Questions tagged [languages]
Questions about languages, whether alien, fantasy, or human.
240
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Why does everyone in Atlantis speak perfect English?
Whenever we hear a story involving a traveler to a far away land or different time, viewers inevitably wonder about language and cultural barriers to communication. I Just watched the Atlantis "The ...
4
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0answers
44 views
What does Carolinus's letter say?
In the 1982 film The Flight of Dragons, the Green Wizard Carolinus writes a letter to his allies, the Yellow Wizard Lo Tae Zhao and the Blue Wizard Solarius. We hear the wizards reading from the ...
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1answer
119 views
What language do Sense8 speak within their cluster?
It was not clear to me while watching. Do the characters speak English with each other, or does each one simply speaks his/her own language and the others understand?
It is confusing also to ...
6
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0answers
161 views
Does Maz briefly speak Huttese to Han on Takodana?
Right after saying "Han, you've been running away from this fight for too long," Maz switches to something that sounds a lot like Huttese.
I hear it as:
ya kee naga wanta
Which translating ...
11
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0answers
156 views
Does “Vader” carry connotations of “father” to a speaker of Galactic Basic Standard?
An English speaker on Earth could be reasonably expected to be familiar with either the Dutch "vader" meaning father or the very similar German "vater", also meaning father.
Obviously German and ...
11
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2answers
578 views
Why doesn't the Lars family (and thus Luke) speak Huttese as their first language?
Since Tatooine is in Hutt space, and in The Phantom Menace we see basically everyone on the street on Tatooine defaulting to Huttese as their primary language, wouldn't the Lars family (and thus Luke ...
26
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1answer
2k views
Was the Tamarian language in “Darmok” inspired by Jack Vance's “The Asutra”?
In TNG: Darmok, Picard learns how to communicate with the Tamarians, who speak a unique language composed of snippets from their great epics. For example, "Shaka, when the walls fell" denotes failure. ...
36
votes
2answers
4k views
How is it possible that Gollum speaks Westron?
In the "Concerning Hobbits" section of the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings, after the explanation of how the three breeds of Hobbits gradually moved to Eriador it says
“in those days also they ...
8
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1answer
544 views
What does this reportedly Klingon text say in Revenge of the Sith?
This answer has some allegedly Klingon writing. Is it Klingon? If so, what does it say?
15
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3answers
5k views
Does this website provide consistent translation into Wookiee?
I was wondering if the website Wookie Translator has any logic behind it or if it’s just a guy smashing his face against a keyboard.
10
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1answer
699 views
How many languages does Aquaman speak?
According to the closed captioning for the DVD of Aquaman (2018), Aquaman himself (in addition to English), speaks some lines in Russian, Italian, and Maori, implying that he knows at least some of ...
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53 views
Are there any other real life languages in Star Wars? [duplicate]
As this question established, the Hindi language does actually exist in the Star Wars universe, likely as the Sriluurian language. Of course there is also the fact that almost everyone speaks Basic, ...
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1answer
451 views
Is the origin of the words 'valar' and 'Valyrian' the same?
In the series A Song of Ice and Fire, we know the phrases 'valar morghulis' and 'valar dohaeris' mean 'all men must die' and 'all men must serve', respectively. It immediately follows that 'valar' ...
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77 views
How do I learn the Quenya Dialect? [duplicate]
Quenya, the popular Elvish language is used in all The Lord of the Rings books and movies and appears very beautiful due to its flowing letters and has a charismatic visual appeal.
How would I go ...
11
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3answers
449 views
Can Muggles learn Parseltongue?
While discussing this question, the conclusion was that apart from using Parseltongue to open the gate to the Chamber of Secrets, Harry didn't really use any magic and he might as well have been a ...
6
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1answer
239 views
In The Bells of St John, do the symbols used by the Great Intelligence have any meaning?
They appear as mostly gibberish symbols on screen, as the names of the wifi access points or the code for the computer program run by and for the Great Intelligence, and I was wondering if they have ...
3
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1answer
244 views
In the movie Arrival, were the visitors “playing dumb”?
It appears a clever trick the visitors were using...
