its posts, echoing the Onyx Sentinels' use of the root language. These items are shown in brackets, much like certain ambiguous terms in the [[Terminal (Halo 3)|''Halo 3'' terminals]] and the [[Bestiarum]].

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources|2}}

[[Category:Languages]]