Sangheili (language)/Silver
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
Peterson posts transcripts for the words and their translations on his language wiki, as well as in a series of posts on Archive of Our Own, accessible here. See also David Peterson's records here and his additional informative Tweets archived here.
A full list of terms can be found in our Sangheili-English dictionary here.
Sangheili
[san.ɣei.li] | |
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Setting | |
Canonical name | |
Aliases |
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Ancestors |
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Videos[edit]
About[edit]
During the development of Paramount+'s Halo adaptation, 343 Industries consulted with language expert David Peterson to examine the Elites' mandibles and facial structure and then produce a more robust and complete Sangheili language that reflected their actual physiology. Peterson, in turn, reached out to the conlanging community and recruited military veteran Carl Buck to assist in creating the Sangheili language that would be utilized among the species of the Covenant.[5][6]
The creative choices in the language's phonology were guided by the producers and showrunners who desired Sangheili to sound alien and have a word structure similar to Japanese. Working with those parameters, Buck and Peterson infused various concepts of warrior culture into the language, ensuring it reflected the species' martial ethos. One such example is the Sangheili salutation "Hait'u ga k'utkho", a greeting and parting phrase which translates to "Fight with strength / Fight well."[6]
Carl Buck - "Wort, wort, wort!" |
---|
Trouble with the audio sample? |
Building on the cultural aspects of the Sangheili race, Peterson and Buck also incorporated metaphorical elements pertaining to the species' distinct physical features and their reptile-like ancestry. They integrated the aliens' unique hinged mandibles into the grammar to convey different levels of certainty. Within the mindset of the Sangheili, utilizing their upper mandible signifies certainty, while using their lower mandible expresses uncertainty.[6]
The language they devised for the series drew minimally from past Halo material and video games as previous dialogue crafted for Covenant speak was primarily gibberish.[7] For instance the word "domo" for "human" and the negative "eya" come directly from the latter games. The games' famous word "wort" for "go" did not fit phonologically and was altered to "warut'o."
Overview[edit]
Sangheili, the language featured in the show, is an ergative-absolutive language spoken by the Sangheili warrior race, commonly referred to as Elites, as well as generally inside the Covenant, an alien alliance that worships the Halo Array. The language is a lightly inflectional head-final language with distinctive vowel length and ejectives.
In the tradition of his other constructed languages, Peterson crafted the language by laying the groundwork with a proto-language known as Proto-Sangheili. This ancient Elite language evolved organically, undergoing both phonological and grammatical changes, eventually giving rise to the modern Sangheili language spoken within the Covenant empire.
Sangheili uses Standard American Romanization. Ejective consonants are written with a following apostrophe, and the r is the tap [ɾ]. The language has long vowels, represented by a doubled vowel, and occasionally has geminates, also written doubly. Likely the most challenging aspect of the phonology are the consonants with a velar release. These are written as if they began with a consonant cluster, but they occur at every point of articulation—namely, pkh [pˣ], tkh [tˣ], kkh [kˣ], and qkh [qˣ], and even the fricative (or fricative-ending) consonants skh [sˣ], shkh [ʃˣ], and chkh [tʃˣ]
Basic Sangheili Primer[edit]
Standard Romanization[edit]
Letter | IPA | English example | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
a | a | father | |
b | b | bad | |
ch | tʃ | match | |
ch' | tʃ' | — | Produced by holding your breath at the same time as making the above sound. |
chkh | tʃˣ | — | Like pronouncing ch, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
d | d | die | |
dz | dz | kids | Pronounced as such even at the beginning of a word. |
e | e | get | Always pronounced like the e in get. |
g | ɡ | goat | Never pronounced like the g in genius. |
gh | ɣ | fuego (spanish) | Pronounced like the French r in rouge (the harsher pronunciation; not trilled). |
h | h | hop | |
i | i | machine | |
j | dʒ | jam | |
k | k | sky | |
k' | k' | — | Produced by holding your breath at the same time as making the above sound. |
kh | x~χ | blech! | Like German ch in Buch. |
kkh | kˣ | — | Like pronouncing k, but releasing it very slowly with strong frication. |
l | l | love | |
m | m | matter | |
n | n | never | [ɲ] before a palatal consonant, [ɴ] before a uvular consonant. |
ng | ŋ | sing | Can occur at the beginning of a word. |
o | o | tote | |
p | p | spike | |
p' | p' | — | Produced by holding your breath at the same time as making the above sound. |
pkh | pˣ | — | Like pronouncing p, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
q | q | — | Like a k, but pronounced further back in the throat, with the back of the tongue contacting the uvula. |
