[There has been some recent interest in my very old, very outdated Matoran Dictionary as of late; due, I think, to the discussions in this very interesting topic. Well, interest breeds motivation, and I've worked up the motivation to work out some significant revisions to the Dictionary, bringing it up-to-date with my most recent conceptions of Matoran etymology, as discussed at length in the "Meaningless Names" series. So enjoy this "Second Edition", if you will.] [update 8/6: It is fi
Looks like we've reached the end of this three-installment series. Next MN, I'll have to find something else to talk about. Anyways, this final entry focuses on the words in Group 3, as quoted from MN#4: 3) artakha, artidax, teridax, tren krom, pridak, jaller Group 3: The distinguishing factor for words in Group 3 is simply the presence of the particle ār in some form or another, making Group 3 the least restrictive of Groups 1-3. Any members of the preceding groups could also be included,
This (rather brief) entry focuses on the words in Group 2, as quoted from the start of the previous entry: 2) barraki, brakas, brutaka, brander Group 2: All of the words in Group 2 exhibit an element bar-, b(e)ra-, or some variation thereof. These variants all derive from an ancient compound consisting of the stem kae and the particle ār: kae-ār. barraki, n.cmpd. “warlord, military leader” barra, n. “war, conflict; instability, imbalance, chaos” aki, n. “leader, lord” [from aka “power
Alright, after that brief interlude, we’re back on schedule. This is going to be a semi-regular series, posted on Monday or Tuesday, as possible. I’ve abbreviated “Meaningless Names” to “MN”, since I originally wanted to call it “Matoran Notes”. Best of both worlds, this way. =P Before jumping into the discussion, I’ll start with a brief plan for this entry and the next two entries: Three groups of words, some (seemingly) related, some (seemingly) unrelated. Ultimately, it will be seen that th
After four relatively large entries crammed with information on the Matoran language, it strikes me that I still have enough of this stuff to go on for quite a long time. It’s exhausting (yet somehow rewarding) to put these things together, and I hope someone out there derives as much enjoyment from the topic of Matoran linguistics as I have. With this in mind, I’m considering making this an actual regular thing, possibly weekly or twice-weekly, with smaller, more focused amounts of informatio
Just a short one today. This entry, we’ll take an even further detour into the etymological origins of Vahki (and associated designations). Somewhat ironic, this being Tax Day. >> Vahki, n.cmpd. “law-keeper; lit. measurer-of-limits” [variant forms vah’ki, vahiki, fanhiki] fa(n), stm. “limit, restriction, range, field; also roof, ceiling, sky” [probably derived from the elemental prefix fa “magnetism; magnetic (field)”; spelling variant pha(n)] hiki, n. “piece/part/portion of (something
This entry, we’ll take a detour into the etymological origins of Bohrok (and associated designations): Bohrok, n.cmpd. “awaiting-commands, vigilant-for-commands; also vigilantly awaiting/following words” boh, stm. “vigilance, watchfulness; awaiting, on-standby, ready-to-respond” oro, n. “word” -ak, p. “intensive particle” orok, n. “order, command; lit. intensive-word” [from oro-ak, oro “word” and -ak “intensive particle”] The deciphering of Bohrok is somewhat difficult, as it was not origi
The streak continues, but this time with an examination of the meanings and etymologies of various other heretofore un-translated Bionicle names (i.e. not just Kanohi mask-names, although there are a few here and there). I started compiling this, and I came to the conclusion that there’s far too much here to digest in a single entry, so I’ve split it into multiple digestable entries. For now, we’ll begin with those infamous sons of shadow, the Rahkshi: Rahkshi, n.cmpd. “wild/untamable offspr
What do you know: looks like I’m still on a Matoran Language streak these days, despite another interstate relocation (back to my natural habitat in the dry-bare-sandy southwest US...it’s good to be home). This time though, I’m taking a break from those pretentious Lessons in order to play around with a tangent on nameless Kanohi masks, i.e. official (and some unofficial) Kanohi masks that never received official (or unofficial) Matoran names. With a universe as sprawling as that of Bionicle, y
LEARNING MATORAN - LESSON 8 - I. Objective Particles: You have already encountered the subject, basic objective, and possessive particles in previous lessons, but there are many particles that remain to be discussed. The particles discussed in this lesson can also be classified as objective particles, but, in contrast to the basic objective particle, they provide information on the spatial and temporal positioning of a noun, as well as on nature of the action denoted by the verb. Six pa
LEARNING MATORAN - LESSON 7 - We’re back! Might as well jump right in. This lesson, we’ll be looking at some aspects of the paradigms for nouns and pronouns. It's fun! I promise. I. Nouns and Pronouns: Overview. As you may have guessed, nouns in Matoran are a bit different from typical English nouns. Just like verbs, they are generally made up of a stem and they may take a variety of particles expressing different relationships between the noun and other elements (verbs, other nouns, etc
