Sangheili (language)/Silver

Sangheili is a constructed language created for the Halo: The Television Series co-created by linguists David J. Peterson, creator of the Dothraki language used in Game of Thrones, and Carl Buck. Both conlangers began jointly developing the Sangheili language nearly three years prior to the series premiere. 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 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.

Peterson posts transcripts for the words and their translations in a series of posts on Archive of Our Own, accessible here. See also David Petersons records here and his additional informative Tweets archived here.

Overview
Sangheili, the language featured in the show, is a language spoken by the Sangheili, 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.

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]

Phonology

 * 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 and Fal 'Chavamee are English approximations of T'elo Badami and P'alo Chabami, respectively, in Sangheili.

Case Particles / Postpositions
These case particles are placed after an noun. The ergative and absolutive are grammatical. The vocative case is used for direct address, while the rest pertain to locative functions.

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"

Verb Tenses
Sangheili has 8 tenses, but the meanings of those tenses vary depending on whether the verb is stative or dynamic.

Sangheili Negation and Question forms:

Sangheili lines by David Peterson
* Denotes a word's spelling has not been confirmed.

Sangheili war chant : The Ballad of Kel 'Darsam
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. These are only the first eight lines of a lengthier poem.

Transcribed words
The following words were transcribed phonetically and showcased in Episode 4 of the TV series.
 * [qˣe.p'os] - "qkhep'os" : needler
 * [saŋ.'ɣe.li.sˣu] - "sangheliskhu" : Sanghelios
 * [saŋ.ɣe.li] - "sangheli" : Sangheili
 * [xo.bu] - "khobu" : shoot
 * [ki:.'gia:.ra] - "kiigiaara" : Kig-Yar
 * [ɣa.ˈʃaŋ.k'o.] - "ghashank'o" : demon
 * [o.' q'o.ga.xa] : "oq'ogakha" : Keystone
 * [tʃ'aŋ.'ga.go.mo] - "ch'anggagomo" : Halo
 * [tʃ'aŋ.go.no] - "ch'anggono" : shield
 * [sˣu.tʃo] - "skhucho" : Down
 * [do.tʃo] - "docho" : Up

Basic Nouns / Names

 * Ch'adomo : Spartan(s)
 * Ch'ambuujo : Hierarch(s)
 * Ch'anggagomo : Halo, The Halo 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, regret
 * Ghashank'o : Demon, Master Chief
 * Hirajo : Blessed One
 * Juukhojo : Prophet(s)
 * Q'iitu : Prophet of Mercy, mercy
 * Maduriga: Madrigal
 * Mak'ii : Makee
 * Oq'ogakha : Keystone
 * Sangheli : Sangheili
 * Shak'o : The Path, the way
 * Shandi : The Covenant, alliance
 * T'iiwajo : Heretic(s)

A

 * aamu : god(s), deity(ies)
 * akke : hand

B

 * baan : spine or back, behind
 * baashi : ceremony
 * bak'ontu : justice
 * bambit'a : (v.) to promise something to someone, to hold in reserve or specially something for someone (derived from the verb: bit'a)
 * bambit'agha : promise
 * banghaina : (v.) to sense, to pick up on (derived from the verb: ghaina)
 * bank'utkho : (v.) to defend, to resist (derived from k'utkho, bank'utkho literally means "to fight with the back" and by metaph. extension, "to fight back")
 * bekkhajo : creature, animal
 * bit'a : (v.) to bear, to carry, to hold
 * bojo : mother(s)

C

 * ch'aamosik'o : (v.) to better understand, to comprehend (derived from the verb: mosik'o)
 * ch'ana : (v.) to read
 * ch'anaani : pillar
 * ch'anghutkho : combat, skirmish
 * ch'anik'o : (v.) to see
 * ch'anik'otan : saw
 * ch'anik'oji : seen
 * ch'anoq'o : great nobility
 * ch'anu : head
 * ch'apkhaat'u : grace
 * ch'imo : (v.) to take, to get, to gather, to collect
 * ch'in : (v.) to take, to seize (ch'in literally means stab ~ stabbing)
 * chkhan : all, whole, endless
 * chkhan ba : all by
 * chkhan ni : over all

