#mando’a extended dictionary

[ranahan]

Hi! I skimmed your blog, but couldn't find anything on Mando'a for tattoos and related topics. Are there any words/roots in fanon or extrapolations from canon that you'd use for tattoos and such?

I don’t think I have written anything about tattoos, no! And I didn’t have anything in my dictionary either.

The English word for tattoo is a loan from Samoan tatau, which comes from ‘to tap, to strike,’ from the traditional method of tattooing.

And well, this delves pretty far into speculation and headcanons, but there’s one root in Mando’a that could mean the same thing: *dad. I’ve backformed it from dadita, the mando tapping code. The end -ita seems to be a couple of suffixes smashed together (compare kelita, shokita, akaata, etc), leaving the root *dad-. I first thought it might mean something like ‘tap,’ but then I was delving into dialectal English (mostly Tyneside/Geordie and military and naval slang) to figure out some etymologies, and it appears *dad just might come from Geordie dad, ‘blow.’ In my dialect, I’ve used it as a root meaning “rap, knock, tap.”

So back to tattoos! If you wanted to repeat the Polynesian etymology, then tattoo could be something like dadun, dadan, daduk, dadur, etc.

Or alternatively, you could of course derive it from somewhere else or compound it from some other existing roots. For example, Aay’han Community’s dictionary has bev’salan, which is meant to translate to ‘needle-colouring’ I believe. Umei no Mai has pelga’dan, ‘tattooer,’ from pel’gam, ‘skin,’ demar, ‘to carve,’ and -an (same suffix as in e.g. goran). I might have made these something like besal and degam or dengam or demagam instead, but that’s just a different style of compounding.

[ranahan]

Headcanon accepted! Mixed ancestry makes a lot more sense than essential sensory organs being sexually dimorphic.

However, if you wanted to use the canon explanation, there could be some subtle quirk in foetal development or an incompatibility between Twi’leki and human genomes, that meant that male foetuses with mixed ancestry were more likely to develop ears rather than cones, even if in aggregate both sexes could develop either cones or ears depending on their specific ancestry.

Btw, I’m loaning this into Mando’a in the absence of any native terms. I think terms for alien physiology (features that were not present in the Taung) would be prime candidates for loan words. I have a similar loan-word etymology headcanon for Togruta montrals, but head-tendrils would probably have a native Mando’a word, for example.

I think it would become either chara (pl. charase) or char (pl. chare), depending on whether the -a would be analysed as a (archaic) plural suffix or not—they do become naturally in pairs, after all. It could even become charan (pl. charane), if people usually spoke about them in plural.

Ears Vs Cones

One of the more well-known physiological characteristics of Twi’leks is the presence of their ear cones or tcharan [sing. Tchara] in the place of ears in some members of the species.

According to the official canon, females have cones and males have lobed ears. This makes very little sense to me. Yes, there are sex-linked traits, genetically, that is a thing. But having sensory organs with completely different functions honestly doesn’t seem reasonable to me, partly because of my head-canons on what exactly tcharan do. It’s safe to assume that if the females are in an environment that requires the functions preformed by the tcharan, then so are the males.

Short version of the above, I came up with ideas that I like a lot better than the official “differently shaped ear-things that work exactly the same as human ears.”

So what do tcharan do?

Keep reading

[snaggie-t00th]

HALLO :D

i do apologize that i didn't have a snippet out like i wanted but, compromise, here's the whole damn thing. i also switched some stuff around in ch2 for continuity reasons :3

i got very very busy with prepping for an art faire (if anyone knows where to get cheap high quality prints let a mf know PLSSS) and i was muy busy. but we're back. and echo's a sweet dork.

mando'a translations!

ke'pare - wait/hold on

ge'tal - red

vor'e - thanks

udesii - chill out/its okay

gender neutral pronouns, no y/n usage, only main descriptor im sticking to about the reader is that you're ginger. cus i am. sorry nerds.

-immediately follows the events of the preceding chapter-

You were fighting back a smile. You had no idea that some of the clones knew Mando’a, let alone that the Mandolorian-adoptee turned clone-donor Jango Fett was taught during his short time on your home planet. You wondered if it was something the Kaminoans decided or if they all went about teaching themselves in Jango’s honor. The idea of a bunch of clone soldiers sitting around a Mando’a children’s dictionary makes the smile stitching onto your face that much harder to fight.

“I’m sorry about Tech. He can be, ah, a lot.” Echo grimaced while swiveling around the copilot’s seat, presenting it to you.

You obliged, and sat down. “Oh he’s fine. There’s plenty of topics I could infodump about, just as annoyingly. I just have a bad habit of my thoughts becoming verbal.” You shook your head, soft auburn tresses flicking about. The lights from the cockpit glinted around the natural highlights of your hair, and it didn’t escape Echo’s gaze.

The man cleared his throat. “Still, I appreciate you being so accommodating of my brothers. Nat-borns don’t seem to get it, you know?”

You furrowed your brow and cocked your head slightly to the left, looking him in the eyes. While he didn’t physically shudder, you could see the slight panic pulse in his iris when you met his gaze.