q' | q' | — | Produced by holding your breath at the same time as making the above sound. |
qkh | qˣ | — | Like pronouncing q, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
r | ɾ | pero (spanish) | Nearly identical to the t or d sound in English matador when pronounced quickly. |
s | s | sad | |
sh | ʃ | shack | |
shkh | ʃˣ | — | Like pronouncing sh, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
skh | sˣ | — | Like pronouncing s, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
t | t | stake | |
t' | t' | — | Produced by holding your breath at the same time as making the above sound. |
tkh | tˣ | — | Like pronouncing t, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
ts | ts | cuts | |
ts' | ts' | — | Produced by holding your breath at the same time as making the above sound. |
tskh | tsˣ | — | Like pronouncing ts, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
u | u | ruminate | |
w | ɰ | wagon | Almost like wet, but with one's lips unrounded. |
y | j | young | Never occurs as a vowel. |
z | z | zebra | |
zh | ʒ | azure, measure | |
' | ʔ | uh-oh |
Phonetics[edit]
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stops | (p), b, p′ p, b, p′ |
(t), d, t′ t, d, t′ |
(k), g, k′ k, g, k′ |
(q), q′, *ɢ q, q′ |
ʔ ′ | |
Affricates | px pkh |
tx, (ts), tsx, dz, ts′ tkh, ts, tskh, dz, ts′ |
(tʃ, tʃx, dʒ, tʃ′) ch, chkh, j, ch′ |
kx kkh |
qx qkh |
|
Fricatives | s, sx, z s, skh, z |
(ʃ, ʃx, ʒ) sh, shkh, zh |
x~χ, ɣ~ʁ kh, gh |
h h | ||
Approximants | l, ɾ l, r |
j y |
ɰ w |
|||
Nasals | m m |
n n |
(ɲ) n |
ŋ ng |
(ɴ) n |
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
High | i, iː I, ii |
u, uː u, uu | |
Mid | (e) e |
(o) o | |
Low | a, aː a, aa |
- Diphthongs: ai (like the y in sky), au (like the ow in how'), ei (like the a in gate)
- /e/ and /o/ are always short, but the other vowels may be short or long. Long vowels are indicated by doubling the vowel symbol.
- Proto-Sangheili also had a phonemic /ɢ/, but it merged with /ɣ/.
- Sequences of ejectives are not allowed, when one occurs, the second ejective is deglottalized.
- 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.[8][9][10]
Phonotactics[edit]
Most of Sangheili's syllables are open, only three codas are allowed: /n/, /ŋ/ and /s/. /n/ has the allophones [ɲ] before palatals and [ɴ] before uvulars. Syllables may never start with consonant clusters.
Stress[edit]
Stress falls on the penultimate syllable if it is heavier than the antepenultimate, otherwise it falls on the antepenultimate. Secondary stress is placed on every other syllable radiating outward from the syllable with main stress. The final syllable never attracts stress, regardless of length.
Proposed Sangheili orthography[edit]
The Covenant script that is featured briefly in the show consists of triangular glyphs, visuals directly taken from the Halo franchise, yet remains nonsensical. Early into their project, 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 an abugida, a script centered around syllables as the foundational unit, similar to Tibetan script.[6] Each syllabic glyph would contain a base consonant with the potential for vowel modifications and additional diacritics to indicate coda consonants when necessary.
Grammar and Morphology[edit]
Syntax[edit]
Sangheili generally follows SOV (subject-object-verb) word order akin to Japanese and Latin:
- K'uucho o 1 domo 2 ruuk'inatan 3 — "the warrior 1 attacked 3 the human 2"
In content questions, question words appear in situ (the default or expected position within a sentence):
- K'e o gha ts'aachi? — "what have you done?"
Subjects of transitive verbs are marked by the postposition "o", while subjects of intransitive verbs and objects of transitive verbs remain unmarked.
- K'uucho o domo ruuk'inatan — "the warrior attacked the human"
- K'uucho is followed by o because it's the warrior that caused the attack on the human. Domo, the recipient in the sentence, gets no mark.
- K'uucho o domo ruuk'inatan — "the warrior attacked the human"
- K'uucho mejayatan — "the warrior is ready"
- K'uucho is unmarked because there is no direct object affected by the warrior's action of getting prepared.
- K'uucho mejayatan — "the warrior is ready"
Nouns are preceded by adjectives, possessors, and relative clauses, while main clauses come after dependent clauses. Creating relative clauses is achieved by positioning their verb before the noun or relative pronoun they modify.
- K'aidon k'uucho o domo ruuk'inatan — "the kaidon warrior attacked the human"
- → Domo ruuk'inatan k'uucho — "the warrior who attacked the human"
- → K'uucho o ruuk'inatan domo — "the human whom the warrior attacked"
Head-directionality[edit]
Sangheili is a head-final language, meaning everything comes first while the main head verb (the most important component of a phrase that determines the type of phrase) is relegated to the very end, hence head-final.
- English:
- I won't let you take the holy relic.
- English (head-final):
- You holy relic take I will-not-allow.
- Sangheili:
- K'e o qkhado kheluuga ch'imo jan o t'iswaqkhijaga.
Pronouns[edit]
Sangheili has an inclusive / exclusive distinction in its first-person plural pronouns for "we, us" ("Riin" for you and us and "Jaari" for us and not you). 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".
