Author Topic: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?  (Read 4436 times)

lexluthorxiv

  • Level 1
  • *
  • Posts: 5
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« on: September 16, 2010, 09:43:58 AM »
Hey people! So I was wondering if anyone recognized the language Dalinar spoke during his episodes, particularly when he said that line from that poem? I talked to Brandon at a signing a couple of days ago and he mentioned we had seen that language before and if we were careful, should recognize it. Any thoughts as to where? My only guess is it was somewhere in Elantris (haven't read it in years) but i'm not sure. Any thoughts?

Munin

  • Level 8
  • *
  • Posts: 256
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2010, 01:48:07 PM »
I don't remember what page that line was on. Can you post the page number (or just the poem itself)?

Hmm... as far as I remember, the languages we've heard are:
Whatever the main language of Elantris is called (I don't think we'll be able to figure out if it's this one, since it's transliterated as English)
Dula
Derethi
Main language of Mistborn
Terris
Main language of Warbreaker

And I don't know the languages of Roshar off the top of my head.

Note that I'm sure there are more than that (the Pahn Kahl might have a language, for instance), but these are what we have some idea what they sound like or what the grammatical constructions are.

Also... I'm not sure if this thread should be marked for spoilers.
There's a difference between what's best and what's right. What's best might be different tomorrow or the day after, but right and wrong will stay the same after a thousand years.

SmokinEmber

  • Level 1
  • *
  • Posts: 8
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2010, 02:10:31 PM »
I don't remember what page that line was on. Can you post the page number (or just the poem itself)?

"Anak malah kaf, del makian habin yah"

Which in WoK, translated to: "To be human is to want that which we cannot have."

Navani suspected that he was speaking in Dawnchant. Though where we have heard this language before, I am not certain.

Reference pages 853-854 (hardback).
"Not all who wander are lost" - J.R.R. Tolkien

Munin

  • Level 8
  • *
  • Posts: 256
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2010, 02:36:53 PM »
Well, there are certainly a lot of vowels in there.

Dula has that as well, but we know only five words of Dula, so I doubt it's that (plus, it doesn't sound much like what we've heard).

Every word end with a consonant. Don't know if that's true of the language as a whole.

It's been quite a while since I've read Elantris, and I don't have my copy with me. Do we ever hear any words, or just Hrathen's description of the language? Also, what was his description?

I don't think we hear any Terris, and all we know about the grammar is that it's usually filled with conditionals such as "I think".

My guess is the main language of Warbreaker. For some reason, I get the sense their language has a good vocabulary for philosophy.
There's a difference between what's best and what's right. What's best might be different tomorrow or the day after, but right and wrong will stay the same after a thousand years.

SmokinEmber

  • Level 1
  • *
  • Posts: 8
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2010, 02:52:14 PM »
It's been quite a while since I've read Elantris, and I don't have my copy with me. Do we ever hear any words, or just Hrathen's description of the language? Also, what was his description?

I am actually in the process of re-reading Elantris, but I am not very far into it. So far, the language has not been described or spoken, outside of Aon names. I did find an interesting blog post written by Brandon regarding the construction of Elantris' languages:
http://www.brandonsanderson.com/book/Elantris/page/35/Creating-the-Languages-of-Elantris

If any of these languages were to apply, I would guess Aonic, but that doesn't really seem to fit.

Edit: Found another article on the Warbreaker language / naming convention:
http://www.brandonsanderson.com/annotation/377/Warbreaker-Chapter-Four
« Last Edit: September 16, 2010, 02:57:11 PM by SmokinEmber »
"Not all who wander are lost" - J.R.R. Tolkien

Munin

  • Level 8
  • *
  • Posts: 256
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #5 on: September 16, 2010, 05:54:33 PM »
It's been quite a while since I've read Elantris, and I don't have my copy with me. Do we ever hear any words, or just Hrathen's description of the language? Also, what was his description?

I am actually in the process of re-reading Elantris, but I am not very far into it. So far, the language has not been described or spoken, outside of Aon names.
Sorry, I meant Fjordell, not Derethi. Couldn't remember the name until just now.

If I remember correctly, he describes it a bit when he's talking to that Derethi priest near the beginning of the book (the one that's NOT speaking Fjordell until Hrathen reprimands him).
There's a difference between what's best and what's right. What's best might be different tomorrow or the day after, but right and wrong will stay the same after a thousand years.

