I can suspend my disbelief for a lot in Star Trek, but for some reason one of the things I have the most trouble with is the idea that entire species have one single language. (This is very much not a unique thing in Star Trek and basically all sci-fi does this, I’m just specifically talking about Star Trek here.) How is there one single Vulcan language, one single Klingon language, one single Bajoran language, etc.? I know it’s just done to simplify the writing process, but it’s so unbelievable to me. Even the idea that there might be one “main” language for each species and then a few other dialects which is occasionally hinted at feels unconvincing for an entire species on an entire planet.
I remember there were a few episodes of DS9 that talked about “Ancient Bajoran” which modern Bajoran descended from and I love that idea for the history of language on Bajor, but there should be tons of different languages descended from a language that old! Maybe an old form survives as a liturgical language while another somewhat related language is the primary dialect spoken in, say, the Rakantha Province. Maybe there are different branches of languages descended from Ancient Bajoran that are mutually unintelligible to each other but that can be traced back by scholars to a common ancestor. And certainly there must be other language families on Bajor for which no link to Ancient Bajoran can be established at all. How have Bajoran religious and governmental authorities historically treated these languages? How many small languages might have been wiped out or become endangered during the Cardassian occupation? What kinds of language revitalization efforts might exist after the end of the occupation? To think about any of this stuff you just kind of have to ignore canon, though.