“Where do you think clones get their camaraderie and brotherhood from?”

Echo shrugged. “Kaminoans, I presume?”

You barked a laugh. “Well, yes. Ke’pare, what did they tell you guys about Mandalore?”

“Not much. Jango was around for the first few years, but I rarely saw him. He didn’t seem to hold much emotion for the regs. He seemed to like the higher ups, but I didn’t become an ARC Trooper until I was shipped off that wet rock.” Echo finally slumped into his chair opposing you. As he spoke, he slowly relaxed into his seat, his hinges quietly scraping together as he moved. Once again his amber eyes met yours, a new twinkle seeming to arrive.

“You know more than you let on, ge’tal.” Echo said, narrowing his gaze.

He seemed to be sizing you up. Trying to parse out his next line of questioning. Truthfully, you were better at it than him. While his observation skills have been battle-tested, the ease in which you peppered questions at him showed years of practice he was simply unable to acquire. Outside of the occasional conversation at 79’s or a senator he was required to escort, Echo’s entire social sphere only extends to his brothers. You made him nervous. In a very good way.

You blushed at the newly acquired nickname. “I prefer to call it ‘not showing my full hand’, but I’ll slide a few cards your way since you seem cute.”

The back of Echo’s neck started to bloom a soft red. He rubbed a palm on his knee, mindlessly self soothing. “Seem? What, the gray skin and hollow cheeks not working their magic?” He joked, gesturing to each feature respectively with a pointed index finger.

“You seem to deflect compliments because you can’t believe them, so I was starting small.” You extended your own index finger and poked at his shoulder, annunciating the seem.

The now-scarlet tint of Echo’s neck began to creep towards his face. Eyes darting towards the floor, he opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. He pressed his lips together for a moment. The only thing he got out was a weak “Vor’e.”

“Udesii. I came here, didn’t I?” Your face softened. Echo’s almost immediate vulnerability around you made your knees feel like jelly, and you were sending a silent prayer somewhere that you were both sitting down. “You’re not gonna scare me off, but you can’t immediately go cracking jokes just ‘cus I said you’re handsome.” You continued. Soft, yet firm. You weren’t allowing Echo to talk poorly of himself, even in jest.

Echo nodded, meeting your gaze once more. He looked off for a moment, seemingly in thought, before returning your gaze and asking softly: “How do you always know what to say?”

You let out one quick heh. “Since I found someone to give the words to.” You reply cheekily.

Echo smiled once more and dipped his head. “Walked into that one huh?”

You both smiled, and a comfortable silence began to envelope the two of you. Both of you were looking out on the horizon. The sky was a deep pink and purple haze, stippled with the indigo hues of the impending twilight. Echo was scanning the distance, as if anything alive would be out there, let alone a threat. You were content watching the 2 ½ clouds in the sky move millimeters at a time, but something told you to look at your companion. Gazing at him, your eyes slowly roved up his face. His jaw was set in a defined line, lightly gritted in concentration. His cheeks were hollow, but his cheekbones sat quite prominently, catching the light. This, juxtaposed with his deep set eyes, allowed the light to dance right at the forefront of his face. As if a candle was eye level with him, across the room.

“See anything cool?” You finally speak, hoping Echo didn’t catch you staring.

“Nah, perimeter check. I’m sure all I’ll see is bones and dirt but, old habits die hard.” He replied, not looking away. After a beat, he nodded, and seemingly relaxed the scrutinous gaze he had moments ago.

“Huh. So, what makes your squad different from the other clones, other than haircuts, tattoos, and builds?” You change the subject.

“Being experimental meant the Kaminoans could enhance certain characteristics. Wrecker’s strength, Tech’s smarts, Crosshair’s accuracy, and Hunter’s senses.” Echo spun his chair to face you and threw one leg over the other.

“Huh.” You think for a moment before replying. “So you think Hunter heard us approach?”

Echo nodded. “And I’m willing to bet he’s going to call me a serf for the next 3 rotations.”

You barked out a laugh before realizing his implication. A hand shot over your mouth and your eyes grew wide.

The man laughed. “Just be glad he’s not close enough to hear your heartbeat.”

“What CAN’T he hear?” You said, mildly exasperated. “How do you get any privacy?”

“He’s got noise canceling headphones but that’s mainly for his own sanity. Wrecker got them for him after his snoring kept him up for 3 days in a row.” You laughed at that, and Echo felt a twinge of pride before continuing. “He showed up in the cockpit one morning with his bandana over his nose and Omega had to ask him about his new fashion choices.”

You let out a series of giggles at that, holding your stomach slightly as you lean forward into it. If your eyes weren’t scrunched shut, you would’ve seen Echo’s face bloom in 4 different shades of pink. Every single part of him was committing this to memory. The way your eyes crinkled at the sides. The way your cheeks almost wanted to push your eyes out of their sockets. He never wanted this to end, the sounds of your joy echoing across the hold of the Marauder.