Pechvarry

  • Level 3
  • ***
  • Posts: 50
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2010, 06:55:31 PM »
Hey people! So I was wondering if anyone recognized the language Dalinar spoke during his episodes, particularly when he said that line from that poem? I talked to Brandon at a signing a couple of days ago and he mentioned we had seen that language before and if we were careful, should recognize it. Any thoughts as to where? My only guess is it was somewhere in Elantris (haven't read it in years) but i'm not sure. Any thoughts?

Any chance he meant "you've seen it before in this book"?  Some of those words are very close to palindromatic.  They don't seem Aonic to me, and they'd need more stuttering to look like proper Warbreaker words (though that probably only applies to proper nouns).

Anyone have Elantris handy?  I'd be interested in seeing if we ever hear the Dahkor monks or Dilaf speak in their tongue from an outside perspective (probably the very end, when the crew is held up at Kiin's house).
« Last Edit: September 16, 2010, 07:00:44 PM by Pechvarry »

guy

  • Level 5
  • *
  • Posts: 113
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #7 on: September 16, 2010, 08:37:45 PM »
then could the mysterious figures chasing Hoid be some people who just happen to speak that language rather than Elantrians?  assuming it is from Elantris of course

Munin

  • Level 8
  • *
  • Posts: 256
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2010, 10:34:28 PM »
then could the mysterious figures chasing Hoid be some people who just happen to speak that language rather than Elantrians?  assuming it is from Elantris of course
It's definitely the Dula language. Brandon confirmed it when I asked him at the San Diego signing.

And yes, it's possible that they're not from Sel, but if that's the case, why would Brandon bother to use the same language?
There's a difference between what's best and what's right. What's best might be different tomorrow or the day after, but right and wrong will stay the same after a thousand years.

Czanos

  • Level 7
  • ****
  • Posts: 248
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #9 on: September 17, 2010, 12:08:49 AM »
If I remember right, the language of the Final Empire has a lot of vowels. I'll have to check my notes and stuff.
I came because I heard stories, tales of a lengendary man.
A man who was known as the Lord of the Mists, a man they named Survivor.
A man called Hope.

jacobfake

  • Level 2
  • **
  • Posts: 26
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2010, 01:21:23 AM »
random thought- what if forced out of tranquiline halls just = forced to planet hop to escape?

edit: on further consideration, this doesn't seem to likely. but if we have seen the dawnsigners' language on another planet, there must be something more to it. Also, does Szeth have any lines in his native language? although the line from the interlude doesn't have any common words, shin = descendants of dawnsingers could explain his knowledge of lashings & the stone shamans' supposed power. also, it's interesting to note that the parshendi are super east, and the high storms come from the east, and the shin are super west. although the fact that shin were in the knights radiant does make this unlikely
« Last Edit: September 17, 2010, 01:39:00 AM by jacobfake »

Stormblessed

  • Level 10
  • *
  • Posts: 380
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #11 on: September 20, 2010, 09:02:16 AM »
random thought- what if forced out of tranquiline halls just = forced to planet hop to escape?

edit: on further consideration, this doesn't seem to likely. but if we have seen the dawnsigners' language on another planet, there must be something more to it. Also, does Szeth have any lines in his native language? although the line from the interlude doesn't have any common words, shin = descendants of dawnsingers could explain his knowledge of lashings & the stone shamans' supposed power. also, it's interesting to note that the parshendi are super east, and the high storms come from the east, and the shin are super west. although the fact that shin were in the knights radiant does make this unlikely

See my theory concerning the Tranquiline Halls.
"You've killed me. Bastards, you've killed me!
 -- Darkeyed Soldier

Stormblessed

  • Level 10
  • *
  • Posts: 380
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #12 on: September 20, 2010, 09:10:17 AM »
The language is the Dawnchant, the first language of Roshar (I am assuming as dawn is usually associated with beginnings). Maybe it is the language originally spoken by the shards, the language of the planet where Adonalsium was shattered. But where we have heard it before, I do not know. I've searched each word in all the books and had no luck so far any matches.
"You've killed me. Bastards, you've killed me!
 -- Darkeyed Soldier

guy

  • Level 5
  • *
  • Posts: 113
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #13 on: September 20, 2010, 07:32:09 PM »
then would it stand to reason that Sel is the original planet where Adonlasiumcreated humans?

VegasDev

  • Level 10
  • *
  • Posts: 395
  • Fell Points: 1
    • View Profile
Re: Language of Dalinar's gibberish?
« Reply #14 on: September 20, 2010, 07:46:28 PM »
It's an amalgamation of every language on the planet Earth. ;)
« Last Edit: September 20, 2010, 07:57:32 PM by VegasDev »
Now you've got all the ones with beards on one side and all the
moustaches on the other.