D

 * daagha : (v.) to worry
 * diibe : where (conjunction), in/to a particular place, at/from which (See also: ghaadi)
 * dokkhat'u : kindness
 * duje : (v.) to molt
 * dzana : woman, mortal female
 * dzima : brave
 * dzumu : to be sharp
 * dzuk'uuchi : battled
 * dzukhunt'u : dominance

E

 * et'ojo : swordsman(men)
 * eya : no, or to negate something (if added at end of a verb)

G

 * gadi : lower mandible
 * gaibaat'u : fortune, riches
 * gaiduje : (v.) to sully, to dirty, to pollute (derived from the verb: duje)
 * gaikhawa : (v.) to guess, to predict (derived from the verb: khawa)
 * gakha : rocks, stones
 * ghaadi : where, in what place or position (See also: diibe)
 * ghaazhi : [causal conjunction] (Because..., So..., For..., And if..., When...)
 * ghaina : (v.) to hear
 * ghajaya : (v.) to return, to come back
 * ghamaaziit'u : jealousy
 * ghaq'aaga : map
 * ghashango : (v.) to accompany, to follow to join
 * ghashank'o : demon, monster
 * baghashank'o : little demon
 * ghunu : (v.) to destroy
 * guulo : master(s)

H

 * haala : strong
 * haali : stronger
 * hira : bless, praise
 * hodu : wait, pause
 * hunt'u : radiation, radiance

I

 * iiku : (v.) to know (information), to be familiar with
 * ik'o : eye(s)
 * ikhi : now, presently
 * ikhi ga : right now, right away
 * ikhi jaya : come quickly, come now
 * ikhi baazhi : previously

J

 * jaja : perhaps
 * jan : [First Person Singular] : I, me
 * jaya : (v.) to come, to arrive
 * jayaleya : can not arrive
 * jayatan : arrived
 * ruujaya : come quickly
 * juq'u : to join, unite
 * juuch'in : (v.) to accept, to adopt, to embrace (derived from the verb: ch'in)
 * juukhawa : (v.) to claim (derived from the verb: khawa)
 * juun : upper mandible
 * juunduje : (v.) to make look good, act good, perform well (derived from the verb: duje)
 * juutkhaat'u : defeat

K

 * k'aidon : kaidon
 * k'e : [Second Person Singular] : you, your
 * k'iis : light
 * k'iisho : luminary
 * k'ung : both
 * k'unjo : others, the rest
 * k'utkho : (v.) to fight
 * k'uucho : warrior(s), fighter(s)
 * khaayagha : profit, benefit
 * khaayajo : someone of worth, value, or importance
 * khawa : (v.) to say
 * khebit'a : (v.) to have, to possess, to retain (derived from the verb: bit'a)
 * khech'imo: (v.) to retrieve, to get and bring back, to reclaim (derived from the verb: ch'imo)
 * khekhawa : (v.) to respond (derived from the verb: khawa)
 * kheluuga : artifact, relic
 * khis : mongrel
 * khobu : (v.) to fire (from a weapon), to shoot
 * khobuuya : hold fire, cease firing
 * khoya : wise
 * khuut'a : brother(s), kin
 * kkhaaya : (v.) to be worthy of
 * kkhaayeya : not worthy, hardly worth
 * kkhagadza : correct, affirmative, that's right
 * kkhosa : (v.) to flee

L

 * la'ajo : twin, partner, counterpart
 * lakhi : to rise up, to ascend
 * loshkho : to show
 * loloshkho : reveal
 * luk'a : spear
 * luuka : blood

M

 * maaro : (v.) to find, to look for, to seek
 * maarotan : found
 * q'amaaro : keep looking, continue looking
 * maasa : time, period, length of event
 * maaziit'u : revenge
 * maikhu : tool, device
 * matkha : (v.) to kill, to slay
 * matkhaji : killed, slew
 * matkhaya : do not kill
 * mech'imo : (v.) to take with, to bring, to obtain (derived from the verb: ch'imo)
 * mech'in : (v.) to cut
 * mejaya : (v.) to prepare, to get ready
 * mejayajo : preparing
 * mejayaq'u : get equipped
 * moduje : (v.) to lose track of (derived from the verb: duje)
 * mobaat'u : revelation
 * mobit'a : (v.) to recall, to remember, to think back on/to (derived from the verb: bit'a)
 * mogha : waves, surge
 * moq'aa : (v.) to be pious
 * moq'aaji : pious, devout
 * moq'aajo : zealot(s)
 * mos : brain, mind
 * me mos ba : like, as, just as
 * mosik'o : (v.) to think, to understand
 * mosik'weya : do not understand
 * mosone : counsel, advice
 * mot'onguut'u : vindication
 * mu : him/her, himself/herself
 * muuri : [Third Person plural] they, them