——————

Hours had passed, the sun well below the horizon by this hour. The sky was peppered with numerous constellations and star systems, the names of which always seeming to escape you. The deep blue sea of sky felt more vast than ever in your little perch aboard the Marauder.

You and Echo went back and forth, sharing tidbits from your respective lives up until this point. You learned about the Rishi Moon incident that gave Echo his ARC status, he learned about the Siege that gave way to your arrival here. He told you about the Domino Squad, you told him about your own clan’s untimely demise. Hours of stories shared back and forth, as if you were both once stationed on the same battlefield and then whisked away, only to be brought back together once more after all these years. But there was no mutual history to draw upon this familiarity from. The two of you just fell into a steady rhythm. One that you’d individually practiced and honed for years, like a song that was never intended for a duet, only for the two to sound identical.

“...And that’s where I learned Keldabe Handshakes are applicable as a neutralizing tactic across species.” You finished, explaining the first and only time a Shriek-Hawk has successfully taken you off guard.

“Charming.” A voice hissed, and then a pair of boots dropped to the ground with a soft thunk. “Echo, shouldn't you be putting your toys away? It’s late.” Crosshair slunked into the cockpit, seemingly from the shadows. You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “I must be a pretty expensive toy to trade for speeder brakes.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised you’ve never been with someone and lost track of time, Cross. That does tend to require social skills and, y’know, liking people?” Echo crossed his arms and stared his brother down.

“Well unless they’re taking your bunk, you should tell Tech someone’s joining him in the cockpit tonight. It’s too late to take them back now.” Crosshair seemed to spit the last part of the sentence, annoyed that someone else is in his space and bothering his brothers. While you understood hesitancy, you felt as if he reveled in his current position rather than proceeding with caution.

Echo turned to you and looked into your eyes softly. “It’s up to you.”

“I’m already cramping an already small ship. I can kick it up here with Tech for the night.” You said, smiling. While you very badly wanted to just crawl into Echo’s bunk with him, you weren’t doing that the first day. Plus, you don’t know how Echo feels about his personal space, or his sleeping positions, or if he prefers one side of the b—

“How touching.” Crosshair cut off your thoughts with the remark. He spun on his heel, and disappeared just as quickly as he appeared. Echo sneered at the doorway.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind sleeping up here. Like I said, Tech can be a lot sometimes.” Echo looked back at you, eyes full of worry.

“Tell you what, I’ll come get you if he’s being too much and we can switch, okay?” You compromise, getting the understanding that Echo’s going to worry either way.

“Deal.” Echo said firmly with a nod, and stands up. “For as much of a dick as he is, Crosshair’s right, it is rather late.” You nod and shrug slightly in agreement.

Echo turns to you and leans down. “Try and get some rest.” He gives you a quick peck on the cheek before turning on his heel and borderline speeding out of the room.

When the door shuts automatically, you ghost your hand along your cheek, and an uncontrollable smile breaks across your face.

I think he likes me.

[crispyjenkins]

hi! i am just very confused about one of ur posts with the mandalorians and cultural genocide and was wondering if maybe you can explain more? i thought mandalorian culture was about like family and arts with the colors and stuff? is it really just about war? i know a lot of people headcanon that the clones are mandalorian but now i feel uncomfy about putting a warrior culture on characters played by a maori actor, whose people still struggle with martial race stereotypes today :(

hello!! i am absolutely not an authority on this topic, so i’ve compiled a bunch of posts that explain it better than me, but short answer is: mandalorian culture is not all about war. there is a ton of intention put into mandalorians (specifcially not death watch, who literally fought in the civil war because the true mandalorians were like “maybe stop pillaging and killing people for no reason” and they didn’t want to stop; or the new mandalorians who threw out every god and myth important to the true mandalorians, as well as its language, cultural importance/sacredness of armor, religious customs, etc, because Satine interpreted true mandalorian culture as nothing but war, but that is extremely extremely not the point of the resol’nare or the codex) and how they draw on Māori culture and customs, because temuera morrison played jango fett in the prequels.

your concern is so so valid and absolutely something to keep in mind when interpreting “canon” and “legends canon”, but satine’s take on true mandalorians is inherently false.

links under the cut with a lil explanation for each! (edit: this is long as fuck, i’m so sorry 🥲)

we’ll start with this one which is from star wars insider issue 86, because it covers a lot of the basics of how eu and legends wrote mandalorians. HOWEVER, also keep in mind this groundwork was all laid by karen traviss who is a racist, sexist, classist, homophobic dirtbag, like i don’t even know where to begin with her, but her early work for jango fett in the republic commando novels is still important to understanding mandalorian culture in current continuities. (i also believe this issue was from before clone wars began airing)

this one goes more in depth than the post i recently reblogged which i think you’re referring to, about the imperialism of the new mandalorians and their cultural genocide of true mandalorians more or less based on satine kryze’s experience with death watch, a splinter cult off of the true mandalorians (i’m using cult intentionally here, btw) who literally just didn’t want their murdering and stealing to be regulated.

