In a hole in the ground there lived...

MN#6 - Artakha to...Jaller?

Tue, 07 May 2013 01:52:00 +0000

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, since they all contain some form of ār, though usually as a part a stem-compound.

We’ll begin with the most significant (and most complex) etymology, the name Artakha:

artakha, n./n.cmpd. 1. (archaic) “forger, crafter, lit. one-who-applies-craft”; 2. (modern) “(a) refuge, safe haven; lit. out-of-bondage”

The difference between the meanings exhibited by this name/term is not necessarily a sole consequence of any semantic shift, unlike the name/term karzahni from MN#4. It is instead a consequence of a complete reinterpretation of the internal structure of the word, albeit a reinterpretation made on the basis of a semantic shift. We’ll start with the original (now archaic) decomposition of the term:

takha, vn. “crafting, craft”
ār, p. “applied, application (of); later (applied) against, resistance, hindering”

The element takha is a verbal noun derived directly from the verbal complex ta-ha “lit. to make-with-fire; to heat, forge, weld; to craft (smthg.)”. In this instance, the particle ār exhibits “splitting” and “variable placement”, whereby it is separated into two units a and ar, the latter of which is displaced before the stem to which it is applied (takha, in this case). This yields the complex form ar-takha-a, modernized as artakha, “one-who-applies-craft”.

This translation is widely attested at early stages of Matoran records, and was even used as a general term for crafter-Matoran, in addition to its usage as the name of the legendary crafter-spirit Artakha. This translation was, however, eventually supplanted by a reinterpreted formation, putatively motivated by the emergence of a mytho-historical idea that the realm of Artakha was the “Great Refuge”, the place where Matoran went out of “bondage” (“working in darkness”, literally ki arta-krāho “in the bondage of darkness”). The reinterpretation of the internal structure involved the following elements:

arta, n. “bondage, hinderance, limitation; (a) prison; lit. against-the-spirit”
-ha, p. “from, out of (origin particle)”

The element arta was an independently lexicalized word that emerged after the semantic meaning-shift of the particle ār (“applied, application (of)” > “(applied) against, resistance, hindering”). It consists of a combination of ār and the elemental stem ta, in this case with reference to “spirit”, yielding a rough meaning of “against-the-spirit”, later acquiring the concepts of “bondage, limitation” and “imprisonment”. The origin-particle -ha was then straightforwardly applied to yield the nounal complex arta-ha, modern artakha “out-of-bondage; (a) refuge, safe haven”. This newly-formed term encapsulated the mytho-historical concept of Artakha as both ruler and representation of “The Great Refuge”.

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artidax, n.cmpd. “bondage/imprisonment-toward-greater-order; paraphr. (a) prison for the promotion of greater order”

arta, n. “bondage, hinderance, limitation; (a) prison; lit. against-the-spirit”
ī-, p. “to/toward (endpoint particle)”
da, stm. “order, authority; execution-of-a-strategy/plan”
-ak, p. “intensive particle”
-si, p. “more, -er (comparative adjectival particle)”

The term arta should be familiar from above. In this case, arta is combined with an internally complex element ī-da-ak-si. This consists of the stem da (from earlier zata) with the general meaning of “order, authority”. This stem is combined with the intensive particle -ak and with the comparative adjectival particle -si to yield a complex with the meaning “toward greater order”. When compounded with arta, the meaning of “bondage, hinderance” is added, with the specific meaning of “prison” becoming particularly salient. The meaning of the resulting compound arta-īdāksi > artīdaxi > artidax references the usage of the southern island Artidax as an ancient prison by the Brotherhood of Makuta: a prison intended to keep dangerous experiments confined in order to promote (i.e. as a means to the end of) “greater order”.

