#munja'kin

[dedalvs]

Wait wait wait, there are two editions of The Art of Language Invention? When did the newer one come out? What's in the newer one that isn't in the older one? I have the older one; should I get the newer one as well? — Zhyler anon

Sure does. This is the old cover:

And this is the new cover:

There's an entirely new chapter in the new one. I made it the fourth chapter pushing the orthography chapter last. There's a new case study on one of our LangTime Study languages: the rabbit language Engála! I was happy that made it in, although I was bummed initially at having to include it. I wrote up an entire case study on the Munja'kin language from NBC's Emerald City. I contacted my old showrunner David Schulner and asked for his blessing and he was happy to have me include it. Then it was run up the flagpole to NBC and NBC declined! This was the same network that had previously given me permission to use the Defiance languages in the book which are used a lot (and they're used a lot on purpose! NBC gave me the full greenlight to use them! HBO said the GoT languages had to comprise 49% or less of the language material in the book, so I had to use it judiciously). I was so bummed, but it did allow me to use one of the languages that Jessie and I created, and that made me happy.

I should post that Munja'kin case study somewhere at some point... Won't let me publish it? I'll just give it away, then! 😤

[dedalvs]

Hi David! I apologize if you've already posted this, but what is the translation for the funeral spell in episode 2 of Emerald City? Thanks!

Yeah, I posted all the dialogue I did for every episode of Emerald City here on Tumblr. You can search for it (e.g. for the witch language, just search my tumblr tagged inha-grammar). Also, since the show has been canceled, I’ve also put up all the dialogue and extra bits on my work page (the Emerald City stuff is here).

Thanks for the ask!

[dedalvs]

Conlang Dialogue, Episode 109, Emerald City

Quite a bit here...

SPI You are Trespass. Pagískua si’o.

SPI Kill. Hi wi’ka.

OJO This fight is mine. Disperse. Toni ni stavuri. La hi barú gaha.

OJO ...Rest and find your strength. We have all the time in the world. ...hi doa hi ‘in ambruri. Ios kou an niu pamiran pa hin.

NAHARA Who is this? Hibí ni?

OJO Interloper. Hi pagískua.

OJO She wants the Stone Giants. Lanú oiru Gunda Juru.

NAHARA I have no words to waste on the mistake that got me here. Nombu tun an hioi an ga ubauri angu niruri an-d-lihuzri tun niu.

NAHARA Does Glinda rise against the Wizard? Kuvon Glinda puli Wízada?

NAHARA Then I return to a world better than the one I left. Lanú diwa suchi tun pa ‘ozu marí puli ‘ozu an mia anjuri tun pa lia.

NAHARA Magic has existed as long as Oz. You don’t stop magic. You stop the person fighting the magic. Mia koa niu vozoku an jalindri an Oza. La inju si’o limiran vozoku. Lanú limiran chala an go stavuri vozoku.

NAHARA Did I choose right with the girl? Mia mon niu tun ki vunduri angu risa?

OJO There are no mistakes. Let me carry you from here. Inju niruri koa. Hi lirazdu tun hi si’o an niu.

NAHARA Here is good. Stay with me. Marí niu. La hi pas a’a tun.

NAHARA Tell me about our son. Hi hio tun angu boku an hini.

OJO He’s twenty and always right. Lia nurischi lanú vundu pamiran.

NAHARA Your looks or mine? Uli an-d-za’oi an doni monala?

OJO Yours. An-d-za’oi.

NAHARA Thank the moon goddess. Kiminda pa hadi olu.

OJO He plans to have a child. Jano lia pa londri zali.

NAHARA Someday? Tani gaha?

OJO Any day. Tani a’a.

NAHARA Ojo. Can there be joy with what’s to come? Hi Ojo. Ga ios kiu soliri ki kougán?

NAHARA What of this man... Can you help him? Von ni dizu... La ambro si’o tanú lia?

SURVIVORS A prick of pain unsettled debt her cries our retribution... Mora hatisatie velzeza ebaatie denna hoalatie inhava lozezatie...

SURVIVORS ...betrayed her sisters wicked tongue contorted and disfigured. ...denna aanenau kozhovun, diina bel iosa leiraarat.

WITCHES Nothing but base magic. Base magic. Ohnun giova ahninalar. Giova ahninalar.