this post is about mental illness in true mandalorian society, which is intrinsically tied to the root of true mandalorian and early mandalorian religion and daily culture, and the concept of fighting stagnation and destruction/war against the things that are choking you and stopping self growth, it’s not about conquering people or planets, it’s about bettering oneself constantly, based on the mandalorian creation myth ( @izzyovercoffee goes more in depth with this in the post). death watch, and many fans, interpret this ideology as the right to violence and the destruction for destruction’s sake, which isn’t what it’s about at all.

alright this one is directly related to the concepts of the last one, and surmises a lot of the points, and is maybe the easiest post in my list for a quick understanding of mandalorian philosophy?

here’s a shorter post that gives a little more insight/reiterates new vs true mandalorian ideology, because lord knows my autism brain likes more than one way of explaining something.

this one is an interpretation of canon and new mandalorian imperialism, which is technically headcanon, but boy howdy does canon not disagree with it, and forms the basis of my own interpretation of mandalorians as a whole

here’s a cool post going into the language mando’a and how it cannot be separated from culture, which i think is incredibly important to keep in mind when looking at new mandalorians and how they don’t use mando’a.

more explanation and interpretation of new manadlorians and their portrayal in the clone wars, and why it’s important against all the canon content we got before clone wars aired

this one is from before boba’s return to “canon” material in season two of the mandalorian where he and jango were reconfirmed as mandalorians, but is still super, super, super important in relation to mandalorian diaspora, and the way writers cannot separate mandalorians from their roots in māori culture, when it was created because temuera morrison played jango fett and his clones. also goes into how important “family without blood” is as the basis of mandalorian family and cultural structure, which explains a lot about the show the mandalorian!

this one’s just a cool take on the parallels between mandalorians and jedi, who are also rather disgustingly misinterpreted by fans (interestingly as the opposite, as complacent and too bureaucratic vs the violent and imperialist take most have on mandalorians).

here’s a post going into how din djarin’s tribe/sect in the mandalorian tv isn’t a cult, and how that relates to bo-katan kryze, her position with death watch, and her connection to the new mandalorians because of it.

okie the next few are about how māori customs, things of cultural significance, etc are intentional in the portrayal of (true) mandalorians

this one is about the keldabe kiss or the kov’nyn, forehead-kiss, headbutt 

this one is a video of boba fighting set to te reo māori thrash metal, and a short explanation of the importance of the battle its about, which i think is important in remembering that while the māori people today do suffer from awful marital stereotyping, you cannot divorce them from their own form of warrior culture without erasing that history or importance; there isn’t anything inherently wrong in warrior cultures, just how white people interpreted and appropriated it.

THIS ONE I LOVE and is mr morrison himself bringing the traditional māori dance the haka into boba’s fighting style in the mandalorian tv, as well as the use of māori-style weapons 

which also relates to this post by @catboydindjarin

and sums up my feelings on associating mandalorians and the māori people, how important jango and boba fett have been to people like temuera morrison and daniel logan (who played lil boba in atoc) and bodie taylor (who played the mid-20s clones). as a white person, it’s incredibly important for me to remember the stereotyping and violence still being done to indigenous and first nations people, and to be aware of and respectful of how i use and take pieces of the those cultures in anything, but especially fictional aliens. but to pretend forms of battle, pretend weapons and songs and philosophies that do involve violence were not and are not still culturally important to those peoples is erasure, and is what satine kryze chose to do when faced with a completely different people’s violence.  to separate (true) mandalorians from the māori people is to erase them from the narrative completely.

so!! on a lighter note, here’s a post with bodie taylor and captain typho’s actor jay laga’aia performing haka with mr morrison during an aotc press event

here’s an excerpt from one of the repcom novels about jango being a Dad and how important children are to the true mandalorians 

it won’t let me upload gifs at the moment so here’s a post of several delightful gifs of mr morrison on set for aotc with a rainbow umbrella

here’s one that touches on the importance of armor color as you mentioned in your ask

this wonderfully funny textpost from @letitrainathousandflames that illustrates more of the mandalorian parental instinct (which is shown time and again in extended/legends canon to be more important than “war” or battle)

here’s some highlights from the eu about boba reconnecting with his mandalorian heritage after jango’s death

this one is a short post by @jester-mereel about what jango chooses to be jaster’s legacy, which is vital because jaster mereel the one who created the super commando codex and the true mandalorians, is the one who looked at how people like tor vizsla were using their heritage and thought “we can do and be better than this”

here’s the wookieepedia article on jaster mereel (all wookieepedia stuff should be taken with a grain of salt, of course, especially in regards to the jedi order but that’s another matter)

here’s the wookieepedia article on the supercommandos, which is what earlier material referred to the true mandalorians as, basically the commandos that followed jaster and the supercommando codex

here’s the one on the codex if you want to jump to that specifically

this is an actual copy of the basics of the codex as well as the resol’nare or six tenants, which existed far before jaster, but what jaster used as the ethical basis of the codex (the site is written from the point of view of a supercommando, just a heads up if that’s confusing)

here’s the wookiee article on death watch, i trust you to keep an open mind and don’t take anything said by the vizslas or bo-katan at face value, because, again, they splintered from the supercommandos because they wanted to keep stealing and killing people just because, and used the “savage warrior past” of mandalorians to excuse it

here’s the mando’a dictionary that’s most accessible, also remembering that translations are interpretations (specifically the discourse about “k’atini” comes to mind) and is constantly being revised

and then some of my favorite excerpts from it, in relation to what mandalorians actually find important:

“Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad” | adoption vow - lit. “I know your name as my child.” (meaning adoption is no less important than blood heritage, and in some interpretations is actually more important)

mandokar | the *right stuff*, the epitome of Mando virtue - a blend of aggression, tenacity, loyalty and a lust for life (and aggression does not always mean violence)

“Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la.” | “Nobody cares who your father was, only the father you'll be.” (Lit: Bloodline is not important, but you as a father are the most valuable thing.) Mando saying emphasising the importance of a father's role, and that a man is judged more by that than his lineage. (this dictionary chooses to gender things unnecessarily, when words like “buir” are gender neutral, but you get the gist: parenthood is very important to mandalorians, which is of course the entire basis for the mandalorian tv plot) 

demagolka | someone who commits atrocties, a real-life monster, a war criminal - from the notorious Mandalorian scientist of the Old Republic, Demagol, known for his experiments on children, and a figure of hate and dread in the Mando psyche (again, children being more important than violence)

bajur | education, the raising and nurturing of children - a wider meaning than just school work, includes preparation for life and survival Aliit ori'shya tal'din | Family is more than blood.

shereshoy | lust for life and much more - uniquely Mandalorian word, meaning the enjoyment of each day and the determination to seek and grab every possible experience, as well as surviving to see the next day - hanging onto life and relishing it. An understandable state of mind/ emotion for a warrior people. Closely related to the words for live, hunt and stay safe - and, of course *oya*. All from the same root.

and since you mentioned color, this post is so feckin cool as it talks about white =/= purity, and goes into quite a bit about the “destruction” in mandalorian culture being about the rebirth, not the violence

and then here’s a few links to content in the mandalorian tv

“the poc experience of keeping ur mouth shut bc ur too tired to argue w/ a white person“ about boba downplaying his mandalorian-ness to bo-katan, a known violent xenophobe 

more on din’s sect the children of the watch not being a cult vs death watch

some cool thoughts on the differences in how boba and bo-katan interacted with din during season 2 which i think is important in terms of illustrating the differences between death watch and true mandalorians, again

a cool dialogue on din and removing his helmet in season 2 and his religious/cultural views in relation to being mandalorian

i spent like three hours on this and i definitely only meant to give you like. five links. but uhhh i hope this helps!! feel free to shoot me further questions, but just keeping in mind i am not māori and cannot speak to the māori experience in fandom or in regards to jango fett and the clones.

i hope you’re safe and well!! 🌻

[mandalorianbrainweasel]

So I’m dicking around with a concept of basically the Canon (or my perception of it) Galaxy of GFFA and an AU Galaxy where the divergent point was roughly a thousand years before the Clone Wars get shoved together so basically double planets and the Mandalorian Empire of AU Galaxy and the AU Republic and Jedi Order are allies in a current war with the Sith Empire (am I dicking around with that concept too? yes) and my AU Mand’alor is meeting Jango Fett because Reasons and this exchange happens. Long post so under the cut.

Tagging @izzyovercoffee​ because of Mando’a bullshit I did.

Then, the Mand’alor moves to the Mando’ad in silver and blue and extends their arm. “Mand’alor Te Gotabor.”

The Mando’ad moves to clasp their forearm, only to be interrupted by the feral grins of his compatriots.

“Really?” he asks them, looking exhausted by them as they continue to grin. “Fine.” He turns back to the Mand’alor and grasps their forearm. “Mand’alor Te Haat’la, ruyot’ad Te Vercopaca.”

Basically, I’m further dicking around with language and titles. Titles, in this case, is me going “hey what if like the Moghul Empire the ruler takes a name symbolizing their goal as a ruler when they come to power” and making that their political name most of the time, like Naboo and Queen Amidala (yes there is dicking around about Naboo too. TWO characters have doubles in the AU Galaxy, one of them is Palpatine and one of them is Yoda and both have wildly different backgrounds tho Palps is still a Sith).

BUT LANGUAGE

I had an idea of what I wanted AU Mand’alor’s name to be. Translated to English/Basic, it’s “The Builder” but I felt “The Engineer” as a direct translation probably fits considering Te Gotabor is known for building fantastical fortress cities and the largest army in the galaxy (either one tbh). 

So I turned to Jango and went “what would his have been?”

I actually decided to do Jaster Mereel’s first! Because Jango came after “The Reformer” so that would probably have some effects on him and his government.

I chose to do “Te Vercopaca” which is (again) me dicking around. I took Vercopa, which is “wish; dream” and squished in the “kar” of “mandokar” which refers to a person who is Mando, who has the Right Stuff (mandokarla is the adjective form). Basically, this was me trying to make a good “The Reformer” title. I’m still not *happy* with it but yk.

