Talkin' Vilani

[jfetters]

I've taken just enough guitar lessons to be dangerous. So, I'm writing a song, to be sung in Vilani. Here's my translation so far.

Kanakarun Maraba (on the Empress Marava)

:standing on chair with lighter lit:

FREE BIRD! FREE BIRD!!

 

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

Which brings up a thought I was thinking a couple days ago: the Ziru Sirka seems to have been the last time the Vilani language was anything like a unity. They had the power and desire to enforce and teach from a single standard. I think that after the ZS, a bunch of "Romance Vilani" must have sprouted in the various sectors and domains. And this is probably the case with the Third Imperium, which has the power and desire to enforce and teach from a single standard Anglic, but may be free and easy with regional languages.

I would bet that even during the height of the Ziru Sirka the Vilani were diglossic -- and even triglossic, in the case of non-Vilani subject races. As such, while Old High Vilani might have been the official language of the First Imperium, it would have actually been used by a relatively tiny segment of people at any given time. Sure, it would have been known and easily understandable to nearly everybody, and it would have been the dominant written language of the time (and thus vastly overrepresented in historical documentation); but the great majority of everyday conversations would have taken place in the local vernacular dialects -- many of which, no doubt, would have been (and continue to be) mutually unintelligible to each other.

So we've got Vilanic languages and pidgins, only one of which is the "Standard Vilani" spoken in much of the Vland sector, perhaps some neighboring subsectors, and whatever culinary priesthoods and megacorporations are still operating out of the old ZS.

I can see the Vilani being concerned enough with cultural cohesion that even during the Long Night valuable starship space could have been allocated solely to the task of cultural and linguistic exchanges -- at least among the major worlds of the era. And while the Third Imperium might not be terribly concerned with the health and stability of the Vilani language, I bet the three traditional Vilani megacorporations are. They probably have a number of protocols in place to protect the status of Standard Vilani among the sectors within their respective reaches.

Makhidkarun takes this even further, IMTU. All deliberations at the upper levels of management are exclusively in Old High Vilani. If you can't achieve an acceptable level of discourse in that language (even to the point of your accent being too far "off"), then you simply will not advance any higher than middle management in that organization.

 

[robject]

That, Mister Anderson, is a sufficiently bureaucratic reply. I am now convinced of your identity. You are none other than [muffled gunshot and scuffling noises].

 

[robject]

I've got some new entries into the lexicon, and some wannabe entries.

/sed/ to write code (vi)
/unnadinim/ starport (not new, but not yet in the official lexicon)
/khurem/ or /karim/ or /khuniim/ sector

Here's some words I'm using the generator to try and figure out:

stranded, be (vi)
stranded due to someone/thing (vt) ??
adventure, have an - (vi)
tip someone (vt)
fight someone/thing (vt)
trash, be; garbage, be (vi)
worthless, be (vi) (could be "no-value-ness"?)

Empress. Vilani doesn't really mark nouns for gender. Yet, I think there is a Vilani word for 'Empress'. I think it's probably an independent word, i.e. not a prefix or suffix attached to 'karun'.

Sector. Looking at the various sector names reveals a relatively common K + back vowel + alveolar + high vowel + m. It may vary with dialect or word prefix. So, then, what's the Standard Vilani, of which the others could be variations? I'd tend to support /khurem/.


The latest word generator is here: http://eaglestone.pocketempires.com/lang/vilani/vilanigen4.html

 

[aramis]

Empress should probably be "spouse" with a nobility marker of some kind...

 

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

Empress should probably be "spouse" with a nobility marker of some kind...

Something like Biilemdam ("honored spouse") might be appropriate for any consort of an Ishimkarun (male or female), perhaps, although it might not be an "elevated" enough term for the better half of the ruler of the Known Universe. You could add the adjectival prefix Gali+ ("great") and get the rather long and wierd-ish sounding Galibiilemdam.

