Latin

Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region surrounding Rome. It gained wide currency, especially in Europe, as the formal language of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire, and, after Rome's conversion to Christianity, of the Roman Catholic Church. Principally through the influence of the Church, it became the language of later medieval European scholars and philosophers. It widely influenced a number of languages that came after it, including some used by the modern UNSC, such as Spanish and English.

Onyx Sentinels were capable of attenuating their booms to produce COM signals on UNSC devices and speak in Latin. However they are capable of modifying their lexicon based on samples of human language and speaking fluent English. This could hint at the possibility of the Forerunners influence on Human Evolution.

Some UNSC ships follow the tradition of older Earth vessels by putting Latin phrases on their Ship Emblems. The UNSC Marine Corps carries the tradition of the ancient United States Marine Corps by using the motto "Semper Fidelis", which is Latin for "Always Faithful". The Office of Naval Intelligence also uses a variant of this term for their own emblem, "Semper Vigilans" ("Always Vigilant").