Languages of Nansei-Gunto
The languages of Nansei-Gunto are very diverse and are differ based on geographic region, however English is spoken throughout the region and is official in the regional government and in all cities, except Shahai.
Official and recognized languages
English is official in the regional government, and is official or co-official with other languages as defined in each city, except for Shahai. Some cities, such as Shenghua, also designate recognized minority languages.
| City | Official languages | Recognized languages |
|---|---|---|
| New Singapore | English Chinese Malay Tamil |
|
| Shenghua | Chinese English |
Japanese Spanish |
| Kazeshima | Japanese English |
|
| Wenyanga | English Afrikaans isiXhosa Zulu |
Japanese
Malay |
| Shahai | Chinese French |
Japanese |
| Suncheon | Korean English |
|
| St. Helena | English | |
| Akiko Bay | Japanese English |
|
| Nueva Seriadé | Spanish English |
Japanese Chinese |
Languages used in daily life
Media
The dominant language in print media is English. However, newspaper dispensers for The Epsilia are written in different languages in different cities. For example, dispensers in Kazeshima are in Japanese, while those in Shenghua and Shahai are bilingual in English and Chinese. It has also been announced that The Epsilia will start publishing a Japanese edition. The dominant language in television broadcasting is Chinese, however additional stations are broadcast by the Shenghua Broadcasting Corporation in English, Japanese, and Spanish. SBC presents imported programs in their original language with subtitles in the channel's language, however, if available, a dub is also accessible via the secondary audio. This is to promote language fluency and immersion among students learning languages in school. An exeption to this are animated children's programs, which are dubbed in the channel's language, with the original language accessible via the secondary audio, if the original version is not being aired on another SBC channel. Live action children's programs use the same system as general programs. Early morning and late night reruns of TV13 programs on La 3 are only available in English with burnt in Spanish subtitles. All Chinese language programs broadcast by SBC contain optional Chinese subtitles to aid viewers who do not speak a program's dialect, for example, a Cantonese speaker watching a program in Mandarin. Programs aired between 8pm and 12am on La 3, TV Hachi, and TV13 contain optional subtitles in Spanish, Japanese, and English respectively. Programs during these hours on STV one carry optional English subtitles which can be selected instead of Chinese. All news programs carry subtitles in their respective languages, however these are burnt into the frame and cannot be turned on or off. The regionwide public broadcaster Channel 6 broadcast in English. All official media in Wenyanga is in English, save for a few Afrikaans TV channels such as b!Tv.
Education
The Shenghuanian educational system uses Chinese as its medium of instruction from grades 1-6, and English from grades 7-12. Additional classes in Japanese and Spanish are also offered for native speakers. In addition, students in grades 9-12 are required to take a class in either Japanese or Spanish. In addition, students choosing to take kindergarten can choose between any of the four languages.
The Wenyangan educational system mainly uses English as its primary language from grades R-12, however all three other official languages are used as well. From grades R-3, students are also taught in both Afrikaans and isiXhosa/isiZulu. From grades 4-12, any two of the four languages are taught, one being the Home Language (HL), and one being the First Additional Language (FAL). Some, but not all, schools require either Japanese or Malay as a third language subject between grades 8-12.
Transportation
Nansei-Gunto's linguistic diversity means transportation in the region needs to accomadate many different languages. For example, announcements on FLR Shenghua are made in Chinese, English, Japanese, and Spanish, while FLR Nansei-Gunto announcements outside Kazeshima make announcements in Japanese and English followed by the local language. The A63 expressway is planned to be signed multilingually in English, Chinese, Japanese, and French.
Government
English is the official language recognized by the regional government, and is used in all regionwide governmental affairs. In Shenghua, public services are required to be provided in Chinese, English, Japanese, and Spanish, and all four languages have equal status in city council meetings. In city court sessions, participants may use any language of their choice, in this case an interpreter will be provided. Public signage in Shenghua is required to be written in English and Chinese, but signs with additional text in Japanese and/or Spanish are common, but not required. In government-recognized tourism sites in Shenghua, in addition to the four languages, services in French, Korean, Afrikaans, German, Tagalog, Dutch, Portuguese, and Italian have to be provided to aid international visitors and those visiting from elsewhere in Nansei-Gunto.