N

 * nasa : bit much, much too, far too
 * nejo : father(s)
 * ngajo : nobody, no one
 * ngani : need to, must, will
 * nizhi : also, in addition, about, as well
 * nuju : weak, cowardly
 * nujut'u : weakness

O

 * ogha : foot
 * ogha ni : near, close
 * oq'o : great, glorious, noble
 * oq'otu : glory

P

 * p'ikhe : creature, animal
 * pkha : [an auxiliary used for emphasis or to convey a sense of urgency]
 * pkhada : (v.) to stop, to halt, to cease

Q

 * q'unqa : (v.) to forget, to forgive
 * q'unqijaga : will forget
 * q'a : but
 * q'ii : dead, death, demising
 * qkhaat'u : holiness
 * qkhado : holy, sacred
 * qkhan : enemy(ies)
 * qkhe : [interjection] oh

R

 * riikhe : as a group, collectively
 * riikhe ni : together, all together
 * riikhe oni : regroup, rally together
 * riikhe zi : among, in company
 * riin : us, we
 * rotkho : flesh, skin, hide
 * ruq'a : fire
 * ruq'echkha : (v.) to burn, to shine, to illuminate
 * ruq'ota : (v.) to burn, to scorch
 * ruuk'ina : (v.) to attack
 * ruut'sag : (v.) to light, to kindle, to ignite

S

 * shaadat'u : loyalty
 * shkhoot'u : sign, signal
 * satkha : (v.) to be certain, to be sure

T

 * t'iis : word
 * t'ighaina : (v.) to hear and understand, to read one another (derived from the verb: ghaina)
 * t'ikhawa : (v.) to speak, to chat (derived from the verb: khawa)
 * t'isqukho : (v.) to let go, to let loose, to set loose
 * t'iswaqkho : (v.) to permit, to allow, to sanction (derived from the verb: waqkho)
 * t'ulu : bone
 * tkha : [Inanimate Third Person] it(s)
 * tkhaari : those, them
 * tkhaas : that
 * tkhazhi : then, and then
 * tkhahan : (v.) to finish, to conclude
 * tkhet'a : species, people, kin, nest
 * tkhunga : (v.) to send, to deliver
 * tkhungat'u : herald, bearer
 * tkhuyujo : ancients, forerunner(s)
 * tonguu : (v.) to meet
 * ts'ukho : (v.) to be
 * ts'uutsukho : (reduplication) : (v.) to be emphatically true
 * ts'ukhi : come to be, turn out to be, was
 * ts'uuchaga : yes, will be, shall be
 * ts'uutsughaleya : impossible, cannot be possible
 * tskha : to do

U

 * uro : claws
 * uuri : very much, nearly, fairly, quite
 * uutu : evil

W

 * waaka : gift, offering
 * gawaaka : sacrifice
 * waqkho : (v.) to give, to grant, to offer
 * warut'o : go, forward, charge (inspired by wort from the games)
 * q'awarut'o : continue on, onward
 * wele : ship, vessel
 * welekkhosa : (v.) to retreat (derived from the verb: kkhosa)

Y

 * yodu : soon

Z

 * zhuro : weapon(s)

Uncertain Vocabulary
The following words do not appear frequently in Peterson's translations.


 * banechkha : (v.) to release, to let go of
 * bap'umo : source, origin
 * dunga : world
 * gazhumaaka : alert
 * has : sun
 * kkhago : ring
 * lushkho : star
 * nga : nothing
 * ngitkhagha : controls
 * p'umo : start, beginning
 * res : to die
 * ruubaabaacho : intruder(s)
 * zhaan : day