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teridax, n.cmpd. “guidance-toward-greater-order; guidance-toward-(better)-execution-of-strategy/plan”

tae-ār, stm.cmpd. “application of spirit/leadership/initiative; guidance, direction, (a) guide”
ī-, p. “to/toward (endpoint particle)”
da, stm. “order, authority; execution-of-a-strategy/plan”
-ak, p. “intensive particle”
-si, p. “more, -er (comparative adjectival particle)”

The stem-compound tae-ār undergoes the same processes of reduction as the other stem-compounds with ār, yielding variants ter-, tar-, tre-, etc. In this case, the compound is combined with an internally complex element ī-da-ak-si. This consists of the stem da (from earlier zata) with the general meaning of “order, authority”, but also with connotations of “execution of a plan or strategy”, deriving from the original meaning of the elements za “strategy, plan” and ta “elemental fire; leadership, initiative, execution”. This stem is combined with the intensive particle -ak and with the comparative adjectival particle -si to yield a complex with the meaning “toward greater/better execution of a plan/strategy”. When compounded with tae-ār, the meaning of “guidance, direction” is added: taeār-īdāksi. “guideance toward greater/better execution of a plan/strategy”, modern reduction taeār-īdāksi > tērīdaxi > teridax.

This meaning is somewhat ironic, given the intended purpose (and ultimate intentions) of the Makuta who bore this designation. The Makuta-teridax was meant to serve as a crucial stand-in for the Great Spirit during the final stages of the Great Beings’ plan (literally a “guide toward the execution of the plan”), but he instead chose to devise his own Plan for seizing control of the Great Spirit’s position, in which case the name-designation teridax still remains applicable: “a guide toward the execution of the (Makuta’s) Plan”.

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Tren, n. “(a) guide; lit. (a) guide-being”
Krom, n.cmpd. “lesser-master; lit. master-within-boundaries”

trē, stm. “guidance, guiding force”
-an, aff. “being, person”

-oki, ke/ki-. . .-ō, p. “in/on/at/within (basic locative particle)”
rhō, stm. “ring, edge, boundary”
ma(t), stm. “mastery, control”

These two separate titles were applied simultaneously to the mythic being Tren Krom, who is characterized in Matoran mytho-history as a presage of Mata Nui. The first term tren derives transparently from the element trē, a variant of the stem-compound tae-ār, with addition of the affix -an yielding a complex trē-an “guiding-being”, modern form tren. The decomposition of the second term krom is somewhat more complicated. Krom consists of a stem rhō combined with the basic locative particle, resulting in the nounal complex ki-rhō-ō “within (an) edge/boundary”. This complex is then combined with the element ma(t) to form the compound ki-rhō-ō-ma(t) “master-within-(an)-edge/boundary”, eventually reducing ki-rhō-ō-ma > kirhōma > krōma > krom. The status of Tren Krom as a presage or counterpart of Mata Nui is reflected in surviving etymological variants of the Krom motif: kiro-ma, kiro-mata “Mata-within-boundaries; lesser-Mata”.

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pridak, n. “great ruler, governor”

praida, prīda, n.cmpd. “governance, rule, strong-authority; lit. applying strength toward order”
-ak, p. “intensive particle”

The element praida/prīda combines straightforwardly with the intensive suffix -ak, yielding the compound praida-ak, prīda-ak with an original meaning of “extremely strong governance”, eventually shifting toward an agentive/honorific meaning “great ruler, governor”.

The term praida/prīda itself originates as a compound of the stem pra (from older par(a) < po-ār) and the lexicalized nounal complex ī-da, consisting of the endpoint particle ī- “to/toward” and the heavily reduced stem da “authority, order” (earlier zda < zata).

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jaller, n.cmpd. “excellent strategist/tactician; lit. application-of-good-strategy”

jā, n. “strategy, tactics, planning ahead; strategist, tactician”
-la, p. “good, excellent (modifying particle)”
-er, p. “application of ”

The element jā originally derives from a stem-compound ta-za, roughly meaning “fire/spirit of strategy” (eventually reduced ta-za > tzā > jā). This stem combines with the modifying particle -la to form the compound jā-la “excellent strategy/tactics/planning”, itself an independently lexicalized word. Combination with the particle -er “application of” (from older ār, see MN#4) yields the final complex form jā-la-er > jāler > jaller.

MN#5 � Barraki to...Brander?

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 03:33:00 +0000

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”

The decomposition of barraki into barra and aki is very straightforward. The element barra originates from a stem-compound consisting of the elemental stem bae “gravity” and the particle ār “applied; application (of)” combined with the ancient stem rā “wild(ness), untamed”: bae-ār-rā. The compound bae-ār denotes the concept “stability, balance; lit. application of gravity”. In combination with rā, this yields a meaning of “imbalance, instability; lit. wildness-of-balance/stability” eventually acquiring the meaning “conflict, war”.