Personal pronouns | Singular | Plural | |
---|---|---|---|
Inclusive | Exclusive | ||
First Person | jan | riin | jaari |
Second Person | k'e | k'iri | |
Third Person Animate | mu | muuri | |
Third Person Inanimate | tkha | tkhaari |
Case Particles / Postpositions[edit]
These case particles are placed after a noun to indicate the role they play in a sentence. The ergative and absolutive are grammatical. The vocative case is used for direct address, while the rest pertain to locative functions. Nouns in Sangheili otherwise do not change form to indicate their grammatical role.[11]
Type | Particle | Use |
---|---|---|
Absolutive | - | - |
Ablative | ga | Indicates movement from a source or starting point of an action. This particle expresses the idea of "away (from)" or "of." |
Adessive | ni | Indicates the location or position of an object or a person in relation to another object or place. It expresses the notions of "near, by, at, on, with, or upon." |
Allative | oni | Indicates movement toward a location, destination, or recipient of an action. This particle expresses the ideas of "to, onto, at, for, or of." |
Elative | ba | Indicates a separation or departure from a place or a starting point. This particle expresses the idea of "out of" or "from." |
Ergative | o | Used after a noun to mark it as the subject of a transitive verb (a verb that can accept one or more objects). |
Illative | zhi | Indicates direction or movement toward a location or place. It expresses the idea of "into" or "onto." |
Inessive | me | Indicates being in a certain place or object. It expresses the ideas of "in, inside, within, or along side." |
Vocative | ghu | Used to address or gain someone's attention directly. "Hey, Oh, O ye..." |
The locative cases are analogous to the following English prepositions[12]:
Locative Case | Example | Translation | Example Sentences |
---|---|---|---|
Ga | wele ga | from the ship, away from the ship | K'uucho wele ga jayatan. (The warriors came from the ship.) |
Ni | wele ni | by the ship, on the ship | K'uucho welegoja ni ts'aha. (The warriors are on the bridge.) |
Oni | wele oni | onto the ship, toward the ship | Wele oni warut'o! (Go to the ship!) |
Ba | wele ba | out of the ship | K'uucho wele ba jayatan. (The warrior came out of the ship.) |
Zhi | wele zhi | into the ship | K'uucho wele zhi waruutan. (The warrior went into the ship.) |
Me | wele me | inside the ship, within the ship | K'uucho wele me ts'aha. (The warriors are in the ship.) |
In contrast to English, which has dedicated possessive pronouns ("my," "your," "his," "her") and a possessive ('s), Sangheili lacks dedicated possessive cases for nouns, instead using other cases for possession depending on the nature of the possessive relationship.[13]
Examples:
- K'uucho oni zhuro - would be “the warrior’s weapon” or better yet "the weapon TO the warrior". This would presumably mean the weapon is one the warrior owns.
- K'uucho ni zhuro - would also be “the warrior’s weapon” or better yet "the weapon ON the warrior". This would imply the weapon nearby is one the warrior just picked up or happened to have.
- K'uucho oni nejo ga zhuro - "the weapon FROM the father TO the warrior". This would indicate that the warrior has their father's weapon.
- K'uucho me ik'o - "the warrior's eye(s)" or "the eye(s) IN the warrior". This suggests the warrior still has theirs.
- K'uucho ba ik'o - "the warrior's eye(s)" or rather "the eye(s) OUT OF the warrior". This suggests the warrior has regrettably lost theirs.
Example dialogue:
- Sangheili:
- K'e oni k'uucho mejayatan, K'aidon.
- Your warriors are ready, Kaidon.
- Kaidon:
- K'uucho ghu! Riin oni nejo ba luuka ni. Riin oni khuut'a ba luuka ni. Warut'o! Ikhi ga!
- Warriors! On the blood of our fathers. By the blood of our brothers. Go! Now!
- Warriors:
- Oq'o Ch'awaruut'u oni! K'aidon oni!
- For the Great Journey! For the Kaidon!
Verb instrumental prefixes[edit]
Similarly to the Siouan or Uto-Aztecan languages of the North and Middle Americas, Sangheili has instrumental prefixes that can transform verb bases into entirely new verbs.[14] The following 12 prefixes are routinely used to form a range of derivations.
