Languages

Language is the ability to acquire and use complex systems of communication, and a language is any specific example of such a system. The scientific study of language is called linguistics.

Unggoy
Unggoy-native languages are composed of dog-like barks, squeaks, and grunts. Though they are largely unintelligible to most unaugmented humans, translation software is able to decipher the meanings of these. The word "Unggoy" itself is not a word from their vocabulary - rather, it is the Skrumielian name for their species. Unggoy are also fully capable of speaking a variety of human languages, a fact that they take great pride in.

Kig-Yar
Kig-Yar languages seem to consist of a range of hisses, growls, screeches, snarls, and squawks, though many of them are intelligible to other species. The Kig-Yar can speak Alien languages, Though like any foreigner to a language, there is distortion caused by their birdlike bodies. For instance, the Kig-Yar are capable of speaking the English language in a sort rasped and hushed like tone. However, due to the same physical limitations from before, a majority of Kig-Yar are unable to prononouce labiodental fricatives properly.

Huragok
Huragok use two language systems. One is a verbal language, consisting of whistles and chirps, used to convey orders between Huragok and their superiors. The second is a sign language similar to the one used by sapients unable to either hear or speak, using the different shapes and positions of tentacles to convey different meanings. The Huragok sign language can be learned by other species, including Unggoy, though their inferior finger dexterity makes forming the shapes a cumbersome task.

Yanme'e
Yanme'e use systems of chirps, clicks and buzzes to convey information between other members of the hive, rubbing their wings together to produce such sounds, similar to Earth crickets. Translator units are required for other species to understand them.

Lekgolo
Lekgolo communication with other species is problematic at best. Between different Mgalekgolo forms they use resonance that only their own species can hear and understand. For inter-species communications, Mgalekgolo are capable of speaking at least the Skrumielian language.

Jiralhanae
Native Jiralhanae languages are animalistic, incorporating a wide range of sounds from growls and barks, to full-out howls and roars though Jiralhanae also express emotions through scents and musks. Young Jiralhanae have difficulty controlling the release of these scents, but learn how to moderate them as they grow older. A communal howl is often made by the Pack Chieftain as a sign of celebration, and failure to participate in the howl is a serious affront to the chieftain's authority. Jiralhanae are also capable of speaking the Skrumielian language and English.

Skrumielian
Though originating with the Sangheili, the Skrumielian language has come to be the Covenant lingua franca, used to connect the different races and species. It is seemingly based upon the Forerunner language, likely pieced together from fragments recovered on Forerunner relics.

A few words, and their meanings, are known:


 * Wort - Go
 * Kaidon - Clan leader
 * 'Ossoona - Eye of the Prophet
 * Neru Pe 'Odosima - Servants of the Abiding Truth
 * Nishum - Intestinal parasite or tapeworm
 * A'ul - A lump of wood
 * Azuda - Likely means "away", and is preceded with "wort"
 * Quillick - Small hunter

San' Shyuum
A native Prophet language is similar to Medieval Gregorian-style chanting. Whether this a spoken San' Shyuum language, or if it is a special language for religious purposes is unknown. The San' Shyuum are known, however, to use elaborate and/or simple hand movements. Most of the other Covenant races, including the Sangheili, were unaware of this form of communication. One such hand gesture is the rippling of three fingers of one's right hand. This is the gesture of regret, meaning "All things flow away".

Quarian
The quarians have the rare trait of speaking the same language - but their homogenized culture and small population allows it. Their language is known as Khelish. Words from the language listed below are taken from intra-quarian conversation.


 * nedas — nowhere
 * tasi — no-one
 * vas [ship/planet name] — resident of
 * nar [ship/planet name] — child of
 * keelah — "Ancestors"
 * se - "land"
 * -'lai - "hope"
 * se'lai — "hope for land"
 * keelah se'lai — "By the homeworld I hope to see one day." (Literally "I hope for the land of the Ancestors")
 * tob'rami keelah ta - "May you see the mercy of the ancestors"
 * bosh'tet — "bastard"
 * geth — "servant"
 * rannoch — "walled garden"
 * von — "weak bladder"
 * yxe - "the feeling one gets after becoming sufficiently drunk yet not enough to become sick or pass out, and one is in the company of friends who are of roughly equal drunkenness, and one is inspired to do things that one may later regret but which, at some point in the future, one will look back upon with fondness in a sort of 'didn't we have fun?' way."

Quarian names are composed of four parts — the quarian's given name and clan name separated by an apostrophe, the title and the name of their current residence.

On occasion quarians may impose their naming conventions on other races, and In certain formal situations, quarians appear to use both their adult and childhood residence location names.

Krogan
Little is known about the krogan languages except for a few non-translatable terms. Some terms are specific to certain krogan languages, such as "Aralakh", which was taken from the Raiki Language. Known krogan words are listed below.


 * Ëraläx (Raiki, IPA: [erəlax]) - "Eye of Wrath"
 * Qor Bël (Aruskish, IPA: [qor bel]) - roughly, "victory or death"
 * Qxänť (Undrnotese, IPA: [q͡χanθ]) - one's most trusted allies
 * Ruzad (Ghurstish, IPA: [ruzəd]) - "judge"

Krogan names are composed of two parts, a clan name followed by a given name. At birth, krogan are identified by their given name only. A clan name is bestowed after krogan complete the rite of passage of the clan they wish to join.

The Urdnotese language is notable for it's conflict with the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis - it has 37 words for specific types of surrenders and 18 words for specific types of peace, but it's equivalet to the english word "battle" is Axu O Gulgullu, which translates to "Mutual Intentionally-Done Harm", and the equivalet to "war" is a 7-word sentence that translates to "Killing people we don't like".

Equestrian
In preparation for their eventual discovery, the equestrians were conditioned in the equestria simulation's system to speak at least one of the languages prevalent in the galaxy at any one time. Earth English was chosen specifically not only because of equestria's proximity to non-covenant alliance space, but also because Luna became infatuated with human culture and the works of writers like Mark Twain, Isaac Asimov, and William Shakespeare. The English Dialect spoken by equestrians is recognized as Equestrian English (HUM-ENG-EQ). Known equestrian phrases noticeably different for their human counterparts are listed below. Phrases abolished after the liberation are listed in italic.


 * Alicorn - a winged unicorn. used after the liberation as slang term for AGI.
 * Anypony - anyone
 * blank flank - a young equestrian without a cutie mark
 * cowpony - cowboy, cowgirl
 * Everypony - Everyone
 * featherbrain - a term for one that is forgetful
 * Fillies and gentlecolts - Ladies and gentlemen
 * Hay yeah! - Hell yeah!
 * Hayseed - expletive
 * hoof-biting - nail-biting
 * hoofmade - handmade
 * hoof-picked - hand-picked
 * hoof-shaking - hand-shaking
 * hoof-wrestling - arm wrestling
 * hooved-stitched - hand-stitched
 * Hooves - hands or feet
 * Horseapples - expletive
 * It's time to pony up - it's time to man up
 * neigh-sayer - naysayer
 * Nopony - no one
 * pony feathers - expletive
 * scaredy-pony - scaredy-cat
 * shake your hoof-thang - shake your groove thang
 * single-hoofedly - single-handedly
 * Somepony - Someone
 * sure as hay - sure as hell
 * taking matters into your own hooves - taking matters into your own hands
 * Thank Celestia! - Thank goodness!
 * to get your hooves on somebody - to get your hands on somebody
 * What the hay? - What the hell?