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brakas, n.cmpd. “Rahi-monkey; mischievous-kau”

b(e)rā, adj. “antagonistic, warlike, rogeuish, mischievous”
-s, aff. “(rahi-)beast, spawn”

The term brakas dissolves into the element b(e)rā (an adjectival derivative of bae-ār) plus the onomotapoeic element kau (an imitation of the kau-kau call of the Brakas monkey) and the Rahi-designation affix -s, yielding the compound brā-kau-s, modern brakas.

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brutaka, n.cmpd. “warlike lesser-spirit of power”

b(e)rā, adj. “antagonistic, warlike, rogeuish, mischievous”
uk(u)ta, n. “lesser-spirit, being-of-lesser-rank; (a) kuta-level being”
ka, n. “power, energy, force, ability”

The element b(e)rā combines straightforwardly with the elements uk(u)ta and ka to form the compound brā-uk(u)ta-ka, eventually reduced brā-ūta-ka > brautaka > brutaka. The ukuta-component of the name signifies a rank within the hierarchy of beings or “spirits” within Matoran cosmology. An ukuta or kuta-spirit was a being of middle-rank (uku “middle, in the middle of” ta “fire, spirit”), above the rank of Matoran and Toa but below the rank of Mata Nui. Interestingly, the Makuta were also classified as (perhaps higher-level) kuta-rank beings. The parallel in status is significant if only for the light it sheds on the subtle connection between these two different species; namely the extraordinary effects of antidermis (the incorporeal substance of the Makuta-species) upon members of the being Brutaka’s species.

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brander, n.cmpd. “mischief-maker, practical-joker; lit. application-of-cunning-mischief”

b(e)rā, adj. “antagonistic, warlike, rogeuish, mischievous”
nid(i), stm. “cunning”
-er, p. “application of ”

The elements b(e)rā, nid(i), and the particle -er combine in a relatively transparent manner to form the compound brā-nid(i)-er, modern form brander.

MN#4 - Karzahni to�Parakrekks?

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:37:00 +0000

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 the etymologies of all three groups are interrelated in some way.

1) karzahni, carapar, keras, koro, icarax, crast, krekka, parakrekks

2) barraki, brakas, brander, brutaka

3) artakha, artidax, teridax, tren krom, pridak, jaller

This entry will focus only on Group 1, tying together the etymologies of the members of this group in an effort to highlight the underlying elements which are shared across the spectrum of these (seemingly) distant terms. The next entry will deal with Group 2, the next with Group 3.

Group 1:

All of the words in Group 1 exhibit an element kar(a)-, kera-, kre-/kra-, or some variation thereof. These variants all derive from an ancient compound consisting of the stem kae and the particle ār: kae-ār.

kae, stm. “power, energy, force, ability” [a semi-elemental stem]

ār, p. “applied, application (of); later (applied) against, resistance, hindering (see discussion below)”

kae-ār, stm.cmpd. “application of power/force/ability; later application of power against (smthg.), rejection, repulsion (see discussion below)”

Both the meaning of the compound kae-ār and the meaning of the particle ār underwent a particular semantic shift at an early stage. This shift is attributed to events surrounding the actions of the being Karzahni, whose name exemplifies the compound. The meaning of kae-ār acquired connotations of “repulsion, rejection, application of power against (smthg.)” as a consequence of the pseudo-rebellion of Karzahni, whose name (kaeār-zahni) originally translated as “keeper-of-the-plan; lit. one-who-applies-power-according-to-the plan/strategy” (in reference to Karzahni’s original purpose). The meaning-shift here is roughly “one who applies power to X” > “one who applies power against X; one who rejects” (“one-who-rejects-the-plan/strategy”, in Karzahni’s case, see discussion below). The particle ār follows an identical path of development in most cases under the direct influence of kae-ār, with the meaning of “applied, application (of)” shifting toward “(applied) against, resisting, hindering”. This shift had widespread consequences for the meaning and interpretation of other lexical elements and compounds, some of which will be examined below.