[By the by, when Jango says “ruyot’ad” he’s referring to being in a lineage of Mandalor’e. Very formal way of saying he’s Mand’alor and the son of the previous/a previous Mand’alor. Exact translation is “past child” tho.]

So, what would Jango have done?

I also based both his and Te Gotabor’s titles off of their personal perceptions of themselves. Te Gotabor was raised by gorane, smiths. Jango is from a family of farmers. I thought about giving Jango a title related to that but there wasn’t a lot of great words already available. So, considering my idea of him tending to Jaster’s ideals but not making any big changes himself I decided that English/Basic translation is “The Steady.”

Best synonym we’ve got in the dictionary? The True. So, I decided to get “steady” or “traditional (kind of)” I’d go “Haat’la”. Why make it an adjective instead of a class of sentient like Te Gotabor and Jaster? Because he’s not “truth” he’s “true”. 

And thus, Mand’alor Te Haat’la.

Really, this is mainly me just dicking around. But I wanted to show people my thought process!!

[ranahan]

Kar’taylir tor bal nu davaabir bic, dushne ehut.

Lit. “To know justice and to not carry it out, [is] the worst cowardice.”

Tbh the word ehut here carries both the senses of cowardice and despicability. It’s literally “Hutt-ness,” i.e. letting others suffer for your benefit and fight your battles and bear the risk, therefore cowardly and despicable. Mandalorians despise Hutts because they let others fight their (real and metaphorical) battles for them.

“To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice.”

— Confucius, Analects

[ranahan]

hukan (n.): cloak, cape, poncho

Roughly equivalent construction to English “coverall”, or “one which can cover all”. So any garment that achieves that effect.

[systlin]

I've never been a huge Star Wars fan, but all your recent posting about Mandolorian(?) Stuff and extended EU *stuff* has gotten me really interested. Do you have any recommendations for beginner reading for the EU, focusing on the Mando'a(?) ((Also you're one of my favorite blogs and helped the resurgence of my SCA habits, and now I have an etsy store for jewelry and am in the process of patterning out and hand sewing Landsknecht garb...)

@mandowords is a blog full of mando words and a few videos teaching the language

http://mandoa.org/ has a mando’a/english dictionary

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWI5exrT3rg_HfuGS3OXNkQ videos going over mando’a pronunciation and words

For beginner reading in the EU, I’d personally start at Shadows of the Empire, set between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Then Truce at Bakura, which takes place immediately after Return of the Jedi. Then go for the Thrawn trilogy, the Rogue Squadron books, and whatever else looks interesting. 

[ranahan]

Random headcanon:

I see fics where mando characters (like Jango) denigrate the tea of other characters (like Jaster, or Obi-Wan) as “leaf water”. But like… shig is *the* drink in Mandalorian culture. Yeah, people drink caf, but it’s still the secondary option.

Tea is served anywhere and everywhere. Business deal? Negotiation? Getting to know someone? Welcoming guests? Tea.

Coffee may also be served, but it may be an afterthought and of a considerably worse quality than the tea (the equivalent of stale bagged tea next to the coffee service)

Coffee is called ne’tra behot or ne’tra shig. Actually, most non-alcoholic fancy drinks are called something-shig, because it’s just that ubiquitous it’s almost a synonym for a drink.

In Mando’a, it’s a shig’ud, not coffee break, and shig’yaim, not café.

tldr: Calling shig “leaf water” would be the equivalent of calling coffee “bean juice” in English—it makes the character calling it that seem eccentric more than the character drinking it. Or else marks them out as someone who grew outside of the Mandalorian space where caf is more common than shig.

[ranahan]

More thoughts:

I’ve seen jua’vod (from juaan) suggested as a term for cousin (originally coined by Batsutousai, I believe). But try saying that quickly a couple of times: it would pretty quickly corrupt into ja’vod. Which I rather like—it looks superficially like “good-sibling,” even if the etymology is actually different.

So your cross-clan relatives could be called:

Cousins (regardless of how far removed or the exact relation—think “clan person of same generation”) would be either vod or ja’vod, depending on how familiar you want to be. I’m thinking ja’vod is more like “there’s a clan-relation there but I don’t know them personally” kind of a connotation. (Ja’)vod’ika is of course also an option for younger cousins.

Aunts and uncles (or clansmen a generation older than you) would be ba’ja’vod (I just didn’t like how ja’ba’vod sounded like :P) or ba’vodu, depending on familiarity.

But people of your grandparents generation would typically merit either ba’buir or another honorific. Elders are respected, after all.

Clan and kinship are important in Mandalorian culture. So I think it would be very common to (invite people to) use familiar terms even for distant relations. I’m thinking the more distant terms are very polite (it wouldn’t be rude to use them), but it’s that politeness itself that creates a distance. So they can be more loaded terms than the English equivalents.

Or use just the canon terms. It’s a working system without any additions.

i keep trying to phrase a post as like a helpful tip for people who like worldbuilding but. i have to be honest with myself. it is not a helpful tip because no one asked for it. i just want to rant about kinship terminologies.

