Sangheili (language)/Silver: Difference between revisions

'''Sangheili''' is a constructed language created for the ''[[Halo: The Television Series]]'' co-created by linguists [[Wikipedia:David J. Peterson|David J. Peterson]], creator of the Dothraki language used in ''Game of Thrones'',{{Ref/Twitter|k_wolfkill|1507493397807788032|Kiki Wolfkill|Quote=@CharlieBMurphy literally learned an entire new language and performed beautifully in that language.  Unreal. Language created by David Peterson who created Dothraki for GoT #HaloWatchParty|D=25|M=03|Y=2022}} and Carl Buck.{{Ref/Twitter|tlacamazatl|1506947170490060800|C. Buck|Quote=If you have #ParamountPlus, are a fan of #HaloSeries , and enjoy a good #conlang. You might be interested to know that I helped @Dedalvs develop the language for the Covenant.|D=6|M=04|Y=2022}} Both conlangers began jointly developing the Sangheili language nearly three years prior to the series premiere.<ref>[https://archiveofourown.org/series/2828287 Archive of Our Own -  Conlang Dialogue: Halo (Paramount+)]</ref> By early [[2022]], Carl Buck estimated they had crafted close to 250 Sangheili words, those being base words and not variations of verbs and nouns. Actress [[Wikipedia:Charlie Murphy (actress)|Charlie Murphy]] learned to speak Sangheili for her role as [[Makee]] on the show and was noted to have done a phenomenal job capturing the emphasis, pitch and pronunciations of the alien language.{{Ref/YouTube|Id=S101|bnJ0Y4So_Cc|Halo The Series|Learn To Speak Sangheili|Y=2023|M=8|D=28}}

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* Certain sounds that are found in proper names among the Sangheili, which are not part of Sangheili phonology, are treated as approximations resulting from human attempts at Latinizing these names. Because there are no [f], [θ], or [v] sounds in the language, names like [[Thel 'Vadamee]], [[Var 'Gatanai]], and [[Fal 'Chavamee]] are English approximations of ''T'elo Badami'', ''Baro Gat'anai'', and ''P'alo Chabami'', respectively, in Sangheili.<ref>[https://archiveofourown.org/works/37951303/chapters/105183123#workskin Archive of Our Own -  Conlang Dialogue: Chapter 6 ]</ref>{{Ref/Twitter|Dedalvs|1511104056244154368|David J. Peterson|Quote=P and T. Wasn’t too concerned. After all, München becomes Munich in English; Köln Cologne, etc.|D=6|M=04|Y=2022}}{{Ref/Twitter|Dedalvs|1511105091167670274|David J. Peterson|Quote=B, I’m that case.|D=6|M=04|Y=2022}}

The Covenant script that is featured in the show consists of triangular glyphs, visuals directly taken from the ''Halo'' franchise, yet remains nonsensical. David J. Peterson and Carl Buck proposed the creation of a writing script for the series, presenting a crafted sample that envisions a cohesive Sangheili writing system to complement the language they developed. Their conceptualization involved acknowledging the unique phonetics of Sangheili and led them to design a script centered around syllables as the foundational unit. Each syllabic glyph would contain a base consonant with the potential for vowel modifications and additional diacritics to indicate coda consonants when necessary.

:::*K'uucho is followed by ''o'' because it's the warrior that caused the attack on the human. Domo gets no mark.

Sangheili has an inclusive / exclusive distinction in its First Person plural pronouns for "we, us" ("Riin" for  <u>''you and us''</u> and "Jaari" for  <u>''us and not you''</u>).  The Sangheili language also recognizes both animate and inanimate entities, but the Third Person singular pronoun "Mu" makes no gender distinction between "he" (masculine) and "she" (feminine), acting neutral as "it, itself, they".  

| Used after a noun to mark it as the subject of a transitive verb (a verb with an object).

 

! Locative Case !! Example !! Translation

| onto the ship

*''K'uucho <span style="color:yellow">ni</span></div> zhuro'' - would also be “the warrior’s weapon” or better yet "the weapon <span style="color:yellow">ON</span></div> the warrior". This would imply that the weapon is one the warrior just picked up.

