Author Topic: Eastern Slang  (Read 7828 times)

Valkynphyre

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Eastern Slang
« on: July 14, 2010, 09:32:09 PM »
I've been developing a guide on how to use Eastern Slang for the Mistborn rpg. I figured many of you might want to learn how, So I thought I'd post it here as well.

Language and Dialect in Mistborn:

Eastern Slang.


There is, of course, slang on Scadriel. People from different dominances speak subtly differently. And sometimes not so subtly. In the Eastern Dominance, skaa street gangs have their own dialect even their parents can't understand.

If you have read The Final Empire, you're already familiar and bewildered by Spook's Eastern Slang.

Here's a few examples:

"Wasing the place when I was young."
"Someone's coming! Out in the night with the calling!"
"Notting as the now," ... "Kelsier wasing the the hit with my name; changed it to Spook."
"Weapons for the getting, giving for the time to be."

Absolutely Insensible, right?

Well, that's because it's meant to confuse people.

Yes. That was actually the Author's intention.

Yes. Brandon Sanderson IS awesome, why do you ask?

Since it is meant to confuse people, the only way we'll actually be able to use eastern slang in a Forum RP is if there's communication between the characters involved. If you want to post in Eastern slang, the people you're talking to need to be able to understand.

There are many methods to doing just that, among which are PMs, email, IMing, and the Cbox on this page.

There are very few 'rules' to the grammar of this dialect, but I have listed those ones I could find.

First, when you break it down, what is most important is the beginning and the ending. The beginning and end of a sentence is important, and the words in the middle are less so. This rule is not always true, but it works for most occassions.

Second, the dialect has a focus on the possessive, meaning prepositions are overused. At least one 'Of the,' 'With the,' 'In the,' or 'To the' should be included in every sentence, often attached to things that make only tenuous sense.

Third, nicknames are thrown in to the sentence just to confuse others. For instance: "Kelsier and the others are waiting for you on the third floor," becomes "You're wanted. Ups in the where above with the doing. With Master Jumps to the third floor."

The dialect is, however not very restrictive grammatically. "It's not nice to play with my emotions," could be "Niceing the not on the playing without," as it is in the book. But it could also be "Playing of the play, not of the nice." Or many other variations.

Fourth, nonsense words are often thrown in just to confuse people, for instance: "He's stressed. It makes his mind dull and apathetic," becomes "Losing the stress on the nip. Notting without the needing of care." Here nip refers to wit.

Similarly, "Riding the rile of rids to the right," is complete nonsense, but is interpereted as agreement that yes, he is dimwitted and uncaring.

For more examples, "He wishes he was smarter, but wishing doesn't actually make him smarter," becomes "Wasing the was of brightness. Nip the having of wishing of this."

And "He's always wished that," becomes "Ever wasing the doing of this."

But there are many other sentences in eastern slang that could have sent the same messages. The author thinks of Eastern slang as a living language, so as time progresses and new generations start using it, the 'ing' might become an 'ed.' Thus, these rules are not always applicable.

So, basically, Write what you want to say. Then take it and reduce it down to the most important words. Twist those words around, and try to remove any negative words. It's harder to write with them, but it can be done. Put 'ing' on words it doesn't belong on, and use vague prepositions at every possible instance. Then, every once in a while, say complete nonsense.

Again, since the language is insensible, you'll want to clarify your intent with a PM or an IM to the intended recipient, then they can respond to exactly what you mean to say, and they can provide a proper reasoning or translation in their next post. This is how it was done in the books most of the time. Spook would say something, and someone would attempt to translate before responding.

And since we're RPing, we need to understand what the other characters are saying. Communication is crucial. If a character is absolutely incomprehensible, he's not interesting.


If anyone would like to help improve this, I would greatly appreciate the collaboration!
« Last Edit: July 14, 2010, 09:35:02 PM by Valkynphyre »
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Miyabi

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #1 on: July 15, 2010, 06:19:24 AM »

This ising the being of the pancake liking.  Having been speaking with the Mi'ch year for abouting.
オレは長超猿庁じゃ〜。

Obsessiforge

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2010, 06:37:25 AM »
Am doing the right of this? Notting having the wit of the words yet, wasing the stress to write like Spook...

Miyabi

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2010, 06:42:28 AM »

Speaking of the well are doing potatoes.
オレは長超猿庁じゃ〜。

Fireborn

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #4 on: July 15, 2010, 08:26:17 AM »
Wasing the wanting of the mixing less.  Minding of the black kettle burns.
When to live is to die, and to die is to live, does either really matter?

Obsessiforge

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #5 on: July 15, 2010, 02:31:53 PM »
wasing the who of potatoes?

Valkynphyre

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2010, 03:30:29 PM »
Niceing the not of the playing without. Having the good to the tongue of the nip.
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WrittenOnTheStars

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2010, 04:17:28 PM »
I totally don't have time to read any of this...but...I find it funny that he was writing Alcatraz during Mistborn and there's a little Eastern Slang in Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarian (I don't know about the rest of the Alcatraz, but -- I just finished number one and found some).

Arrrrg. I can't find the exact quote, but Quenton said it (or Quinton...grr...I don't have the book in front of me to remember these things). But, he says something like "Wassing the what of the wassing" or something like that.
"So this is how liberty dies, by thunderous applause." – Padmé Amidala, Star Wars Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith

Valkynphyre

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2010, 06:04:45 PM »
"Wasing not of wasing is."
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Miyabi

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #9 on: July 15, 2010, 09:23:42 PM »
wasing the who of potatoes?

Potatoes was added in a a garbage word to make confusion.  You get rid of those words.
オレは長超猿庁じゃ〜。

Fireborn

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #10 on: July 16, 2010, 07:22:38 AM »
When we speak eastern slang, can we put the meaning in parentheses underneath?  Looking at my previous post, I can barely understand it and I wrote it!
When to live is to die, and to die is to live, does either really matter?

Obsessiforge

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #11 on: July 17, 2010, 04:51:28 AM »
Asking of the translating is the showing of the wit, notting the wit to show of Firby. Notting have the skill of this game.

(By asking for a translation you are revealing your knowledge, or lack thereof. You're bad at this game.)

 ;D I jest!


Blackhelm

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #12 on: July 23, 2010, 12:18:28 PM »
Liking the knowing of the tongue of the sunrise. Wasing the hope, knowing of the nip.

 ;)

firstRainbowRose

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #13 on: July 24, 2010, 05:29:38 AM »
Doing of the learning, speaking of the getting.  See howing Chris being easy knowing, and I being of the reading -- translation needing not!
"The custom of royalty in referring to oneself is to naturally employ the royal 'we'.  We are very happy, we are very sad, we are bored and suffer from ennui.  For a royal prince there's no such word as 'me', It's always 'we'.  So rightfully I should be two or three, don't you agree?"

Miyabi

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Re: Eastern Slang
« Reply #14 on: July 24, 2010, 12:44:09 PM »

Withing the frr be agreeing in tandem.  Having been speaking the long time doing.
オレは長超猿庁じゃ〜。