Language

[erotavlas]

So it looked like the headline of the newspaper they found read 'ATAK!"
Looks like a polish word. Do you think this is mangled english -- like if they strtd drwpng letrs to srtn wrds lyk ths fr nstnc?
Or did the decendants from Novus incorporate other languages into their society?

[s09119]

So it looked like the headline of the newspaper they found read 'ATAK!"
Looks like a polish word. Do you think this is mangled english -- like if they strtd drwpng letrs to srtn wrds lyk ths fr nstnc?
Or did the decendants from Novus incorporate other languages into their society?

I noticed that, too. Thought it was a very cool way to address the language issue; short, not in your face, and gets the point across.

[Keeper]

whatever exactly it is, it's not simple english with missing letters: the civilian guy reading the paper said 'i'm starting to get the gist of this.'

a couple of dropped letters is easy enough to interpret, considering we know the entire civilian crew is supposed to be very intelligent - the two least qualified civilians are eli and chloe, and chloe has a degree. eli is a dropout, but smart; everyone else has years of experience and brains.

[Pond Hopper]

I've been thinking on this too.

The descendants of the destiny crew probably only know English because of the kino recordings, if those weren't around (like in real life 2,000 years ago) they would have lost English as it evolved into another spoken/written language, but since they do have Eli's kino recordings they all know how English sounds but not how it's written (properly at least).

In short, their basis for English is from the Kino recordings and it's written form on Novus is simply broken English.

[escyos]

Atak, Bukkeeping, Tymes, Elektronics.....yea id say the language was a little simplified (maybe only on that colony though)

[droid327]

The store was a "markit" as well

I didnt get that it was supposed to be broken English, or simplified or whatever, but rather just a dialect that evolved after 2000 years. Language is always a fluid thing. Really, if you think about it, its remarkable language preservation that its still recognizeable English at all.

Just think about trying to read English from 600 years ago, let alone 2000....

[escyos]

The store was a "markit" as well

I didnt get that it was supposed to be broken English, or simplified or whatever, but rather just a dialect that evolved after 2000 years. Language is always a fluid thing. Really, if you think about it, its remarkable language preservation that its still recognizeable English at all.

Just think about trying to read English from 600 years ago, let alone 2000....

Something tells me that English would have been well preserved.

[Phenom]

To be brutally honest, the quality of the spelling on GW gives some indication as to what would happen to the English language if a group of humans ever started a colony somewhere.

I am shocked the paper didn't just have a big across the banner rather than real words, such is the way things are going these days. Bloody kids.

[Trinary]

I ting dey go fo de sauns rader dan de sot fom wods.

Spoiler:

I think they go for the sounds rather than the short form words.

[Lahela]

To be brutally honest, the quality of the spelling on GW gives some indication as to what would happen to the English language if a group of humans ever started a colony somewhere.

I am shocked the paper didn't just have a big across the banner rather than real words, such is the way things are going these days. Bloody kids.

Everybody dancin'

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

It's the evolution of English over 2000 years. I'm shocked they can read it. Anyone tried to understand Old English from the text without translation?

[thekillman]

it's possible to read old english. i can do it without text and without much training, it just takes logic and a language skill i posses.

it is likely that the Novans evolved a more phonetic or literal form of english grammar.

attack is, with the least amount of letters to form the same word, most simplified as "atak" since the extra T and the C don't REALLY add much.

similar with markit, and Tymes.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

killman,

Do you read the Old English phonetically to assist in understanding. I can't read it. Middle English is tough for me too.

[Lahela]

Reading Old or Middle English is a combination of phonetics and a basic understanding of the lettering system. As an EFL teacher, I can assure you that they are actually far easier for a native speaker of English to decipher than the writing system of modern English is for someone who speaks the language but has had no exposure to the spelling.

As a linguist, I can't express how much I love that the people responsible "evolved" written English in the way they did in this ep. It actually conforms to several of the suggestions made by various spelling reformists ("i" for the schwa, "y" for /aI/, getting rid of double letters, loss of "c" before "k"...).

Language geek heaven

[Commander Zelix]

It was a very nice touch and acknowledgment of writers to include some small english language differences. Since it should change at least a little bit with time in such situation. But now, with the spread of intercommunication (tv, internet, radio) between people, I'm not sure how fast english will change in the future. The influence of the "standard" form is much stronger now than in the past where english people were somewhat isolated communities.