Why do ponies speak English?

[Eenohay 318]

I was wondering Eenohay, since you are in Chile, are your ponies speaking English or Spanish? I know in Chile I've seen Seinfeld in English with Spanish subtitles but given MLP is supposed to be a kid's show, I would expect it to be in Spanish.

 

I love German Pinkie Pie! I took 3 years of German in college - I want to learn to sing the German versions of the songs. Deutsch macht spass!

 

Oh wow, I love German Rarity too! They did a great job doing all of the songs in German. Art of the Dress, Winter Wrap Up, they are wunderbar!

 

There is an official Latin spanish dub wich airs on TV here, but it only has the first 14 episodes so far. I just watch my ponies in the internet, in english.

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

I'm just going to re-use a theory I had lying around:

 

I believe that ponies are the equivalent of humans, and that horses evolved into the dominant sentient species rather than apes. As such, they evolved the same language, which is English as well. But on occasion, they will still make horse noises as they haven't completely evolved out of that. I don't like the idea that it's being translated for us, personally, because it just makes the ponies feel more distant and alienly inhuman. The ponies are quite human in my opinion.

 

Also, ponies can speak French as well. As some people have mentioned, the Fancy. I think they are capable of speaking pretty much any human language as they have evolved parallel to us, and the location that the show is set in just happens to have English-speaking ponies.

[Strafe 594]

I'm just going to re-use a theory I had lying around:

 

I believe that ponies are the equivalent of humans, and that horses evolved into the dominant sentient species rather than apes. As such, they evolved the same language, which is English as well. But on occasion, they will still make horse noises as they haven't completely evolved out of that. I don't like the idea that it's being translated for us, personally, because it just makes the ponies feel more distant and alienly inhuman. The ponies are quite human in my opinion.

 

Also, ponies can speak French as well. As some people have mentioned, the Fancy. I think they are capable of speaking pretty much any human language as they have evolved parallel to us, and the location that the show is set in just happens to have English-speaking ponies.

 

Probably the best explanation that I've seen.

[Espionage 113]

If the tongue of an Equine is evolved to the point where speech is possible and that said equine was given years and years to evolve with a greater starting front (they had magic and the Alicorns to guide them), the chance of the same language arising isn't that low. One can make the argument that the chance for Latin to turn into Modern Day English is very low.

 

Considering the Three Pony Tribes were all borrowing from the cultures of Anglo-Saxon, Roman, and Norman tribes, the chance of an incredibly similar language arising with only slight differences is very high.

 

Besides, considering species can evolve into other existing species very rarely, what's the chance of languages doing the same? Pretty much the same. Not to mention that the argument can be made that since Earth is the only planet known to have complex, multicellular life, if you were to repeat the Big Bang several times over with slightly different variants (Magic and altered laws of Physics), a parallel world will arise.

 

But it's a cartoon so who gives a chimmy cherry chonga? Apparently I do.

[Silverhoof 2,844]

 

Possibility 3: This is a world parallel to ours, and just evolved a vary similar language. There are many other versions of Equestria, many with different languages.

 

Egghead physics guys with more time than sense said that the number of alternate universes/dimensions/realities are either infinite in number or so great that it would seem infinite to out finite minds. Every story and cartoon has a paralell world out there no mater how silly it may be. English will be found on millions of worlds and that is still a very small fraction of the realities found in the mutiverse.

 

So yes, there is a real Equestria out there somewhere. A place that speaks English, and where magic works. It may not reflect the rules of a childrens show where pain and death are removed from view, but it would not be surprising to find magic as part of the physical laws of the place, and yes: Friendship is Magic.

 

Of course I wouldn't dismantle your intradimensional transport just yet. You never know what other changes you may find. You could find an english speaking world just like the toon--only to discover that alicorns are simply the form pony vampires take and Equestria is their personal feeding ground. Vampires wouldn't like some alien discovering their secret, so your time there would be rather...short.

 

Its always a danger traveling the multiverse, things may not be as they appear.

[Espionage 113]

Its always a danger traveling the multiverse, things may not be as they appear.

 

Traveling into the multiverse is impossible unless we break the 5th Dimension

[Silverhoof 2,844]

Traveling into the multiverse is impossible unless we break the 5th Dimension

Pinkie has already done that. It's only a matter of time for us. Eggheads are probably doing the math for just the sort of travel as you speak.

[TheKoalaNextDoor 1]

Because if it was in Tibetan, then we wouldn't be able to understand it. Unless, of course, anyone here happens to speak tibetan? Or whatever language they speak in Tibet? But c'mon guys, this is silly. Just wake up in the morning, eat your cereal, and watch your adorable yet awesome hasbros cartoon. Don't question it, and don't look a gift pony in the mouth.

