I'm looking for an authentic name for a future currency. I would like to avoid the clichéd 'credit' and go for something intelligent, in terms of what the real possibilities may be. Google wasn't much help, as far as expert predictions go, so I'm turning to this place. I did come up with the 'Numus' some time ago (Latin for 'money') and thought that it looked quite good written as 'N/17,000' but this is far from the serious prediction I'm going for now. I'm looking at roughly 50 - 60 years from now.
Since you're going with such a limited scope of future --only 50-60 years, I'd go with something around today. Is the Dollar not the most widely transferrable currency? If not, what country is at the top of the food chain (sort to speak)? China? India? Japan? Has there been a resurgence of the British Empire and the pound is now top dog? If you're going to push towards something that is more unilaterally excepted like say the Euro. I'd start thinking with regard to the area you're choosing to portray. If you want something accepted by Western culture,'Numus' doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. I would be curious if other Latin elements would be prominent in the setting. I'd also look into Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Dash etc.) as that may very well be the direction the future is going (Unless there is something in your story which prevents the spread of such technology)
Thanks, sidt. I like the sound of Dash and may well look into this. To be honest, it's not going to play a huge part in the story, other than it being mentioned when passing hands and the amounts involved, but I do think these scenarios will crop up enough to justify my searching for a term. In retrospect, 50 - 60 years is probably too near for the world I have in mind, so maybe 100+
Do you want the reader to be thinking about the economy of the world you create? If money is only mentioned occasionally, and not a fundamental part of the story, the name of the currency and the specific amounts involved could be omitted from the dialogue. You could gloss-over the issue with general statements like, "That's really expensive, it's almost a month's pay," and "That must have cost them millions." When people mention money in conversations, they often omit to specify the currency, especially in a single currency environment.
Yes, I have considered this, Aled. In fact, it was only when money started cropping up in the narrative / dialogue that I began wondering if I needed a term. The first few instances were glossed over, in exactly the way you suggest, but then a couple came up where I had to start really thinking how best to gloss over the unit name. I'm sure I can do it this way, and it would be preferable. It just depends on how many times I find myself having to gloss over.
You could introduce a new currency like 'Africo', being the currency of the United States of Africa. This, or any such new currency, may raise questions in the mind of the reader, 'how did this come into being?' and 'why is it being used outside Africa?' Some back-story would be required to answer these, which would be an opportunity for world-building or a needless distraction. Relating social and economic history could be as dull as ditch-water, unless you can illustrate it with humorous/interesting anecdotes that one character relates to another. Also bear in mind what your story is ultimately about, and if this kind of information contributes positively to it.
Yes, Daemon, the Yen was a temptation. But I agree with Aled in that the reader may question why somewhere that clearly isn't Japan is using the currency. I think a fictitious one is the way forward, if I can't skirt around the subject effectively. A little more digging on google suggests 'Points' (or any one of its synonyms) may be a good option. It's close enough to the commonly used 'credits' without being credits, and clearly suggest the future without the need to explain it to the reader.
Hi OurJud, I really don't like Points...it sounds like what you get with your loyalty card! Republic of Ireland used the Punt until they went Euro (being basically an Irishization of the Pound) - as a "mispronunciation" of a known currency, that may be the way language will take things...the amount of deviation from standard English that a large immigrant population will cause? So...Dollar becomes Dolour, Euro becomes Yourar...? As others have said, depends where you're setting it, and your backstory, as to which currency would be the more likely remnant.
Just my 2p... For as short a span of time into the future as you mention, don't make up a word that isn't being used now. It always sounds hokey because individual people aren't any good at getting the sound and feel right for a word that The People use for things like this. If there's not a major event like European nations coming together in what is pretty much an economic federation and creating a brand spanking new piece of money that's never been seen before (you know, like in real life) then don't. I cringe every time I hear them say scrip on Defiance. It's overwrought and over-thunk. It's an arcane bit of real-world vocabulary that's not likely to be known by the average Joe and Jane living in what's left of America after a catastrophic invasion event. It's bad linguistics. After a catastrophic event like that, the only language likely to survive is the living language. All the other words in the dictionary that no one other than dorks like me ever, ever, ever use are dead and gone. Bucks would have made so much more sense for the specific name, and in general it would still be called money. When a mugger mugs you, he doesn't say, "Give me your dollars!" He says, "Give my your money!" But on Defiance they call it scrip all the time, in the specific and in the general. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
There was a movie recently where there was a new currency and it was in a chip in each person's hand. The amount of currency was tied into how long a person could live and what kind of life they had. You might take a look at that and see what they called that kind of currency. I'm sure that not to far into the future currency will be tied into a implanted chip.
They called them minutes/hours/days. So you can't really use that for money in the future unless you are writing something similar and either way if you were I'd prefer something more unique.
Thanks, Aled. If I can't find something in that lot to inspire my imagination, there's no helping me.