Prefix | Origin | Usage | Example |
---|---|---|---|
ba (n)- | baan (spine) | utilizing the back or rear | ban + k'utkho (to fight) → bank'utkho (to defend / resist) |
ch'a (n)- | ch'ano (head) | utilizing the head | ch'an + qkhoso (to walk) → ch'anqkhoso (to run) |
dzu (m/n)- | dzumu (to be sharp) | with a weapon, or with a sharp point, dangerously | dzu + k'utkho (to fight) → dzuk'utkho (to battle) |
ga (i/y)- | gadi (lower mandible) | with the lower mandible, with uncertainty | gai + duje (to molt / shed) → gaiduje (to sully) |
gha (y)- | ogha (foot) | using the foot | gha + jaya (to arrive) → ghajaya (to return) |
kh (e/y)- | akke (hand) | general instrumental; also specifically utilizing the hand | khe + ch'imo (to collect) → khech'imo (to retrieve) |
juu (n)- | juun (upper mandible) | with the upper mandible, with certainty | juu + khawa (to say) → juukhawa (to claim) |
me (kh)- | maikhu (tool, device) | using a tool or device | me + ch'in (to stab) → mech'in (to cut) |
mo (s)- | mos (mind, brain) | using the mind or reasoning | mo + duje (to molt / shed) → moduje (to lose track of) |
ru (u)- | ruq'a (fire) | using fire or heat | ruu + k'ina (to bite) → ruuk'ina (to attack) |
t'i (s)- | t'iis (word) | verbally; using words | t'i + khawa (to say) → t'ikhawa (to chat) |
wel (e)- | wele (ship, vessel) | using a ship, vessel, vehicle, or other means of transport | wele + kkhosa (to flee) → welekkhosa (to retreat) |
- 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).
- Maaro (seek) → maarojo (search team, searchers)
- Moq'aara (have faith) → moq'aajo (zealots)
- Another suffix, -t'u (or -tu), is employed to create nominalizations.
- Ts'aha (be at) → ts'ahat'u (presence)
- Hai (be able / have ability) → hait'u (strength, might)
- The suffix -q'u (or -qu) in Sangheili means "to make," "cause to be," "render," or "become." It transforms regular verbs into causative verbs, indicating an action that causes something to happen or come into being.
- T'iya (to live) → t'iyaq'u (to bring to life, cause to manifest)
- Ruq'ota (to burn) → ruq'otaq'u (to burn something, to incinerate)
- Oq'o (be honorable) → oq'oqu (to render honor to something or someone)
Verb Tenses[edit]
Sangheili has 8 tenses, but the meanings of those tenses vary depending on whether the verb is stative or dynamic.[15]
Verb Tenses | Dynamic Verbs | Stative Verbs | Suffix |
---|---|---|---|
Bare | Imperative (An action is issued as a command or order) |
Present (A state or condition is provided as a fact or general truth) |
None (---) |
Reduplicative | Imperfect (An action is ongoing or continuous) |
Emphatic (A state or condition is emphasized) |
Varies
(a part of a verb is partially repeated) |
Inceptive | Inceptive (An action has begun) |
Inchoative (A state or condition is beginning) |
-(i)khi |
Completive | Perfect (An action has concluded) |
Cessive (A state or condition has ended) |
-(i)tan |
Declarative | Present (An action is occurring) |
Probabilitive (A state or condition holds an element of probability) |
-(i)jo (or -cho) |
Witnessed / Direct | Emphatic (An experienced action is emphasized) |
Past (A past state or condition is referred) |
-(i)ji (or -chi) |
Overheard / Inferential | Uncertain (An action has an element of uncertainty) |
Possibilitive (A state or condition carries a sense of possibility or potentiality) |
-(i)jen (or -chen) |
Prospective | Future (An action will come in the future) |
Future (A state or condition will occur later) |
-(i)jaga (or -chaga) |
- Every Sangheili verb has a reduplicated form, which may occasionally deviate from regular patterns, yet remains somewhat foreseeable.
- Verbs in both the indicative and interrogative modes have positive and negative forms as well.
Other aspects and question forms[edit]
Dynamic Verbs | Stative Verbs | Suffix | |
---|---|---|---|
Negation | Reverse action | Contrary state | -eya (or -ya) |
Ability | Possible action | Possible state | -’ala |
Yes or No Question | - | - | -jahe[16] (or -chahe) and is attached to a reduced set of 4 tenses: Bare, Reduplicative, Inceptive, and Completive. |
Example questions:
- 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?
Copular constructions[edit]
Sangheili generally uses zero-copula constructions, meaning the copular verb "to be" (and its forms: am, is, are, was) is often dropped from sentences when the meaning is understood from the context.
- K'uucho haala. — The warrior is strong. ("The warrior strong")
- Ne bekkhajo riin o maamaro gha. — This creature is what we seek. ("This creature what we seek")
- Ine ii zap'atu. — This was no victory. ("This not victory")
However, Sangheili does have a locative copula, ts'aha (to be at):
- Maamaro gha ogha ni ts'aha. — "What we seek is close."
- Ghaamos riin nis ts'aha? — "Why are we here?"
Question words[edit]
Question words that are commonly used as subordinating conjunctions or relative pronouns include:
Gha | what |
Ghaazhi | because, if, when |
Ghaadi | where |
Ghaasha | how |
Ghaakhe | how much |
Ghaamos | why, how come |
Ghaijo | who |
Demonstratives[edit]
Type | Adjective / Determiner | Pronoun | Adverb | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Proximal (near the speaker) | ne - this | ine - this | niri - these | nis - here |
Medial (neither near nor far) | zo - that | uzo - that | zuri - those | zus - there |
Distal (far from the speaker) | tkha - it, that (over there) | athka - that (over there) | tkhaari - those (over there) | tkhaas - over there, yonder |
Unknown / Indefinite (indicating uncertainty) | ba | aba | baari | baas |
Negative (indicating absence) | ii - no, not | ngajo - none, no one | ngamaas - no way, nowhere |
- Adverbs can be followed by postpositions, for instance tkhaas oni translates as "that way".
