Language

Yeah, I think the idea isn't to have a realistic correlation between languages and civs, just as there isn't a realistic correlation between religions and civs. Each civ would have its own language (derived from their own 'culture'), that would work much in the same way as religion.
 
But language is a part of culture. No need to implent it as a special feature. And both examples mentioned by Hafezudine show this.
Arabian was used in Egypt, Marocco, etc. after they were conquered and the population turned after time from their native language and culture to the Arabian one. The same in the English colonies.
That´s already implented in the previous games, where new citizens have the culture of the conquering nation, or?
 
Well this could be implemented as simply an assumed aspect of culture, if only you could spread culture like you can spread religion (i.e. spread it to foreign cities). You can spread your culture currently, as you say, through conquest, but you can't spread it deliberately to cities outside of your control. This is particularly unrealistic when you consider language. Why shouldn't you be able to export your language to another civ?
 
They don't have to adopt it as their official language, but they do have to have it present as a spoken language somewhere within their borders in order to literally be able to communicate with each other.
 
I don't understand the restrictions in trade caused by languages. There is no problems language-wise for example in trade between China and Russia, even thou they don't share the same language. Language is a cultural thing.
 
Language and ethnicity are essentially the same thing. Okay, obviously they're not TECHNICALLY the same thing, but language is one of the two primary factors that determines culture (along with environment).

I don't see anything that language could bring to the game that ethnicities don't already (yes, I've read the suggestions in this thread).

The only thing I could see working is some sort of lingua-franca developing later in the game. But what would determine what the lingua-franca is? And, more importantly, how would it affect gameplay?

Anything that a language system would bring to the game I feel would be adequately covered in an expansion of the culture/ethnicity/religion systems. I feel that some sort of "translation" or "understand foreign languages" system would needlessly complicate diplomacy and would serve as more of a distraction than anything.
 
I don't understand the restrictions in trade caused by languages. There is no problems language-wise for example in trade between China and Russia, even thou they don't share the same language. Language is a cultural thing.

That's because Chinese people can speak Russian, and vice versa. The idea in this thread is that you must have the other language somewhere in your empire in order to communicate.

But that is a rather tenuous basis for a huge diplomatic factor, me thinks.
 
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