Babel Speak

Babel Speak is a constructed virtual language which has evolved from its initial inclusion into the default ironClad library as a file named babel. This file outlines a how to use install a Babel Device into CommLinks for high speed input. Over the years, Babel has become such a useful tool for communication that it is a common tongue among motivated socialites and engineers alike.

Input

Babel requires the use of a Babel device. For graphics it requires either a Hologram projector or AR Implant, input sensed via ring, glove, or tattoo, and vocalizations are captured with mic or subvocal implant or tattoo.

The device's input capture picks up on user articulations and their speech (including subvocalizations). As the user speaks, the device captures the phonemes and presents the user with a radial menu of predictive text options of what it anticipates the rest of the word is. Once they have spoken enough of the word for the predictive text to display the correct option, the user flicks their hand in the corresponding direction to the correct word, and may speaking the next word, or may gesture at the predictive text for entire followup words and phases.

Using this method, a user may vocalize "It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood!" as ""Its-a-won-d-in-th-neighb" while making quick, small gestures with their hand. As this device learns the user and the user learns the device, shorter phonemes are required for longer phrases, and gesturing becomes so second nature that entire phonemes may be lost from speech.

The vocal aspect can be supplemented or replaced with thought-to-text using a neural scanner.

Most agree that Babel sounds a bit silly when spoken aloud.

If you do not know Ubiq or Babel, Babel is unintelligible gibberish.

Navigate

If your character is within the Federation, Syndicate, or Church, and is either a notorious socialite or focused on engineering, they start out knowing Babel. How likely it is otherwise depends on Narrator discretion and your proximity to the normal demographic.

Difficulty: Difficult (10)

Conversation

Some words in Babel are universal, and most speakers of it can hold a rapid dialog with eachother in Babel even without use of a device. For this reason, many 'Babelisms' have made their way into common conversation.

Proliferation

Common in the Federation
Common in the Syndicate
Uncommon in the Church
Rare in the Pact
Very Rare in the Haimarchy

Language

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