Similarly to the [[Wikipedia:Siouan languages|Siouan]] or [[Wikipedia:Uto-Aztecan languages|Uto-Aztecan languages]] of the North and Middle Americas, Sangheili has instrumental prefixes that can transform verb bases into entirely new verbs.{{Ref/Twitter|Dedalvs|1511100010951110656|David J. Peterson|Quote=The other big table up there has less to do with grammar than the lexicon. The instrumental prefixes are used to derive new verbs from verb bases. It’s a little like how we have verbs like “deduce”, “produce”, “induce”, “adduce”, etc.|D=6|M=04|Y=2022}} The following 12 prefixes are routinely used to form a range of derivations.

| ''ch'an'' + qkhoso (to walk) → ch'anqkhoso (to run)

| ''khe'' + ch'imo (to collect) → khech'imo (to bring)

*Suffixes also play a role in forming additional derivations in verbs. A common suffix, '''-jo''', is utilized for forming agent nouns (e.g. teach''-er'', visit''-ors''). Another suffix, '''-t'u''' (or '''-tu'''), is employed to create nominalizations.

Other aspects and question forms:

| Reverse action || Contrary state || -eya

| - || - || -jahe<ref>[https://twitter.com/Dedalvs/status/1511098687816028169 Twitter - David J. Peterson]</ref> (or -chahe) and is attached to a reduced set of 4 tenses: Bare, Reduplicative, Inceptive, and Completive.

* ''Ghashank'o. Mu sachahe?'' - The demon. He's sure?

* ''K'e sachahe, Hirajo?'' - Are you certain, Blessed One?

* ''Ikhi k'e o ch'anik'ojahe?'' - Do you see now?

* ''Q'a riin ni tkha jayetanjahe?'' - But it did not make its way back to us?

* ''Juukhojo ine ga waawotkhijahe?'' - This is what the prophets fear?

! Type !! Adjective !! Singular !! Plural !! Adverb

| ii - ''not, none''|| colspan=2 | ngajo - ''no one, nobody''|| ngamaas - ''nowhere''

==Sangheili lines & outtakes by David Peterson==

| Jan David *ngitkha. || My name is David.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=S101}}

| Jan o moa ba ngani rotkho *p'onji. || I will eat a [[moa]] burger. ''or''  I will eat moa flesh.{{Ref/Reuse|Id=S101}}

| Qkhe p'os. Sugakho. || (Oh shit) ([[Needler]])

| Yodu Shandi ni Ch'awaruut'u ba pumo jayajaga. || Soon the Covenant will begin it's Great Journey.

| Makee || Q'iitu. Et'o zwari. Maasa ghwiri k'e o jan ni changongo oni jayatan. || Mercy. Welcome. It's been a long time since you've visited my chambers.

| Thel || Hirajo me haat'u o mu o riin ni ch'anqkhoso moshkhaachen tkhazhi tkha o ghashank'o oni me mos ba nizhi moshkhaachahe? || If the abilities of the Blessed One mean she is meant to be with us, do they not mean the same for the demon?

| Makee || Daagheya, Q'iitu. Riin o t'onguutan zhaan o k'e mojaya. Tkha zhaan me baazhi ni chkhan q'unqa jan o qkhit'uji--jan me muuri oni maaziit'u mosa. || No need to worry, Mercy. You remember the day we met. I've tried to forget everything that came before that day--everything except my hatred for them.

| Sangheili || Yojo oni ikhi. || Switching to (Needler).

A poem was crafted for the series inspired by the [[Ballad of Kel 'Darsam]] in [[Joseph Staten]]'s short novel, ''[[Halo: Shadow of Intent]]''. In the show, this ballad is sung as a Sangheili war chant. The line ''"K'iis o aamu ni mu maaroji"'' can be heard in [[Transcendence]], the ninth and final episode of the first season. {{Ref/Site|Id=SDT|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/silver-debrief-transcendence|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Silver Debrief: Transcendence|D=22|M=08|Y=2023}} The following are only the first eight lines of a lengthier poem.<ref>[https://archiveofourown.org/works/37951303?view_full_work=true Archive of Our Own -  Conlang Dialogue: The Ballad of Kel Darsam ]</ref>

*[saŋ.ɣe.li] - "sangheli" : Sangheili

*[xo.bu] - "khobu" : shoot

*[ki:.'gia:.ra] - "kiigiaara" : Kig-Yar

*[ɣa.ˈʃaŋ.k'o.] - "ghashank'o" : demon

*[tʃ'aŋ.'ga.go.mo] - "ch'anggagomo" : Halo

*[sˣu.tʃo] - "skhucho" : Down

*[do.tʃo] - "docho" : Up

 

===Basic Nouns / Names===

*''Ch'anggagomo'' : [[Halo Array|Halo]], The Halo Ring

*''T'injuqkhuujo'' : [[Arbiter|The Arbiter]]