But first, an etymology for the root cause of the semantic shift: the name Karzahni:

Karzahni, n.cmpd. 1. (original) “one who applies power according to (a) plan/schematic/strategy”; 2. (modern) “(an) anomaly, enemy; one who rejects the plan/schematic/strategy”

kae-ār, stm.cmpd. 1. (original) “application of power/force/ability”; 2. (modern) “application of power against (smthg.), rejection, repulsion”
zahi, n. “(a) plan, schematic, strategy”
-ni, p. “personifying particle; one who. . .”

The elements above combine straightforwardly to form the compound kaeār-zahi-ni, reducing to kar-zah’ni > karzahni. In this case, the compound kae-ār yields the reduced form kar-. This is only one of several descendant forms, some of which have taken on independent lexical status.

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carapar, n.cmpd. “strong/robust resistance (also ‘shell’); stubbornness”

kara-, kera-, stm. “resistance, resisting/repulsing; (a) shell, barrier, smthg. that resists”
par(a), stm. “strong, stolid, robust; strengthened, made strong”

The forms kara (<cara>), kera are generally associated with concepts of “resistance, resisting/repulsing”. These concepts become concrete in the meaning of “shell, covering, barrier” (something that “provides resistance”). In the case of carapar, this yields a double-meaning: one with the abstract “resistance” and one with the concrete “shell”. The stem kara- is combined with par(a) to yield kara-par(a), modern form karapar (older spelling carapar).

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keras, n. “name for a rahi-crab; lit. shell-spawn”

kar(a), ker(a)-, stm. “resistance, resisting/repulsing; (a) shell, barrier, smthg. that resists”
-s, aff. “(rahi-)beast, spawn”

The word keras dissolves straightforwardly into the stem kera and the affix -s, which frequently denotes a form of Rahi (rahi-spawn, etc.). The translation of keras (with the concrete meaning of kera) is thus simply “shell-rahi” or “shell-spawn”.

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koro, n. “village, town, settlement defined by borders”

kar(a), ker(a), stm. “resistance, resisting/repulsing; (a) shell, barrier, smthg. that resists”
rhō, stm. “ring, boundary, edge”

The elements kar(a)/ker(a) and rhō combine to form the stem-compound kar-rhō with roughly the meaning “edge/boundary of resistance”. This term was originally used to refer to the outlying borders of early Matoran settlements, which were frequently delimited by walls or barriers. This term eventually develops into modern koro, now used as a general term for any (bounded) settlement, village, or town.

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icarax, n. 1. (original) “toward greater application of power/energy; toward greater motivation”; 2. (modern) “toward greater resistance/conflict”

ī-, p. “to/toward (endpoint particle)”
kae-ār, stm.cmpd. 1. (original) “application of power/force/ability”; 2. (modern) “application of power against (smthg.), rejection, repulsion”
-ak, p. “intensive particle”
-si, p. “more, -er (comparative adjectival particle)”

The term icarax is attested at a fairly early stage, early enough to undergo the same shift in meaning experienced by words containing the stem-compound kae-ār. The endpoint-particle ī- in combination with this stem-compound and with the functional particles -ak and -si yields a complex form ī-kaeār-ak-si, modern for icarax (īkāraksi > ikaraxi > ikarax, icarax).

An alternate etymology has also been proposed for this term based on the relatively rare compound term kara “ambition, pride; lit. wild/rampant-power”. This would yield a compound with roughly the meaning “toward greater ambition/pride”.

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Kanohi Crast, n. “Mask of Repulsion; allows the wearer to repel other objects with violent force”

krā, krē, stm. “repulsion, resistance, forcing back”
sta, s’ta, seta, stm.cmpd. “driving-out, removing, taking away”

The elements krā/krē and sta/seta combine straightforwardly to yield the compound krā-s(e)ta, roughly “driving-out/away-(via)-repulsion”, modern form crast (but see variant forms above).