But an Empress in her own right shouldn't be defined as the wife of her husband. I have a couple of ideas for female Imperial honorifics, running along a matriarchal line of reasoning:

(Gali)Biilemurshi (Gali + Biilem + murshi) "(great) honored mother"

Kepiirshulum (Kepir + iishulum) "universal great-grandmother"

 

[robject]

Something like Biilemdam ("honored spouse") might be appropriate for any consort of an Ishimkarun (male or female), perhaps, although it might not be an "elevated" enough term for the better half of the ruler of the Known Universe. You could add the adjectival prefix Gali+ ("great") and get the rather long and wierd-ish sounding Galibiilemdam.

But an Empress in her own right shouldn't be defined as the wife of her husband. I have a couple of ideas for female Imperial honorifics, running along a matriarchal line of reasoning:

(Gali)Biilemurshi (Gali + Biilem + murshi) "(great) honored mother"

Kepiirshulum (Kepir + iishulum) "universal great-grandmother"

Honored Matres, eh? I like the long version of the first one. On the other hand, the second has a majestic translated meaning. Nice quasi-religious overtones as well... like I owe her something (or everything).

 

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

Honored Matres, eh? I like the long version of the first one. On the other hand, the second has a majestic translated meaning. Nice quasi-religious overtones as well... like I owe her something (or everything).

Yeah, that was kinda the idea. I chose "great-grandmother" for the matrilinear honorific because I figured that, given their enhanced lifespans, the great-grandparent would be the most commonly encountered chief of a Vilani extended family. I'm sure many Vilani know their great-great-grandparents too; but not so extensively as to claim cultural universality.

I'm hashing out some ideas for the other words you mentioned, but a time-consuming (and mind-bogglingly expensive) vet emergency is taking up a lot of my time at the moment. In the meantime, here are some other examples of a few new words I've come up with off and on over the last few months.

In the category of proper nouns:

Agaage -- Aslan; poetic/honorific (from age “proud, strong” + age “person/people”)

Ansuularini -- Answerin (from an “centered/collected” + silane “dedication/sobriety” + in “locative” + i “a people/tribe”) – lit: “people of the world unhindered by fear”

Bardakhediini -- Zhodani (from parga “strange, weird” + dakhedu “stranger, exile” + in “locative” + i “a people/tribe”) - lit: “those warp-brained weirdos from someplace far away.” Parga can also be used to describe a psionic individual; but in the case of the Zhodani the Vilani generally emphasize the prurient strangeness of the Zhodani psyche. The transformation of the “p” into a “b” in the word also presents (in the Vilani mind) a play on the word bardu, meaning “uncouth or barbaric.” The Vilani regard Zhodani society to be psychologically warped to the point of irredeemable barbarism.

Duraamgar -- an ancient Vilani solar deity, from duraa “blazing/blindingly bright” + amgar “retainer/shield bearer”

Shuudani -- another term for Zhodani (from the Zhodani name for themselves). More neutral in its outlook than the other term, but not as common.

Shuumanidi -- Humaniti (from the Anglic “Humaniti”)​

... and my personal favorite so far:

Surakhuuri -- Geonee (from Archaic Vilani Misurgacholi: mi “one who is” + sur “old (prefix)” + ga “little (prefix) + chol “hostile, opposer, contrarian” + i “a people, tribe,”) lit: “those people who are our diminutive longtime enemies.”​

 

[robject]

Surakhuuri -- Geonee (from Archaic Vilani Misurgacholi: mi “one who is” + sur “old (prefix)” + ga “little (prefix) + chol “hostile, opposer, contrarian” + i “a people, tribe,”) lit: “those people who are our diminutive longtime enemies.”​

Derived from the AV! That's totally awesome. Thanks, I've added them all.

 

[robject]

New question. What's a Vilani-sounding yet concise name for the board/bureau which oversees the Vilani language's correct implementation in schools throughout the Imperium?

 

[boomslang]

New question.

Waitaminnit.

Did you just use the terms "concise" and "the Vilani language" in the same sentence?

