Re: Introduction to Jovian (Comments, anyone?)

--- In conlang@y..., Christopher B Wright <faceloran@J...> wrote:
> Kulure ko Jan van Steenbergen
> > I just cannot entirely comprehend HOW such a mediaeval language got to
> > Jupiter, of all places! Any place would be more logical than that!
>
> Not so difficult with a sci-fi background, even if the story is a
> fantasy. Aliens (or really abnormally advanced humans) transported them
> to Iupiter, perhaps in stasis.
The setting definitely has to be sci-fi, Jupiter being nowhere near
Kansas.

The alien abduction theme has come to my mind as well, though I
discarded it quickly for being pretty much grotesque (why would any
advanced alien race want to grow pre-technological humans on another
planet, other than for conlinguistic purposes?).

Currently, I'm using the following scenario:

Earth colonized a number of planets and linked them up with a network
of wormhole jumpgates.  That network was destroyed, either by war,
terrorism or accident, leaving the colonies stranded with varying
levels of technological infrastructure.  The newly-founded colonies
regressed into agrarian pre-industriality, while the more established
worlds tried to conserve their knowledge and build up an economy
sound enough to support a space program and the eventual
reconstruction of their jumpgate.

Thus we get many worlds with uniquely evolved human cultures at
different tech levels, without even having to resort to aliens.
Should make a decently plausible RPG setting.  ;-)

On one of these planets, whose colonists were primarily descendants of
the Jovian moon stations, conservative Catholics became the strongest
political power, and installed classical Latin as the language of the
Clerus and later the High Society in general.  Science and technology
was preserved by an independent Academic Foundation (think Asimov),
of which the Clerus wasn't too fond.

With the centuries, the standard of living increased while the High
Language, somewhat simplified, extended its grasp down onto the middle
class, and eventually became the lingua franca of the planet.  Latin
is still present as a ceremonial language, as Quenya is in Tolkien's
elven lands.


--  Christian Thalmann