Coordinating conjunctions[edit]
Common coordinating conjunctions include:
Q'a | but |
Nizhi | and (used to coordinate nouns and sentences) |
Ze | and (used to coordinate adjectives) |
Numerals[edit]
Sangheili uses a base eight numeral system:
- Domo ch'ishan — human three&eight: (13 base-8 = 11 base-10)
- Eleven humans.
The suffix -ngo is used to mark ordinals.
Cardinal Numbers | Ordinal Numbers |
---|---|
0 - Nga | |
1 - Ju | 1st - Jungo |
2 - K'ung | 2nd - K'ungo |
3 - Ch'i | 3rd - Ch'ingo |
4 - Nan | 4th - Nango |
5 - Ros | 5th - Rongo |
6 - Ghu | 6th - Ghungo |
7 - Dzon | 7th - Dzongo |
8 - Shan | 8th - Shango |
9 - Jushan | 9th - Jushango |
10 - K'ushan | 10th - K'ushango |
11 - Ch'ishan | 11th - Ch'ishango |
12 - Nanshan | 12th - Nanshango |
13 - Roshan | 13th - Roshango |
14 - Ghushan | 14th - Ghushango |
15 - Dzonshan | 15th - Dzonshango |
Sangheili lines & outtakes[edit]
Jan David ngiit'a. | My name is David. or I am called David.[4] |
Hait'u ga k'utkho! | From strength, fight! or Fight with strength! (Used by Sangheili as both a greeting and a farewell.)[4] |
Jan o moa ba ngani rotkho *p'onji. | I will eat a moa burger. or I will eat moa flesh.[4] |
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. (Soon the start of the Covenant's Great Journey will come.) |
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. |
Mercy | Yap'o dzuro ba jayatan jan itskhaji. | I wish I came under better circumstances. |
Mercy | Ch'inji, k'utkho ba kkhosa k'entan ch'anoq'o sangheli et'ojo T'elo Badami oni. | Taken, from a sangheili swordsman of great nobility named Thel 'Vadamee who chose to flee rather than fight. |
Mercy | Domo ga q'aha ba kheluuga ch'uitan, mu o juukhojo. Tkha me k'iis me mos ba. | He said the artifact awoke to the human's touch as if lit from within. |
Mercy | Ts'ekhe ni jan o ine mosik'ola. K'unjo o eya. | I find this easy to understand. Others might not. |
Makee | Ne oni k'e o k'utkhitanjahe? | Is that why you did not fight? (For this you did not fight?) |
Makee | P'uuka o jan mositskhajo. | That's an intriguing question. (The question intrigues me.) |
Makee | Ghaazhi Ghashank'o o tkha q'ahiji, gha k'e o p'ayut'u ba ch'anik'otanjahe? | When the demon touched it, what exactly did you see? |
Makee | Q'iitu k'e o jan juuch'iiji, ngenoji. K'e o jan ch'anggonji, Oq'o Ch'awaruut'u oni jan q'onji. Ghaazhi k'e o jan oni ne tskha'iji, jan o riin oni ne waaka waqkhijaga. Jan o oq'ogakha maaroji, nizhi jan o qkhaamo oni Sangheli me tkha bit'ajaga. Tkha o ch'anggagomo oni riin gwijaga. | Mercy, you took me in, saved me. You tutored me, and taught me of the Great Journey. For what you have done for me, allow me to deliver this gift to us all. I will find the keystone. And I will bring it to the sacred shrine on Sanghelios and it will lead us to the ring |
Mercy | Eya, T'elo Badami. Ghaazhi k'e ni haanga oni k'e o ghabaat'u ch'imitan, buut'u nizhi ruuq'ontu ba k'e ni ch'anopkhuutu jayajaga. | No, Thel 'Vadamee. For the shame you have brought to your kind, your redemption will come through penance and reeducation. |
Mercy | Eya, T'elo Badami. Jaari oni ghabaat'u ni, buut'u ze ruuq'ontu ba ch'anopkhuutu jayajaga. | No, Thel 'Vadamee. For our shame, your redemption will come through penance and reeducation. |
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? |
Thel | Juukhojo Q'iitu. K'aidon me mos ba, ghuuri maasa jan o domo k'uutan. Ghashank'o jan o chkha'ala nizhi matkhala, tkhazhi jan o modujitan gha khech'imala. Tkhet'a ga, jan o ch'anopkhola jan oni t'iswaqkho. | Prophet Mercy. As a kaidon, I have fought with the humans many times. I can hunt and kill the demon, and retrieve what I have lost. Please, allow me to redeem myself. |
Thel | Asho, ts'age oni tkha ruumaachi. K'e ba juukhot'u me mos ba. | It glowed blue and bright. Just as you prophesy. |
Truth | Saatu ba eya. K'e ch'anggaaya, chkhuung-- | Absolutely not. You're far too valuable to-- |
Makee | Tkha ba niqkhagha waachaga, nizhija oq'ogakha ts'ughejaga. Jan satkha. | It will reveal its secrets even in the absence of the keystone. I'm sure of it. |
Makee | Nizhi muuri? | And them? |
Makee | Daaghaya, 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. |
