Formally known as Belter Creole, but sometimes just referred to as Belter, the language of the Belters is unique to the universe of The Expanse. The Belters are the beings in The Expanse that live in the asteroid belt and outer planets of the solar system of this universe, thus the name. Having their own language is an essential quality of these people, considering that they are the working class of this world. This language was created by a linguist known as Nick Farmer, and the process by which he crafted it builds on the way that creole languages have evolved historically on Earth.
However, while their Belter language allows them to work effectively, it contributes to the distance between them and the other beings in the galaxy. Residents of the other planets look down on the Belters and view them as lesser for their unique qualities, reflecting the prejudices present in our own modern-day society.
Belter Creole has been used by the Belter people for a very long time, dating back to the original settlers of the Belt. There are a few Belters, that belong to a higher class, that can somewhat be understood by people from other planets, but most speak this Creole language. It originally began as a pidgin language, which allowed residents of the Belt to communicate with others using the various languages of Earth that passed through. This is what makes the language so reflective of the Creole languages that we are familiar with today, such as Hatian Creole and Jamaican Creole, which were created and used in much the same way.
Pidgin languages are simplified forms of communication, spoken between people who do not share a language in common. Historically, these were often groups of slaves who were brought to one place from different parts of the world and needed to communicate in order to work together — much like the Belter laborers needed to communicate across language gaps. As communities of people from different linguistic backgrounds grow and new generations grow up speaking a given pidgin, it eventually evolves into a fully-fledged language, a Creole.
When Farmer began constructing the Belter language, he started this concept of modern Creoles. He centered Belter Creole around English, then sprinkling in parts from other languages, including Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and many more. Including so many languages created a Creole that appeared to have been carried down from many earlier generations of people on Earth to these futuristic beings now living in other parts of space. It allowed the writers of the show to create a cultural barrier around the Belters, while also still making it clear that they have a connection to humanity as we know it.
While Farmer originally created around 1,000 words for the show to use, he created even more as requested by creators of the show. As the series continued to grow, so did the language as a response — again, much like real-world Creoles do. Farmer received some help in regard to the many dialects that make up the Belter language from dialect coach, Eric Armstrong. Creators had emphasized that they didn’t want subtitles to be necessary when the language was spoken on screen, but instead wanted it to have enough recognizable elements of English for the audience to get the gist of what was being said.
The grammar, pronunciation, and tenses of the language were all considered carefully, and combined elements of different languages. Every component of the Creole was engineered to reflect the position and purpose of the Belters, and seems to point to their overlooked importance in the storyline. That said, in the book series that the show is based on, it actually began as more of a dialect. As the story was adapted to screen, it seemed to better highlight the theme of the series to create a whole language to display the history of the Belters.
It’s clear that this language is not only carefully engineered to fit these people, but is so significant to their lives that it’s part of their identity. It allows them to function through their everyday lives by allowing them to effectively communicate for work, allowing them at least some ability to communicate with outsiders, and of course, it’s unique to them. This language is part of who they are and a part of their history.
Not only does the use of the Belter language on the show allow audiences to better understand and identify Belters, but it also gives the audience a clear view of the past that this future storyline comes from. Because of its recognizable similarities to Haitian Creole and other similar languages, viewers can better understand the Belter history through Belter Creole. Viewers can see how different groups of people migrating to this area and interacting with others from all over, who were traveling through, would result in such a language. This closely mirrors how modern Creoles came to be and evolved over time.
In a way, this language illustrates how minor a complication language barriers really are by illustrating the possibilities of communication among a wide span of language speakers. It points out the adaptability of people when they’re willing to work together, which speaks to the capability of the Belters. When they need to, human beings will almost always find a way to communicate.
Much like the Klingon language of Star Trek, The Expanse’s Belter Creole language has grown in popularity. It’s made quite an impact on the culture of sci-fi fans, even being used in a few songs and having entire classes taught on it. All great worlds in sci-fi — and even other speculative genres, like fantasy — tend to engineer completely new societies, which often include new languages. Much like the many languages of Middle Earth in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings universe make evident, a creative linguist can make all the difference in the success when it comes to building the world of a story.
Source: Wikipedia - Belter Creole