:nonono:

If anything, given the far-reaching, over-arching, crucial importance of such an agency of cultural preservation, it should have a gigantic tongue-twisting mouthful of a monicker that would make even an Aslan have to pause midway through to draw a breath...

 

[robject]

Waitaminnit.

Did you just use the terms "concise" and "the Vilani language" in the same sentence?

:nonono:

If anything, given the far-reaching, over-arching, crucial importance of such an agency of cultural preservation, it should have a gigantic tongue-twisting mouthful of a monicker that would make even an Aslan have to pause midway through to draw a breath...

LOL Granted. That's why God invented acronyms.

Example: AAB. Argushiigi Admegulasha Bilanidin. K?

 

[aramis]

Not a Bilandin speaker...

but I've use "Bureaux of Safegaurding our Culture" IMTU

 

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

LOL Granted. That's why God invented acronyms.

Example: AAB. Argushiigi Admegulasha Bilanidin. K?

Baah! Acronyms are a Terran affectation! Vilani don't really live longer lives ... it just seems that way with all the extra syllables they have to pronounce.

The acronyms were only invented to account for the fact that the average Solomani has the attention span of a Pysadian Gnat. Most Solomani can't be trusted to remember anything past the third syllable; it's the chief reason why about 80% of all Anglic conversation consist of barks, monosyllables and grunts.

 

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

New question. What's a Vilani-sounding yet concise name for the board/bureau which oversees the Vilani language's correct implementation in schools throughout the Imperium?

OK, here's my shot:

The most far-reaching such organization is Surakhidigi Lamaska Kiiregamukdapin (i.e. "Old High Bureau Consortium"), a quasi-governmental, imperium-wide umbrella nonprofit headquartered on Vland. Run out of the office of the Archduke, and funded in equal parts by the three Old Guard Vilani Megacorporations, the SLK is the most widely established and deepest pocketed of the organizations devoted to the promotion of Vilani language and culture. It's reach is measured generally by whether or not Makhidkarun, Sharurshid, or Naasirka have a presence on the world in question; generally speaking, if there's a posting on the world, you can find at least one SLK Associate. In areas where, for political or social reasons an explicitly Vland-connected organization might draw suspicions (such as SolCon interface areas or Julian Protectorate worlds) the group goes by the more generic Anginuurgi Durmezide ("Triangle League") moniker.

In the performance of its mandate, the SLK/AD works closely with Vland-based government trough organizations that carry names such as the tongue-demolishing Biilurashashshishiishe Sishishe Guzulakhidi Bilanidin ("The Official Vilani Bureau for the Enforcement of Approved Language Consistency") and Akhabiilursirurkhinegi Silase Guzulakhidi Bilanidin ("The Official Vilani Bureau for the Creation of Approved Vocabulary Additions"). Both of these closely interacting groups are managed directly out of the Archduke's estate, receive obscenely large amounts of funding (from the point of view of a non-Vilani), and are considered very prestigious -- if uneventful -- postings for retired megacorporation officials, high-ranking bureaucrats, and Imperial Nobility of the ivory tower persuasion. To this end, both organizations maintain their own fleets of small but well-appointed starships, as linguistic research junkets and intercultural symposia are considered a major part of what justifies their existences.

An even more esoteric organization exists, Surasishiishe Lamaska Sisekhe Kaari ("The Society for the Preservation of Old High Vilani"), for those who would prefer not to have to mingle with the "riffraff" of the official organizations. Surasishiishe Lamaska (lit. "The Ancient and Beautiful Tongue") is the classical term for what Anglic speakers refer to as Old High Vilani. Another term, Suruurubilanidin, is also recognized; but its use is generally more popular outside the Vilani Cultural Region. Those most consistently within the sphere of Vland regard the classical term as more proper.