Makee | Q'iitu. Riin o t'onguutan zhaan o jan nizhi mojaya. Domo o jan zhi ruutskhaatan gha o jan mojaya. Jan me muuri oni maaziit'u o jan nizhi mojaya pkha. | Mercy. I also remember the day we met. I remember what the humans did to me, and I remember my hatred for them. |
Mercy | Jaari o maarolatan ine yap'o naachi pkha. Riin o t'onguutan zhaan oni tkha o jan mobit'a. Tkhazhi k'e ma uuri naachi. | This is the best we could find. It reminds me of the day we met. Of course, you were much smaller then. |
Mercy | Jan o k'e ba hait'u t'iiweya. | I have no doubts in your abilities. |
Mercy | Muuri moq'aara. Q'a jan daagha. Ne wiiwaruut'u o k'e ni tkhet’a oni k'e wiibit'ajaga. | They have faith. But I do worry. This journey will bring you in contact with your kind. |
Sangheili | Uzo me baan ni tkha ts'aha. Zus me. | It's behind that. In there. |
Sangheili | Oq'ogakha ogha ni ts'aha. | The relic is close. |
Sangheili | Nis tskha'ijahe? | Near here? |
Sangheili | Ine riin o maamaro gha. | This is what we seek. |
Sangheili | Yojo oni ikhi. | Switching to needler. |
Sangheili | Qkhe p'os, Jan ni khobuugha! | Oh shit, my gun! |
Makee | Gakha me pkhot'a zhi nasa warut'o o riin enjo. Baatkhi. | We must go further into the rockface. Start digging. |
Makee | Tkha nis ts'aheya jan o iik'uji. Riin me qkhan o tkha gaibit'ajo. Q'a ruut'iyaji, nguuka nis huunjo. Jaja atkha o tkha me la'ajo oni gwijaga. | I am aware it's not here. Our enemies possess it now. But it was active, radiating energy here. That may be enough to lead us to it's twin. |
Makee | Atkha tskha'a pkha. | See that you do. |
Makee | Eya. Ine k'unjo. K'unjo ba nguuka. K'unjo ba oq'ogakha. Ghaadi ni tkha ts'aha tkha o riin oni khaujo. Siin shak'o tkha o loloshkho! | No. This is something different. A different energy. The other keystone. It's telling us were it is. It's showing us the fastest route! |
Makee | Eya. Ine k'unjo. Nguuka o... K'unjo ba oq'ogakha. Tkha o riin t'isiizit'a! | No. This is something different. The energy... The other keystone. It's calling out to us! |
Makee | K'ung oq'ogakha ba riin ngani. Juunduje pkha. | We need both keystones. Make it look good. |
Makee | Jaari o khuuta ba nguuka huunjo. | We share the same energy. |
Makee | Tkhazhi oq'ogakha k'ung ni riin ba, riin o muuri ruubaaji hai. | And with both keystones, we can destroy them. |
Elite | EEEEEEEEEEYA! | NOOOOOOOOOO! |
Guard | Jan ba ine q'unqa, Hirajo, q'a ghaazhi kheluuga nis ts'aheya-- | Forgive me, Blessed One, but if the artifact is no longer here-- |
Guard | K'e ba t'iis ga. Ghaazhi jaari o shak'o mekhechkhaatan jan o k'e ghap'uuchaga, Hirajo. | As you wish. I will send for you when we've cleared the way, Blessed One. |
Makee | Mu eya Ghashank'o. Mu q'a domo, k'unjo ba chkhan me mos ba. Yodu k'e o muuri ga ch'ano ba chkhan bit'aji. | He's no demon. He's just a man like billions of others. Soon you will have all their heads. |
Makee | Mu eya Ghashank'o. Mu q'a domo, k'unjo ba chkhan me mos ba. Yodu muuri ruq'otoza pkha. | He's no demon. He's just a man. Soon they will all burn. |
Makee | Jan o bambit'atan. | As promised. |
Makee | Ghashank'o jayatan. Mu yua pkha. | Demon is here. Get him!!! |
Mercy | Ch'anggagomo maaro p'umo pkha. Gha oni Tkhuyujo o khawetan, mu o ch'awaruut'u tkhahana ba riin ngani. Mu o tkha tkhahaajen ghaazhi ni, mu ruubaachi. Jan o jan ga rotkho k'inajo (Idiom). | Finding the ring is only the beginning. For reasons the ancients have kept from us, we need her to complete the Great Journey. But once it is complete, she will be destroyed. I will keep my promise. |
Mercy | Ch'anggagomo maaro p'umo pkha. Gha oni Tkhuyujo o khawetan, mu o ch'awaruut'u tkhahana ba riin ngani. Q'a ghaazhi mu ba riin ngani naseya, jan o jan ga rotkho k'inajo (Idiom). | Finding the ring is only the beginning. For reasons the ancients have kept from us, we need her to complete the Great Journey. But once we no longer need her, I will keep my promise. |
Mercy | Jan o jan ga rotkho k'inajo. | This Sangheili idiom, translating to 'I will bite my flesh,' symbolizes a commitment to keeping one's promise. Carl Buck crafted this idiom and drew inspiration from the concept of a 'blood oath,' akin to the practice of making a solemn promise by slicing the palm of one's own hand with a blade. |
