International Fleet Common (also known as I.F. Common, Common, or Standard) was the official language of the International Fleet, Hegemony,[1] and later the Free People of Earth.[2] It was adapted from American English with minor changes.[1]
History
Creation
After the founding of the International Fleet and the Hegemony, a common language was needed to unify humanity against the Formics. The leadership of the Hegemony decided to make small changes to American English and create a language from it, calling it International Fleet Common.[3]
Starways Congress Era
The language was used almost universally until Starways Congress was founded, when it was renamed to Starcommon and made the official language of the Hundred Worlds.[4]
Differences between Common and American English
There were several differences between American English and International Fleet Common, including:
- 'Whom' was abolished from the language.[1]
- The word 'of' was changed to ov, or simply 'v'.[2]
- The letters 'ph' were replaced with 'f'.
- Several Slang terms were added to the language.[2]