Sangheili (language)/Silver

Sangheili is a language created for the Halo: The Television Series created by David Peterson, creator of the Dothraki language used in Game of Thrones,, and Carl Buck.

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.

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]

Case Particles / Postpositions
These particles are placed after an object.

Sangheili phrases by David J. 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 : 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 : to promise something to someone, to hold in reserve or specially something for someone (derived from the verb: bit'a)
 * bambit'agha : promise
 * banghaina : to sense, to pick up on (derived from the verb: ghaina)
 * bank'utkho : 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 : to bear, to carry, to hold
 * bojo : mother(s)

C

 * ch'aamosik'o : to understand, to comprehend
 * ch'anaani : pillar
 * ch'anghutkho : combat, skirmish
 * ch'anik'o : to see
 * ch'anik'otan : saw
 * ch'anik'oji : seen
 * ch'anu : head
 * ch'imo : take, get, gain
 * ch'in : to take, to pick up (ch'in literally means stab ~ stabbing)
 * chkhan : all, whole, endless
 * chkhan ba : all by
 * chkhan ni : over all

D

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

E

 * et'ojo : swordsman(men)
 * eya : no

G

 * gadi : lower mandible
 * gaibaat'u : fortune, riches
 * gaiduje : to sully, to pollute (derived from the verb: duje)
 * gaikhawa : to guess, to predict (derived from the verb: khawa)
 * gakha : rocks, stones
 * ghaadi : where, in what place or position (See also: diibe)
 * ghaina : to hear
 * ghaazhi : [causal conjunction] (Because..., So..., For..., And if..., When...)
 * ghaq'aaga : map
 * guulo : master(s)

H

 * haala : strong
 * haali : stronger
 * hira : bless, praise
 * hodu : wait, pause

I

 * iikuji : know, realize, acknowledge
 * 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 : come, arrive
 * jayaleya : can not arrive
 * jayatan : arrived
 * ruujaya : come quickly
 * juuch'in : to accept, to adopt, to embrace (derived from the verb: ch'in)
 * juukhawa : to claim (derived from the verb: khawa)
 * juun : upper mandible
 * juunduje : to make look good, act good, perform well (derived from the verb: duje)

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 : to fight
 * k'uucho : warrior(s), fighter(s)
 * khaayagha : profit, benefit
 * khawa : to say
 * khebit'a : to have, to possess, to retain (derived from the verb: bit'a)
 * khech'imo: retrieve, bring, reclaim
 * khekhawa : to respond (derived from the verb: khawa)
 * kheluuga : artifact, relic
 * khis : mongrel
 * khobu : fire (from a weapon), to shoot
 * khobuuya : hold your fire, cease firing
 * khoya : wise
 * khuut'a : brother(s), kin
 * kkhaaya : worthy
 * kkhaayeya : not worthy, hardly worth
 * kkhagadza : affirmative, that's right

L

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

M

 * maaro : to seek, to search
 * maarotan : found
 * q'amaaro : keep looking, continue searching
 * maasa : time, period, length of event
 * maaziit'u : revenge
 * maikhu : tool, device
 * matkha : kill, slay
 * matkhaji : killed, slew
 * matkhaya : do not kill
 * mejaya : get ready, prepare
 * mejayajo : preparing
 * mejayaq'u : get equipped
 * moduje : to lose track of (derived from the verb: duje)
 * mobaat'u : revelation
 * mobit'a : to recall, to remember, to think back on/to (derived from the verb: bit'a)
 * mogha : waves
 * mos : brain, mind
 * mosone : counsel, advice
 * "moq'aa" : piety
 * moq'aaji : pious, devout
 * moq'aajo : zealot(s)
 * mu : him/her, himself/herself
 * muuri : [Third Person plural] they, them

N

 * nejo : father(s)
 * ngani : to need, to obtain
 * 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 marking an order]
 * pkhada : stop, halt, cease

Q

 * q'unqa : 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'ota : to burn
 * ruuk'ina : to attack

S

 * shaadat'u : loyalty
 * shkhoot'u : sign, signal

T

 * t'iis : word
 * t'ighaina : to hear and understand, to read one another (derived from the verb: ghaina)
 * t'ikhawa : to chat, to speak with (derived from the verb: khawa)
 * t'ulu : bone
 * tkha : [Inanimate Third Person] it(s)
 * tkhaari : those, them
 * tkhaas : that
 * tkhazhi : then, and then
 * tkhahan : to finish, to complete
 * tkhet'a : species, people, kin, nest
 * tkhunga : to send, to deliver
 * tkhungat'u : herald, bearer
 * tkhuyujo : ancients, forerunner(s)
 * tskha : to do
 * ts'uuchaga : yes
 * ts'uutsughaleya : impossible

U

 * uro : claws
 * uutu : evil

W

 * waaka : gift, offering
 * gawaaka : sacrifice
 * waqkhi : to leave, to allow
 * warut'o : go, forward, charge (inspired by wort from the games)
 * q'awarut'o : continue on, onward
 * wele : ship, vessel
 * welekkhosa : retreat

Y

 * yodu : soon

Z

 * zhuro : weapon(s)