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0answers
173 views
How many languages does the average Starfleet officer speak?
In Star Trek VI, Uhura attempts to speak Klingon without recourse to the Universal Translator because she is trying to impersonate a Klingon and fears that using the Universal Translator would "out" ...
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1answer
349 views
Does every Lantern Color have its own language like the Indigo Lanterns?
I was reading volume 2 of Green Lanterns (DC Rebirth [the series about Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz]) and noticed that, when he was in compassion mode (the spoiler is just the antagonist of the arc, ...
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2answers
2k views
How did the Gungans learn to speak Galactic Basic?
In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi are brought to Otoh Gunga to meet the Gungans. Fortunately for them, all of them speak Galactic Basic (although with their distinctive speech ...
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3answers
856 views
How many languages are there in Star Wars?
How many languages are there in Star Wars canon and is there any list of their names and maybe examples?
P. S. Droid language counts too.
14
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1answer
1k views
What is the name of the Black Panther persona in the Wakandan language(s)?
The phrase "Black Panther" is the common phrasing of the title that is conferred upon the ruler of Wakanda, along with their position as a warrior and protector of their people. However, as far as I'...
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4answers
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How does “Valar morghulis” translate to “all men must die”?
Near as I can tell from the Valyrian language wiki, it consists of the noun “man” in the collective and the verb “die” in the present active infinite. Essentially, “men collectively (to/do) die.” I do ...
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2answers
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Where / How did Han Solo learn to speak / understand Shyriiwook?
In the film Solo: A Star Wars Story, Han Solo appears to already speak and understand Shyriiwook. Where / how did he acquire this ability?
Disney canon will be the accepted answer, but EU answers ...
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68 views
How does one learn droid binary? [duplicate]
How does someone learn droid binary? It seems simple, but honestly, I don't see how anyone could (easily) learn how to understand droid binary. It seems to be just beeps and whistles. How do you say ...
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2answers
1k views
In The Expanse's Belter Language, what is this sign [pressed pointing finger] telling?
In "The Expanse" the belter language consists of words and signs. While getting interrogated on the martian ship "Donnager" (Season 1, Episode 3 "Remember the Cant"), Naomi shows this sign:
...
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2answers
319 views
What indications are there that there are other Terran languages in common use in Star Trek?
One of the central issues in this question:
Is Picard actually fluent in French?
is the extent to which French is in daily use anywhere. Various commenters questioned what evidence I would ...
44
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5answers
12k views
Is Picard actually fluent in French?
Let me throw out a few examples and potential evidence either way:
We have heard Picard utter isolated words and phrases in French ("merde", "maman") and, in "11001001":
PICARD: "Incroyable! Vous ...
10
votes
3answers
497 views
Have we ever encountered any Betazoid word besides “Imzadi”?
Like the question says. We know the word Imzadi meaning something like Beloved.
But have we ever encountered any other word?
(Is it possible it's literally the least-developed (>0) language from a ...
12
votes
1answer
976 views
What's the Wakandan word for Vibranium?
"Vibranium" is a coined word in English, based on the word "vibration", which in turn has a Latin base.
I am blindly assuming that when it was originally found in Wakanda, that's not what it was ...
6
votes
2answers
245 views
Short story search: reverting back to primitive language
I'm having a case of probable false memory... Has anyone else ever heard of a short story where the main character is a newscaster or perhaps he is just watching the news and he's very eloquent but ...
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2answers
4k views
At what age are you able to speak Parseltongue?
Parseltongue is considered an 'inherited magical ability', meaning it is passed down through the bloodline. Does this mean that you are able to speak Parseltongue when you are a 1 month old baby (...
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2answers
1k views
In what language are the original Jedi texts?
The temple on Ahch-To contains several books that Luke identifies as being the original texts of the Jedi Order.
In what language (or languages) are these texts written? I noticed that we never see ...
8
votes
1answer
188 views
Name of a book involving language learning and alien invasion
I have only vague memories of this book:
Aliens had pacified the Earth but there was a resistance. One of the main characters was a man who had learned to speak their language.
The scene I recall ...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
Are any Star Wars languages fully developed and learnable?