[ranahan]

There’s nothing wrong with the existing Fando’a words for a book. None of them compel me though. Here’s a thought that just came to me:

taylaar, lit. “hold a song” or “song-holder”

Could literally be translated just as “a holder” or “a preserver” too.

Since Mando’a is supposed to be mainly an oral language and histories are encoded in songs. So a “song holder” would be a history book (or a genealogy—one of the first kind of things written down to be preserved), which would eventually come to mean a book of any kind.

[ranahan]

Eventually I’m gonna get this thing edited and eventually it might even have a search function…

[ranahan]

prudii bal rang

Lit. shadow and ash

The meaning is "(not even) (with) the help of gods". From the epic Dha Werda Verda that recounts the battle between the Taung and Battalions of Zhell, where a massive volcanic eruption turned the Taung's last stand into a victory and was consequently seen as a (sign of) help from gods.

Prudii bal rang! For heaven's sake! Ti prudii bal rang. Gods willing (lit. with shadow and ash, figuratively “with help from the gods”). With a lot of luck. Ne ti prudii bal rang. Not a snowball's chance in hell (lit. not with shadow and ash, figuratively “not even with the help of the gods”).

[ranahan]

The compound kad+gam would probably result in > kagam and cab+gam > cagam. Mando’a doesn’t do stop+stop combinations, and tends to elide the first stop of such combinations even across syllable borders. It might even become ga’gam: as k and g share the same place of articulation and only differ in voicing, it would be easy for the voicing to “spread” to the initial stop as well. It might then become reanalysed (or folk-etymologised) as a reduplication of gam (which would also be gagam). Or even go’gam, as Mando’a also tends to dissimilate two consequential back vowels, and go’gam could be analysed as “artificial/man-made skin” which would also be an acceptable construction.

Kal-gam could become > kalgam (liquid + stop combinations are common), or it could also merge together with kagam.

Here are a couple more possible words for sheath:

hukad (n.): sword sheath; any large sheath (for things that are approximately sword-sized or larger, also used for smaller double-edged blades like daggers)

hukal (n.): knife sheath; any smallish sheath (for things that are approximately knife-sized or smaller, sometimes used for larger single-edged blades like axes as well); needle cap

Both are formed from hukaatir, ‘to cover’ + the thing being covered. See this agent nouns in Mando’a post for a discussion about why I think this is a valid construction.

Reading through all of your stuff about mando'a and toxic masculinity etc...has it ever bothered you that the word for sheath is an awful lot like the word for woman? Cause that bothers me. Idk if I'm reading too much into it or if it's because I'm used to looking for subconscious sexism stuff in languages.

Oh yes, lmao … this has bothered me for a very, very long time. It’s very … well, it’s very offensive. There isn’t any which-way about it, and it’s not subtle whatsoever. I actually find it fairly upsetting, in the way that once you actually see misogyny for what it is, it’s impossible to then return to being blind to it.

So, I’m gonna do what I do best, and come up with an alternative word first, and then break down why that word in the mando’a dictionary is a shitty fucking word and just an overall shitty thing to do that has no context and no basis in the language, and why it has no place in mando’a. 

Mostly because I intend to put the breakdown on why the word sheath, derived from the word for woman, is fucked up beneath a cut in the event people don’t want to be accidentally triggered—the fact is there are a lot of uncomfortable to violently misogynistic implications in that vocabulary decision, and while I don’t want to mince words, I also don’t want to accidentally harm anyone who’s just looking to have the alternative word.

So … Let’s find other words for sheath.

kad’gam / kal’gam / kald’gam — sword sheath / knife sheath / blade sheath

From the words for sword, blade, a smush of sword and blade bc I liked how it sounded (very scientific), and from ‘gam, a suffix used to indicate skin or a physical cover. ‘gam is not so much a word that exists on its own but rather a modifier, and its uses in beskar’gam, armor (lit. mandalorian iron skin), and pel’gam, (lit. soft yielding skin), we can infer what ‘gam is meant to indicate.

Another word for sheath:

cab’gam — protective skin

So … do we need multiple words for sheath? Actually, yes. I’d even go so far as to suggest it’s weird to only have the one.

First of all, mando’a has multiple words for blades. There are specific words that refer to very specific blades. Knives and swords are differentiated. Sheath, just as a word, should not have a one-size-fits-all term when mandalorians are very specific when it comes to the type of weapon they’re using to do battle,

Departing from the weapon terminology, mandalorians also have many words for stab. It’s to the point that it’s joked they have 80 words that are just variations of stab and the act of stabbing, of inserting a blade into a person with intent to do bodily harm.

Stabbing, to mandalorians, is a nuanced thing. It requires many different words for specificity.

Again, wrt the development of words, usually one or two is enough. To have more than that? Means that mandalorians, as a community, view nuance with weapons, and the act done with that weapon, as necessary.