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krekka, n.cmpd. “extremely resistant force/power”

krā, krē, stm. “repulsion, resistance, forcing back”
-ak, p. “intensive particle”
ka, n. “power, energy, force, ability”

The stem krā/krē combines with the intensive particle -ak to form a unit krē-ak “extremely resistant, extreme resistance”. This is then combined with ka to form a compound krē-ak-ka “extremely resistant force/power”, modern form krekka.

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parakrekks, n.cmpd. “name of a Rahi-species: strengthened/robust and extremely resistant force”

par(a), stm. “strong, stolid, robust; strengthened, made strong”
krekka, n.cmpd. “extremely resistant force/power”
-s, aff. “(rahi-)beast, spawn”

The elements par(a) and krekka combine straightforwardly to yield the compound para-krekka, with addition of the Rahi-designation affix -s leading to the modern form parakrekks (parakrekka-shi > parakrekkas > parakrekk’s, parakrekks).

Meaningless Names - Before continuing...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:44:00 +0000

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 information per entry, rather than the info-dumps I’ve been doing. Already I know that I have enough content for at least another ten to twelve short(er) entries, possibly twice that, depending on how things are paced. It sounds like a lot. . .but there are a lot of words in Bionicle.

But beyond that, the reason for this interim entry is actually to ask something of you. Yes, you--the reader. I see you there, lurking. Answer me this: What do you think? Are you burnt out yet? I know I’m not, but we’ll see. Do you enjoy these entries? It’s not often that I ask for comments, mostly because I know some people may read, but don’t have much to respond beyond “I (don’t) like X”. That’s the nature of the topic, of course, but even so, I’d certainly like to know. Sometimes I imagine I’m talking to myself. It’s good practice, I suppose. Talking. . .

I’d also like to ask if you, the reader, have any “requests”. Are there any particular Matoran words/names/whatevers that you’d like to see translated? If so, feel free to leave a comment, and I’ll attempt to incorporate any requests into future entries.

Finally, to make sure this entry isn’t entirely self-serving, I’d like to highlight two (not so) recent topics that are also aimed at putting flesh on the bones of the Matoran language:

Conjecture on Matoran (language) morphology, by QuestionMark -- topic (sadly) dead as of Feb.27. (Received bonesiii’s “Key to Nongu” Award)

Dual Matrix's Ultimate Guide to Matoran, by Dual Matrix -- topic still living as of April 7.

I don’t frequent S&T much anymore, but if I did. . .I suppose I would've been more informed. As it is, I only discovered the existence of these topics last week. There are a lot of great and creative ideas here, so take a look! One distinction between the approach to the Matoran language exhibited in these topics and the approach I’ve taken here has to do with “canonicity”: as realistic visions of the Matoran language, these topics attempt to translate words within the fairly strict guidelines of the canon Bionicle storyline. In contrast, in this blog I have been very free in my translations, decomposing words into smaller and smaller units, affected by regular (but completely invented) phonological processes, and heavily paraphrasing “canon” translations in order to derive consistent meanings across words and morphemes that, on the surface, might seem drastically removed from each other (much as is the case in human language). For that reason, posting any of this as an official “theory” was, unfortunately, never really an option. But that’s okay. I applaud the efforts of those represented in the topics above and encourage you to peruse them for your own personal fulfillment (or amusement). It’s fun stuff. Terribly fun, you have to admit. . .And I think I’ll end it on that note. I look forward to your (possible) replies.

JRRT

Meaningless Names - Pt. 3

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:21:00 +0000

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”

fa(n), stm. “limit, restriction, range, field; also roof, ceiling, sky”
hiki, n. “piece/part/portion of (something); measurement, extent”

The stem fa(n) combines straightforwardly with hiki to form the compound fa(n)-hiki “limit-measurement”. The term hiki may be familiar to you: it has a further shade of meaning involving “trickery, deception” as a consequence of its etymology (see dictionary entries , <mahiki> and discussion in previous posts). Perhaps ironically, the term hiki was also used as a unit of measurement, originally for dividing up land during the settlement phases of Matoran prehistory (hī-kī “part/piece of a thing OR place”) and later as a term for measuring out substances and amounts of material in industry and trade. It is this meaning that is at work in the etymology of the term vahki (fan-hiki > fahiki > vah’ki, vahki), which ultimately took on the meaning of “law-keeper”: “one who measures limits”. This was originally a general term referring to any being involved in law-enforcement, and this usage still persists in non-Metru Nuian jurisdictions. Within the bounds of Metru Nuian culture, however, the term vahki has almost exclusively been applied to the law-enforcement automatons invented by the Onu-Matoran Nuparu.