Mercy | Eya. Nizhi yodu pkha. Nizhi yodu. | No. It's too soon. Too soon. |
Mercy | Mu ba riin ngani ikhi. Baqkhat'a rasq'u, q'a mu matkhaya pkha. Wele oni oq'ogakha mech'imeya! | We need him now. Knock-down his defenses but take him alive. And bring the keystones to our ship! |
Mercy | Mu o ch'anggagomo maaro ba riin ngani. Mu matkhaya pkha. | We need him to find the ring. Take him alive. |
Mercy | Ghashank'o matkhaya pkha! | Take the demon alive! (Do not kill the Demon whatsoever!) |
Mercy | Baashkhi shandeta ba, jaari o ch'anggagomo maarotan. Zus nizhi tkhaas, jaari moq'aaritan. Q'a jaari o q'amaamaro. | For hundreds of generations, we have searched for the sacred ring. At times, our faith faltered. But still we searched. |
Mercy | Baashkhi shandeta ba, jaari o ch'anggagomo oni jaari gwijaga oq'ogakha maarotan. Zus nizhi tkhaas, jaari moq'aaritan. Q'a jaari o q'amaamaro. | For hundreds of generations, we have searched for the keystone that will lead us to the sacred ring. At times, our faith faltered. But still we searched. |
Mercy | Ine Mot'onguut'u ga shak'o k'umas juuchkhugiijo. Aamu me mos ba tkhuyujo yodu jaari o ghashangojo. | This is the vindication of the ways of the Covenant (This Covenant's ways are again vindicated). We will soon join the ancients as gods. |
Mercy | Hirajo'ni chkhan zhiiq'o ni diibe ts'aatsaha. Ghaazhi k'e guujen. K'e o jan oni ch'ano ga Ghashank'o bambit'aji. | There is always a place for the Blessed One. If that is what you want. You promised me the demon's head. |
Mercy | Ine ba oq'ogakha ga juq'utan. Yodu ch'awaruut'u ba p'umo jayajaga. | And the keystones are finally together. Soon we will begin our Great Journey. |
Mercy | Mu k'aachoya haazhi ni, tkhet'a me ruq'otajaga. Bambit'atan jan o q'unqeya, Juukhojo Gaik'inat'u. | Once we no longer need her, she will burn along with her species. I have not forgotten my promise to you, Prophet Regret. |
Mercy | Ch'ammaarot'u ba, riin ba bambit'agha ch'anik'ojaga. | After the long search, the promise shall be fulfilled. |
Mercy | EYA! Pkhada! | NO! Stop! |
Regret | K'e o juuqkhaachi, Q'iitu. | As you always have, Mercy. (You have always walked with certainty, Mercy.) |
Regret | Ne qkhado kkhago ruut'sagijaga...t'edaaq'u ruq'a t'isquuchaga...qkhadomo zhi shak'o ruq'echkhajaga. | I shall light this holy ring...release its cleansing flame...and burn a path into the divine beyond. |
Truth | 🔊 Shandi o Shak'o ni qkhaachaga. Ch'awaruut'u ba p'umo ba ghaazhi ni ngajo mots'ahajaga. | The Covenant shall walk the Path. None will be left behind when our Great Journey begins. |
Sangheili war chant : The Ballad of Kel 'Darsam[edit]
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. [17] The following are only the first eight lines of a lengthier poem.[18]
English | Sangheili |
---|---|
Born of woman, fathered by Deity, Kel ‘Darsam was a pillar of piety, | Dzana bojo ba, aamu nejo ba, K’elo Daasamu moq’aaji, ch’anaani, |
Brave and noble, strong and wise, he sought only justice and no other prize, | Dzima ze oq’o, haala ze khoya, gaibaat’u ba q’a bak’ontu maaroji, |
He battled with monsters, slew terrible beasts, to make his lands safe and to guarantee peace, | Mu o ghashank’o dzuk’uuchi, matkhaji; tkhaati’ni baat’u, dzukhunt’u waqkho’ni, |
But jealous were others, who envied his grace, a rival Kaidon sought his rival’s disgrace, | Q’a k’unjo’ mu’m ch’apkhaat’u ghamaaziji, K’aidon o mu juutkhoma maaroji, |
But a cowardly fighter, disgraced and defeated, took aim at the two as they finally retreated, | Q’a juutkhaat’u ba nuju k’uucho o muuri ni welekkhosa ni dzushkhaatan, |
Kel ‘Darsam fell, spear in his back, down to the rocks where the waves did crack, | Mu ni baan me luk’a o K’elo Daasamu mogha ni gakha oni ts’aatan, |
But as Kel was falling, the sun was arising, the first rays of Urs halted ‘Darsam’s demising, | K’elo ni ts’aha ni has o ruuekhi tkhazhi Daasamu ba q’ii pkhadatan, |
The light found him godly with noble intention, and embraced him as kin and confirmed his ascension. | K’iis o aamu ni mu maaroji, tkhazhi tkha o tkhet’a oni mu juuch’iitan. |
Vocabulary[edit]
A full vocabulary list can be found here: Sangheili-English dictionary.