So, again, because of the above … there should not be only one word for sheath. It just doesn’t fit, pardon the pun, because just as there are many different types of blades … there are also different types of sheaths. It does not do to have a requirement of specificity for the weapon, and the different ways in which to fully utilize that weapon, and then not also be specific for the protective cover of that weapon.

The logic just doesn’t follow.

And now … my breakdown on why the word for sheath, derived from the word for woman, is misogynistic, transmisogynistic, heterosexist, and homophobic all in one piss poor conlang decision.

I want to say … strong warnings for: transphobia, misogyny, cissexism, homophobia, mentions of assault, victim blaming

And yeah, I know. “All those warnings for one word?” 

Yes, unfortunately. This is one of those moments where on first glance, you might know something is wrong but not how wrong, and why it’s wrong. I am going to try to explain the why alongside the how clearly, and to do that is going to touch on a lot of topics and references that are or can be upsetting.

I also just want to say when I say “you” I’m referring to a general you, and not you, the anon, specifically. In case that gets confusing. Sorry lol.

All right, here we go.

Keep reading

[ranahan]

Dral’Han & derived words

I think Mando’a should have a whole bunch of words indirectly or directly derived from Dral’Han aka the Mandalorian Excision, and I finally got around to making some.

Ahan (n): desolation, waste, wasteland, desert

I’m really leaning on the “desolate, lifeless” sense here, not just some place that receives less rainfall. Ahane is applicable to any lifeless place, whether that’s a hot desert like Tatooine, a cold desert like Antarctica, lava flats like Mustafar, or a man-made hellhole like Melida/Daan. Very much the same energy as “wastes” in English. I’m thinking Mando’a has another word for “wilderness” or “arid landscape” as well, that leans more on the drought and less on the annihilation.

Construction is equivalent to viin ‘run’ > iviin ‘speed’ or vaar ‘early’ > evaar ‘new’. Should possibly be ehan(?), but I didn’t like the sound, so.

Ahanyc (a): desolate, barren, wasted, deserted, empty, lifeless

Ahane (n): lit. wastes, barrens, deserts. A collective term for the Mandalorian deserts formed by the Dral’Han.

Hane (n): wastes, barrens, deserts; a common part of place names on Mandalorian worlds affected by Dral'Han (e.g. Sundar’hane, the Sundari Desert aka the Sundari Wastes)

A more casual/contracted version of ahan/ahane that could be extended to mean other kinds of deserts as well.

Ahan’choruk (n): lit. desolation rock. Metamorphic rock formed by the heat and pressure of the bombs of the Dral’Han; a general term for impactites formed by bombs instead of natural processes.

Hanil (n): 1. An amulet, carving, or other item made from the glass formed in the Dral’Han. Sometimes left in their natural, irregular shapes, sometimes worked into shapes of extinct Mandalorian plants and animals, sometimes carved with inscriptions. Botanicals are common motifs due to the green colours of the material. Specimens that incorporate pieces of pre-Dral’Han material are especially valuable. Hanile are symbols of remembrance, defiance, and rebirth for some and pursuit of peace for others. Sundari had a famous large mosaic made from desert glass, in a style preceding Mandalorian cubism.; 2. a sigil in the shape of a hanil, typically in a jade-green color and shaped like an extinct plant or an animal, often a flower or a leaf.

Inspired by Māori pounamu and jade carvings of various other cultures.

N.B. trinitite is radioactive, although the radioactive particles decay quite fast. After a couple of centuries, it should have been safe. Trinitite from the Purge of Mandalore during the Galactic Emprie however, would still be somewhat radioactive at the time of The Mandalorian/Book of Boba Fett—not terribly dangerous, but not exactly something you would want to make jewellery from.

And then there should also be a name for the stone that hanile are made from, i.e. basically a Mando’a word for trinitite, but it’s not quite congealing right now. Bedral, behan, hanab (be + han), tehan (teh + han)? I would have made it dralurok, but I already had that down as “diamond”. Basically I’d like there to be a general term for the subclass of metamorphic rocks formed by nuclear weapons (which I imagine are many and varied depending on where the bombs dropped), and a more compact “trade term” for the specific kind which makes pretty trinkets like hanile.

? (n): trinitite formed in the Dral'han, aka Mandalorian desert glass, aka Mandalorian jade (called so after its greenish colours)

[ranahan]

Planet Mandalore, after being glassed by thermonuclear weapons. Here’s a closeup:

So that’s similar to real-life Trinitite (glass formed by the heat and pressure of atomic bombs), like this:

Image by Shaddack

Now that’s from the Great Purge of Mandalore, but Mandalore has been devastated by or orbital bombardment before in the Dral’Han and I think we can assume it looked similar, if less complete.

The fandom-assigned color meaning is light green for lust for peace. The peace movement on Mandalore rose in response to the Dral’Han. What’s the chance they picked that color to symbolise the devastation that war had brought to Mandalore?

Maybe I’m slow and this is obvious, but I just blew my mind by realising it. Not sure if teal for healing is related or not.

Mando’a word for light green wouldn’t be something like “spring green” or “jade green” but something like “desolation green.” Ahan’vorpan, maybe.