[Twi Rubix 726]

Im not gonna think too hard about it. Im just gonna stick by Cartoon Logic!

[Luurilka 325]

It could have just been a huge coincidence and ponies just happen to speak the same language.

After all, there are huge numbers of similarities between Equestria and Earth.

[windy_prance 114]

We can't assume all ponies speak English. In "The Cutie Pox", Applebloom started speaking in French and ponies have mentioned "French couture"...

 

Maybe Equestria is like Canada. Half of it speaks English and the other half speaks French....

 

EDIT: I'm sorry I put down Sweetie Bell. I meant Applebloom. There. Fixed.

Edited March 5, 2012 by windy_prance

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

I'm just going to re-use a theory I had lying around:

 

I believe that ponies are the equivalent of humans, and that horses evolved into the dominant sentient species rather than apes. As such, they evolved the same language, which is English as well. But on occasion, they will still make horse noises as they haven't completely evolved out of that. I don't like the idea that it's being translated for us, personally, because it just makes the ponies feel more distant and alienly inhuman. The ponies are quite human in my opinion.

 

Also, ponies can speak French as well. As some people have mentioned, the Fancy. I think they are capable of speaking pretty much any human language as they have evolved parallel to us, and the location that the show is set in just happens to have English-speaking ponies.

 

Well, shoot. Arylett wrote what would have been my explanation as well.

 

It's an evolutionary thing. They may not even call it English, what they speak, but it would be just as understandable to us as our speech would be to them.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

What if ponies actually speak horse language...

 

And Studio B knows how to translate it?

 

[hawkflame 3,310]

You know, maybe they're not speaking English. Maybe *we're* speaking Equestrian...

[zaZZle 1]

Filmed in Equestria -> Translated on earth by tara strong etc.

[Magnus 69]

In my opinion they all speak klingon, but the universal translator makes it sound english. After all, Q was on the show so it makes sense On a serious note, why not english, its a language that most people speak.

 

Also, applying to much logic to cartoons=your sanity will be in danger.

[Nordica 180]

"Eight years of being raised by humans and now left behind in an abusive sanctuary, a hyper-intelligent pony will lead a revolution of ponies towards freedom from man's torturous exploitation."

[Adro2503 121]

Its just a really weird coincidence that their language is the same as english. The chance is supersmall but its there. This is just the one world that is the chosen one. Or perhaps the early ponies studied humans, but they forgot about us later.

[Stoner Spike 185]

 

Ok, thinking seriously-ish. I vote for the translation theory and the evolution theory. They make the most sense, after all...I think...

[Jackie Yoshi 3]

Because as long as Dr. Whooves is a part of the Ponyverse, we'll be able to translate foreign languages into English automatically.

[Evilshy 5,090]

 

 

Traveling into the multiverse is impossible unless we break the 5th Dimension

 

Actually, the 5th dimension would only let us "travel" to alternate versions of the same universe. We would still be bound by the laws of physics, but what had happened would've changed. In many of these alternates, the earth wouldn't even exist. In many where it did, there would be no life. In the many where it still looked mostly like our earth, the differences could be as great as the Nazis winning WWII, or as simple as me not shaving this morning, and everything else that could've possibly happened.

 

The 6th would let you "travel" freely throughout the space and time of every possible outcome that could ever happen in our universe.

 

In order to get to alternate universes, we'd have to go to around the 7th or 8th dimension, I believe.

Edited March 25, 2012 by Evilshy

[Extraho Vinco 55]

Who says they do?

 

This is a silly thread. How would they have them speak a different language then English? Would they subtitle the episodes? It's produced for an English speaking market, so of course it will be in English.

 

Sheesh! It's a cartoon!

 

^-^ thats not what he's/she's saying (though you have probably already been told this)

[Dj Manjaro 393]

Well... Clearly humans have an influence on Equestria. They have door knobs, pianos, lyres, cellos, and other such items that require hands to properly operate. What's to say the language isn't another thing we influence in Equestria.

 

That is... if you're going for an multidimensional view.

 

It's also possible that if ponies took a similar social evolutionary path that humans took. Starting out in a fertile crescent 10,000 years ago, and then grow from there making similar advancements that Humans did, which may be possible due to their similarity in technology. This would mean language development would be very similar too.

 

They probably have Phrench-French, Equestrian-English, Neighbrew-Hebrew, Roanin-Latin, Cockatrish-Turkish, ect.

[pondus30 152]

Its because they can....

[The Alpha Team 51]

They also speak Italian, Spanish, French, Japanese, Russian, etc...

TARDIS works well