Basic Nouns[edit]
- Buulo Ch'awaat'u : High Charity
- Ch'adomo : Spartan(s)
- Ch'ambuujo : Hierarch(s)
- Ch'anggagomo : Halo, the Ring
- Qkhado Ch'anggagomo : The Sacred Ring, The Holy Ring
- Ch'awaruutu : The Journey
- Oq'o Ch'awaruutu : The Great Journey
- Domo : Human(s)
- Gaik'inat'u : Prophet of Regret
- Ghashank'o : Demon, Master Chief
- Hirajo : Blessed One
- Juukhojo : Prophet(s)
- Kiigiyaara : Kig-Yar
- Maduriga: Madrigal
- Mak'ii : Makee
- Oq'ogakha : Keystone
- Q'aatu : Prophet of Truth
- Q'iitu : Prophet of Mercy
- Sangheli : Sangheili
- Shak'o : The Path, the way
- Shandi : The Covenant, the alliance
- T'injuqkhuujo : The Arbiter
Sources[edit]
- ^ Twitter, Kiki Wolfkill (@k_wolfkill): "@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" (Retrieved on Mar 25, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, C. Buck (@tlacamazatl): "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." (Retrieved on Apr 6, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Archive of Our Own, Conlang Dialogue: Halo (Paramount+) (Retrieved on Jun 17, 2024) [archive]
- ^ a b c d YouTube - Halo The Series, Learn To Speak Sangheili (Retrieved on Aug 28, 2023)
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Silver Debrief: Unmasked (Retrieved on Mar 12, 2024) [archive]
- ^ a b c d YouTube - Conlangery, Carl Buck on Conlanging for Halo (Retrieved on Jun 11, 2024)
- ^ Tumblr, Dedalvs: "Inspiration, not really. It was all gibberish. Specifically, for the later games, they’d just throw the lines into Google Translate, translate them to Japanese, reverse them, and have the voice actors read it. This is rather common for video games." (Retrieved on Mar 12, 2024) [archive]
- ^ Archive of Our Own, Conlang Dialogue: Chapter 6 (Retrieved on Jun 17, 2024) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, David J. Peterson (@Dedalvs): "P and T. Wasn’t too concerned. After all, München becomes Munich in English; Köln Cologne, etc." (Retrieved on Apr 6, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, David J. Peterson (@Dedalvs): "B, I’m that case." (Retrieved on Apr 6, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, David J. Peterson (@Dedalvs): "Cases are, in this case, little tags that let you know what role a noun plays in the sentence. Ergative and absolutive are grammatical; vocative is for direct address; the rest are locative. I’ll explain these." (Retrieved on Apr 6, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, David J. Peterson (@Dedalvs): "The locative cases are analogous to the following English prepositions: Ablative: wele ga “from the ship” Adessive: wele ni “on the ship” Allative: wele oni “to the ship” Elative: wele ba “out of the ship” Illative: wele zhi “into the ship” Inessive: wele me “in the ship"" (Retrieved on Apr 6, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, David J. Peterson (@Dedalvs): "Those familiar with cases may notice there are no possessive cases. This is because one uses various of the other cases for possession depending on the nature of the possessive relationship." (Retrieved on Apr 6, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, David J. Peterson (@Dedalvs): "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." (Retrieved on Apr 6, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, David J. Peterson (@Dedalvs): "#Sangheili has 8 tenses, but the meanings of those tenses vary depending on whether the verb is stative or dynamic." (Retrieved on Apr 6, 2022) [archive]
- ^ Twitter, David J. Peterson (@Dedalvs): "Something that’s missing from these are the question forms. When asking a yes/no question, there are special forms for the verbs used with a reduced set of tenses (4). You’ll hear them when questions are asked." (Retrieved on Jun 17, 2024) [archive]
- ^ Halo Waypoint, Silver Debrief: Transcendence (Retrieved on Aug 22, 2023) [archive]
- ^ Archive of Our Own, Conlang Dialogue: The Ballad of Kel Darsam (Retrieved on Jun 17, 2024) [archive]