[This is a generalization of Josh B.'s question]
Star Trek's Klingon, Game of Throne's Dothraki and High Valyrian, Tolkien's Elvish, Dwarvish, and even the black speech, and more, are fully developed ...
18
votes
5answers
2k views
What is the strongest profanity used in a Star Trek show?
This article suggests that being on CBS All Access could afford the makers of Star Trek: Discovery more freedom in the language they use.
Of course, we know that in previous series, they sometimes ...
8
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2answers
3k views
In what language does Jango Fett speak to Boba Fett in Attack of The Clones?
In Attack of The Clones, there's a point when Obi Wan meets Jango Fett. During the middle of the meeting, Jango says something in what sounded like another language to his son Boba, probably because ...
7
votes
1answer
245 views
Earliest story with Esperanto future
Can anyone help identify the earliest piece of fiction to show a future where Esperanto is widespread?
Here are the two candidates I can propose up front.
"Homo Sol", written Jan. 1, 1940, short ...
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0answers
284 views
According to the anime, which Pokemon don't use their names to communicate?
This question lists a few Pokemon that don't use their names to talk:
Staryu/Starmie
Krabby/Kingler
Victreebel
Electabuzz
I can think of a couple more:
Charizard
Gyarados
Both of these only do a ...
4
votes
1answer
387 views
Why wasn't the Sy Bisti language programmed into any Republic or Imperial protocol droids?
In the 2017 novel Thrawn, we find that Sy Bisti is a language used around the parts of the Galaxy known as Wild Space and the Unknown Regions. Throughout the novel, it is brought up that Imperial ...
18
votes
1answer
922 views
What language does Worf speak on a daily basis?
Worf obviously knows Klingon as he has been seen translating Klingon phrases for his Federation colleagues.
Gowron: We shall see. (in Klingon) CHEGH-chew jaj-VAM jaj-KAK!
Worf: He said, "...
10
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2answers
2k views
What is printed in Vulcan script on Spock's black robe in 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture'?
As seen in the following screenshot, running vertically down the center of his suave jacket/coat.
I've compared to supposed charts of the Vulcan alphabet. It appears to be three large letters that ...
5
votes
1answer
769 views
Is there an equivalent slur to “Mudblood” for referring to Muggles?
Given the intense level of anti-Muggle prejudice in wizard supremacist movements (e.g. those of Voldemort and Grindelwald), it seems like there would be an equivalent slur to "Mudblood" to refer to ...
7
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0answers
80 views
Boy who can learn languages if he hears just a few words…mom is kidnapped…YA book title?
I read part of a book about a boy who could speak a language if he heard just a few words. He and his mother play a game where they slide on the floor in socks while she plays the radio and he learns ...
7
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2answers
805 views
What are some Star Wars-specific swear words?
Swear words that aren't derived from Earth-speak but rather from within the Star Wars universe's context alone e.g. sithspit
14
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1answer
623 views
What secondary languages does The Witcher use in the original?
In the English translations of the Witcher books, Elvish/Old Tongue is Irish, and Dwarven is some pastiche of Dutch and German. What languages were they in the original Polish?
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3answers
3k views
Warhammer40K Universal Translator
Is there any lore in 40K about how Humans can talk to other humans from distant planets and more confusingly xenos like orcs?
My understanding is that most/all humans learn Low Gothic to be able to ...
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8answers
7k views
Are there any invented tonal languages in sci-fi and fantasy? [closed]
Tone is the use of pitch in language to distinguish lexical or grammatical meaning.
This does not mean that that tone is the exclusive conveyor of meaning, merely that it is relevant. For example, ...
14
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2answers
11k views
What was Mad Sweeney screaming in Gaelic?
In the "Prayer for Mad Sweeney" episode, the car accident throws Laura through the window and rips the golden coin from her body.
Mad Sweeney picks it up and he is ready to walk away from the dead ...
48
votes
1answer
6k views
How is Yoda's speech translated to non-English languages?
Yoda infamously speaks using the OSV (object, subject, verb) word ordering
Much to learn, you still have.
rather the SVO ordering used in English
You still have much to learn.
How is this ...