[dedalvs]

Conlang Dialogue, Episode 110, Emerald City

Here’s the conlang dialogue from the last episode of Emerald City!

NAHARA Roquat. King of Gnomes. Please. Spare us. Hi Rokwat. Zandla pa Munjuru. Hinakú. Hi ruzma tunga.

WITCHES Brave soldier ceased this coward be... Zaagateo tora kopunat zia guopnar...

WITCHES Cast out to roam the brambles and the wildwood... Foró ninash trelatielean velshula auratielean dreulnar...

WITCHES Condemned to fear the creeping waste, affixed in his monstrosity! Uvaló ninash prouvatiena gaarat shennesh, denna diinatielean egoamnar!

[dedalvs]

Conlang Dialogue, Episode 101, Emerald City

There wasn’t a lot of dialogue in the first episode of Emerald City, and some of it got cut. Nevertheless, here’s what it was:

MUNJA’KIN CHILD Come. TRANSLATION Hi ‘in.

MUNJA’KIN MOTHER Get away from her! TRANSLATION Hi ‘in gaha an lia!

SPI Declare yourself! TRANSLATION Hi kijáhao vu an za’oi!

SPI You speak Munja’kin or you don’t speak. TRANSLATION Hio si’o ki hi Munja’kin lanú inju hio monala.

OJO Witch. TRANSLATION Simoa.

JINJUR Mistress of the North? TRANSLATION Moavaian iivurat?

JINJUR Glinda? Do you have any notion? TRANSLATION Glinda? Bairatienio sailia kiusheis?

[dedalvs]

Conlang Dialogue, Episode 106, Emerald City

Get to see a little more Munja’kin here (more coming later!).

WEST ...West. ...North. ...East. ...South. TRANSLATION ...Aazur. ...Iivur. ...Hehur. ...Naanur.

WEST The lock, the key -- a girl, now what’s within... / His mind undone, she’ll creep inside to look / And steal what secrets dark and precious keep. (then) But caution be if bonds break weak and lie / Together they will fall beneath the black / And madness take their feeble hearts’ desire. TRANSLATION Reavatik, toin -- poel, a ru paurlaia ozaias... / Deia aeratik goamauavaarat, dea paurla helaar uonaar / Fana beanruua zhiolat isaareash ruua usheaar. (then) A mioló a raahatikua keovasas afeuzeash akiusheash / Nisha nishoa iolatiela taraar / Hoisatie keova diana laizhatiea zheavat asaaraar.

MUNJA’KIN Halt! TRANSLATION Hi miran!

MUNJA’KIN SCOUT Who are you and what are you doing here? TRANSLATION Hibí si’o lanú pabí niu?

MUNJA’KIN SCOUT Don’t move! TRANSLATION Hinju pagi!

MUNJA’KIN SCOUT Don’t take another step! TRANSLATION Hinju ori papagi ala!

YOUNG BOY Magic! TRANSLATION Vozoku!

NAHARA A song to make a man of loam and shale of minerals, loose pebbles, rock and rise now wake and walk on cantilevered limbs and dance you stones a jig for children's bliss. TRANSLATION Oavasil velhainnash nurlaunur naanlaunur, foila naanionun, miudó ehiishó saidó kuoló mogneu velzezat memó venen naannun mematiena poelnuna zhiloishatienosh.

[dedalvs]

Conlang Dialogue, Episode 105, Emerald City

This is the episode that features that spell by West.

OJO Thank you, Mistress, thank you! TRANSLATION Kiminda, Mistress, kiminda!

WEST I send my call to the North / That the Mistress may hear. Let the distances between us be as nothing / Let me see her face and hear her words. TRANSLATION Iivurloa hea zhonatika he asoraias / Varatieshoa Moavaianat. Inhava aumatie ohsha ozó / Aara vela deaat uonó zhonasilua deaat varó.

[dedalvs]

Hi David! I just wanted to ask if you're going to start on the transcripts of the languages you created for Emerald City anytime soon, or after the show finishes? The latest episode had quite a lot of it.

I’ve been stuck on what to do about this. The Munja’kin dialogue is one thing, but the Witch dialogue is…weird. Like to the point I often didn’t understand what I was translating in English, let alone what it should be in the language I was working with… I’ve been hesitant, but…eh. I guess I’ll let everyone else figure out what they want to do with it.