LEARNING MATORAN - LESSON 6 - Well, it’s been a long time. Time makes for changes. Change is scary. But after a long hiatus, I’ve worked up the motivation to post another installment of this project. Recently, I have actually been surprised to see some interest in the continuation of this endeavor, and for that I am grateful. I’m afraid the changes to this conception of the Matoran Language have been significant--enough so that some of the previous lessons are now a bit outdated. This i
WttV Entry 1.4 “Remember, creature.” “Perhaps then you will learn to listen...” The Hau faded into the starlight as Takanuva moved away, its eyes glittering with a knowing look as it flickered and vanished. The wind began to moan again as Takanuva jogged off down the ruined track of the road. His focus was now turned to a new duty—a new goal. He was running out of time. He felt the urgency of his plight keenly now. He would have to finish this task quickly if he was to continue. Befo
WttV Entry 1.3 It was a hau. It was a Hau. A Kanohi Hau was hanging in the night air before him, huge and spectral. A Hau made of light. The stars seemed to glimmer through its face, through its two huge eyes. They were deep eyes, ancient and tranquil. The pattern of the stars found an order in those eyes. “Wh-who are you?” Takanuva asked, finally finding his voice. His eyes were wide, almost disbelieving the image that hung before him. The shock of seeing such a familiar likeness in
WttV Entry 1.2: An hour went by. The gravel of the forest floor crunched under his armored feet. The stars shone down, unblinking. Takanuva was beginning to feel restless. Striding on through the endless darkness, there was no destination, no real direction. He had no goal, other than getting out of the forest, and now he felt as if he were going in circles. The trees seemed to gather more thickly around him as he went on, the branches lowering like twisted arms. It was an unsettling pla
WttV - Entry 1.1: A flash, and stars flickered across his vision, but not just the stars of shock or pain. Real stars. An unfathomable darkness opened beneath him, a gaping absence. The endless depth of the Void yawned, tearing at his being as he hurtled onward. Onward through the emptiness, through the black, reeling darkness... Onward! A thud, and the heavy weight of gravity seized his limbs as he collapsed to solid earth. It was over. Takanuva lay still, his lungs heaving, per
“Go.” The voice echoed in the dry air of the chamber. Helryx’s voice was terse, thick with urgency. She stepped forward and pressed something into his hand. It was the gnomon—a piece of the ancient sundial he had unlocked. What did it mean? He could not say. Takanuva glanced to his left. The Silent Toa still stood motionless, his eyes grim. Krakua was a strange Toa, Takanuva thought; but, of the three beings which surrounded him in this dim chamber, he trusted him the most. Krakua nodded
Hi folks. It's been a terribly long count of years (months), but I'm still, here, writing this stuff. I think it helps keep me sane. . .Whatever the case, if you're here to read this new lesson on the Matoran Language, it might do to read up on some of the older stuff. I don't know, maybe like the previous four lessons? Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 And now that that it's all fresh in your mind, move on to Lesson Five: Pronouns I: =l Pronouns I l= Matoran pronouns have much the
[bump'd, 4/21/11. Because I wanted to. So there.] [Wouldn't you know it: I go to add new material to this, and it tells me I've reached the limit for a blog entry. So be it. I've thus split this "dictionary" into two "volumes" (because "volume" just sounds so much more important). In terms of describing the content of this "update": I've added around 120-130 new entries in all, in addition to modifying and revising older entries. Most of the words have to do with plants, landforms, colors, and
A Dictionary and Etymology of the Matoran Language =l Volume II l= Compiled by Ihu, Scholar of Metru Nui, k. 79908. This volume continues with entries M through Z. -M- mahri, n. ocean m(a)i, adv. up, above, over [From the stem *maeh "up, above, over"] maima, v. to rise (base-stem) [From the stem *maeh "up above, over" with addition of the general verbal suffix -ma] maita¹, n. brain [From the ancient stem maet "mind, thought" with addition of the nounal suffix -ta, denoting a thing or co
Lhe ke ovahi o,
gaa kaira teraio’na
a Taka a Kraa, e’ Arta a Khar.
Ie te ngie zyo.
I ava e’ awa ekamo.
During that time,
Two brothers ruled
Light and Dark, Arta and Khar
They strove against each other
And the first cast down the second.
-- From “The Legend of the Bionicle”
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My, folks, it's been a while. Don't worry. I'm not dead or anything. The project continues!
In fact, it's like...it's like I can't stop.
...
Help me.
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I know I'm late on the draw, but I just wanted to post an entry expressing my thanks to BZP Reporter Senjo for the complimentary news article on Despair, as well as to the people who consequently went to read the story and gave their thoughtful responses. It's all been very encouraging.
JRRT
