Game of Thrones: Creating the Dothraki Language

[Ramox3]

It sounds a lot like Hebrew/Arabic, and I've heard them say ana, which is Hebrew/Arabic for Me/I.

[YbYBwRbY]

I have nothing against conlangers, truly, and invented languages are of interest. But there are real languages of real cultures in immediate danger of extinction, and there is something very self-indulgent and shallow about the cultic attitude towards Klingon, Dothraki, Sindarin, etc. and the energy expended in learning them, when one could do something real and helpful. No?

[dinnae]

@YbYBwRbY A moribund language is not going to be saved by paying attention it. It needs speakers. People are not gonna learn a language unless they need to use it in every day life, or if it's great interest to them.

An American guy learning a dying language from Papua New Guinea is not going to do any good. It won't save it. You can write the language down to the best of your ability, but it will die nonetheless.

Besides that, you need to be highly trained in order to record a language

[YbYBwRbY]

@dinnae Fair point. However, isn't it worth being highly trained? And besides, small languages are the carriers or real, not invented, local knowledge that has application, not on a computer screen, but in life. I don't think this point needs proving: think about it and you'll agree, I trust. What is your language, by the way?

[dinnae]

@YbYBwRbY Of course it's important that we have highly trained field linguists recording languages but that's going to happen regardless of whether people choose to learn a conlang or a natural language. Are you telling every foreign language student you come across to go learn a dying language instead, because it's more important? As sad as it is to see a language go (as you say, because it's a great loss of culture, too), creating new languages has 0 influence on this.

I'm Dutch, by the way.

[YbYBwRbY]

@dinnae I see it the other way around: if somebody takes an interest in invented languages I'd tell them: check out a real one with an actual culture & place & human speakers. As a professor of Near Eastern languages at the main university of the US I come across students who take an interest in threatened languages much as they take an interest in ecology. The two go together. Read the book "Last Speakers".

[dinnae]

@YbYBwRbY I'd agree with that on a personal level. I too think it's far more interesting to study a living language. What we're discussing, however, is whether a dying language would be saved from dying if people who choose to study a conlnang choose to study a living language instead. I don't think so, as I explained earlier. In fact, as a conlanger, I know that conlangers have a great interest in real languages. If anything, a conlanger becomes more interested in them through conlanging.

[dinnae]

@YbYBwRbY (to add to my comment below): I think the people you should be addressing are not the conlangers or those who take an interest in conlangs, but those who are indifferent or uninformed about minority languages, and especially those with a hostile attitude towards them. As a speaker of a minority language (Limburgish) I know that stigmatization or certain government initiatives can destroy a language. Fortunately things are improving here, but elsewhere (as close as France), not so much

[YbYBwRbY]

@dinnae I agree with you about getting people interested through conlanging in threatened languages. I am writing an article right now on an 18th-century invented language from Armenia, actually, and am also writing about slang & argot. I'm glad to hear the Netherlands supports your local language! Happy holidays from here in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

[DragonTamer10]

So I got to see a presentation by David Peterson this week. Most interesting thing I have ever seen.

[MrAsthomas]

crazy seeing these dothraki speaking the common tongue with an american or british accent....drogo is a badass it is known

[ShadowKissedxoxo]

@MrAsthomas it is known

[Leold1]

I wonder if they'll do the same thing for High Valyrian, I think Dany uses it in Book 2 some, and theres definitely some in Book 3.

[Ejay669]

@Leold1 Valar morghulis

[killerrj8]

@Ejay669 what does that mean

[Ejay669]

@killerrj8 All men must die.

[killerrj8]

@Ejay669 Ah okay.

[armobater]

the Dothraki remind me a lot like the Turks, they should have just used the Turkish language

[greatdilemmagd]

@armobater actually it's not like turkish. most likely arabic language.

[wellooeeeee]

@greatdilemmagd im arabic .. its not Arabic language .. actually there is only one word i hear it ..

ana = i`m

thats it !

[melihbek94]

@armobater butthurt armo

[VyserisSrbija]

@armobater

More like Mongols than like Turks, but there are similarities with the Turks too.

As far as I know, in their early period, Turks weren't that horse-bound like most of Tatar-Mongol tribes are, infantry was strong as well, while Dothraki fight only on horses.

[Jordanationalismtion]

God, I hope they release that lexicon. Dothraki could be the next big thing, right up there with Sindarin Elvish and the Klingon language.

[Devilishlybenevolent]

@Jordanationalismtion

There's a Youtube channel that attempts to teach people Dothraki. LearnDothraki is the username on Youtube.

[Jordanationalismtion]

@Devilishlybenevolent Really? Awesome.

[Devilishlybenevolent]

@Jordanationalismtion

Oh yeah I forgot to mention wiki Dothraki and there's a link to the lexicon :) YW!

[kuunami]

was he raping that girl at 0:02?

[kiddr121]

@kuunami hell yeah dude, this shit is not joke

[daimonionen]

Thanks!

[mirishka10]

Thank you ! this is much better you are right, i cannot wait to see this....fantastic

[bronkoghma]

"arabic in german"?

germans don't speak like hitler...

[WolfQueene]

@bronkoghma He said "Arabic AND German." As in, the Dothraki language is like a mix of Arabic and German.

[bronkoghma]

@WolfQueene and what difference does it make if he said "and" or "in"?

what i said still goes either way.

rammstein made a career on catering to this exact american preconception.

[crimsontowers]

@bronkoghma its also an American, rather, English speaking habit to describe languages by comparing them to our own/ to each other..e.g. learning Cyrillic we'd refer to the letter that looks like a B as such, instead of just calling it V. explaining something by saying this is this is not easy as saying this is like that or this is like so and so..its difficult to explain. In any case, Dothraki DOES sound like the bastard child of Arabic & German, just try & explain it more succinctly than that

[bronkoghma]

@crimsontowers no it DOES NOT

germans don't speak like hitler

find some german clip and hear for yourself

[unak78]

Much better. This one actually moves, thanks.

[cantuse357]

Much better version, thanks a bunch!