Two other privately-funded organizations are regarded as less prestigious, but still broadly established and well-respected. They are Lanuursishiishegi Gursishere ("The First Language Federation"), and Suramezagiigi Kaarshir ("The Old Scriveners' Union"). The former are best known for their introductory language courses, from small children to adult divisions. The latter are neo-Vilani revival enthusiasts (based on a real, but long defunct, trade union) devoted to the preservation of the ancient Vilani Syllabaric writing system (a.k.a. "Ruuraak Lamaska").

Still another group, Suragalimuuraagi Lamaska Biilursisushiipe Kiiregasikekishe Nek ("The Secret Society for the Preservation and Protection of the Ancient and Glorious Way of Life"), exists; but little can be said about them except that their support system is unknown, they have no acknowledged members, and yet seem to own quite a bit of property in Vilani space.

 

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

Vocabulary terms related to the above post:

duremezide league; confederation (from dur "bind, tie" presumably from the Proto Vilani root ghiir- "be true, loyal, fixate" + me + zid "have faith" + e, lit. "a binding of the faithful")

kiiregamukdapin cooperative, consortium; cartel (from kiireg "willing, voluntary" + mukdapin "grouping; items bound together")

kiiregasikekishe society, fraternity; service organization (from kiireg "willing, voluntary" + si + kekish "to perform a service" + e, lit. "those who willingly subordinate themselves to a higher purpose")

gursishere federation, coalition (most likely from gurur "practical ethics," presumably from the Proto Vilani root ghiir- "be true, loyal, fixate" + si + sheru "to associate" + e," lit. "an association bound by laws")

​

 

[robject]

A suggestion from Jim Fetters for the umbrella bureau was to make a play on Galactic Civil Service from the Hitchhiker's Guide. Perhaps it works under the auspices of the Surakhidigi Lamaska Kiiregamukdapin (or the AD).

Stars-all-gi Sevice, Civilized.

Seri-baasa-gi se-kekish-e amshuush-in.

Seribaasagi Sekekishe Amshuushin.

 

[robject]

I've updated the Vilani Grammar to include this foreward on the title page, in 8-point italicized Arial font:

A service of the Seribaasagi Sekekishe Amshuushin (SSA) under the auspices of the Surakhidigi Lamaska Kiiregamukdapin/Anginuurgi Durmezide (SLK/AD).

The SSA owes the deepest debt of gratitude to
Estate of the Archduke of Vland
Biilurashashshishiishe Sishishe Guzulakhidi Bilanidin (The Official Vilani Bureau for the Enforcement of Approved Language Consistency)
Akhabiilursirurkhinegi Silase Guzulakhidi Bilanidin (The Official Vilani Bureau for the Creation of Approved Vocabulary Additions).

Special thanks to
Surasishiishe Lamaska Sisekhe Kaari (The Society for the Preservation of Old High Vilani)

 

[robject]

I'm thinking about Vilani discourse.

They're not Japanese -- they won't hint around the bush until you go nuts. They say what they want to say; it's just that in many cases, what they say doesn't matter, is beside the point, or won't change someone's mind.

I think there ought to be a discourse element which allows Vilani to acknowledge this and move on.

I'm looking for a short Vilani phrase, perhaps three words, which describes the mindset of people like me, who are opinionated enough about some Traveller concepts to be dragged into holy wars about them. It shouldn't be pejorative so much as just kind of gently jabbing, as in "dude, it's just a GAME!"

I'd expect to see it used like this:

When someone says something like

"Droptanks are totally stupid. As anyone can tell, materials science totally disproves them on a theoretical basis for all eternity, and therefore should be retconned out of canon."

I'd like to respond with

"Arshiilin Nagaarek"

or

"Kedurransi Ekhalangur"

or

"Den Mikkesh Dulekane"

or something to just stop me from doing anything more than simply registering (1) acknowledgement of their opinion, (2) my disagreement of it, and (3) moving on.

 

[robject]

Vilani for "Halt!"

Perhaps, colloquially, "gig sidane": "no action".

Or, from /shilig/ to stop:

Leshiliggi.

Leshiligguke. Sir, please desist.
Leshiliggi. You over there, halt.
Leshilig. Stop that, you imbecile.