Vahki Designations:

Nuparu, inventor of the first Vahki law-enforcement automatons, wrote in his memoirs that he intended the Vahki to stand as representations of law and order in a city that, to him, seemed to be slowly slipping back into the same old ways that ultimately led Metru Nui into the Matoran Civil War and its terrible aftermath. The names that Nuparu devised for the different Vahki types reflected these intentions, as well as his ultimate inspiration for the Vahki: the long-dormant Bohrok swarms.

The first Vahki units were designated Borzatahkak “vigilant judges/law-keepers”, later reduced to Bordakh (borzatahkak > borzdahk’k > bordakh). This term was, in fact, patterned on the name of the Bohrok themselves. Nuparu recounts how he consulted the Ko-Metruan scholar Ihu (an authority on Matoran linguistics) on the etymology of terms related to the Bohrok swarms and ultimately devised a compound boh-oro-zatahki-ak, directly based on the original form of the name Bohrok: boh-oro-ak (see previous post for discussion of the translation of this term). The element zatahki, which Nuparu added to his invented term, is originally a compound of zata “authority, order” and hiki “piece/part/portion of (something); measurement, extent” and yields the modern dahki “judge; lit. measurer-of-authority/order ” (zata-hiki > zadah’ki > zdakhi > dahki). The terms dahki and vahki are very closely related in origin and composition, and dahki is, in fact, attested as a variant term used to refer to Vahki.

The upshot of the original compound Borzatahkak is a term referring both to the fact that the Vahki units follow the orders of the law (boh-oro “following words; vigilant for words”) and that they zealously represent and enforce that law (zatahki-ak “judge+intensive particle”), in accord with Nuparu’s vision for his inventions.

Other designations for the Vahki were also devised, both by Nuparu and others. The term Zatahkak, later Zadakh (zatahkak > zadahk’k > zadakh) is a shortening of Borzatahkak, later used as a designation for the Le-Metruan Vahki squads.

Other terms originated as further elaborations of this original compound: the Vorzakh units take their name from a compound fa(n)-oro-zatahki-ak, making use of the stem fa(n) “limit, restriction, range, field” which, as noted above, also forms the basis of the term vahki itself (fa-oro-zatahki-ak > vaorzatahkak > vorzdahk’k > vorzakh).

Likewise, the name of the Rorzakh units originates as a compound rho-oro-zatahki-ak, replacing fa(n) with the stem rho, of similar meaning, “boundary, ring, edge” (rho-oro-zatahki-ak > rhorzatahkak > rorzdahk’k > rorzakh))

The two remaining Vahki-designations -- Nuurakh and Keerakh -- are also the most recent in origin. They were not, therefore, formed according to the same elaborate compound-pattern as the others. At the time of their formation, the suffix -akh had been reinterpreted as a general “Vahki-designation suffix”, rather than as a component of a larger compound zatahki-ak (manifesting as -zakh or -dakh in the reduced forms of the other Vahki designations above). In both cases, this “new” element -akh was simply applied to a stem: in the case of nuurakh, the stem nuur “firm command” (older nu-or “earth-word”) forms the basis of the compound: nuor-akh > nuurakh “firm-command Vahki”. In the case of keerakh, the stem keer “harsh/severe command” (older kee-or “harsh/severe word”) forms the basis of the compound: keer-akh > keerakh “harsh/severe-command Vahki”.

Meaningless Names - Pt. 2

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:32:00 +0000

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”

The deciphering of Bohrok is somewhat difficult, as it was not originally a Matoran innovation, being found instead as an inscription (albeit a legibly Matoran inscription) boh-oro-ak on the entrances of Bohrok nests. The origin of the term has been commonly attributed to the Great Beings themselves.

There are two possible translations of Bohrok: The first involves the element boh combining straightforwardly with the elements oro and -ak to yield the meaning “vigilantly-awaiting/following-words”. The second involves the combination of boh with the elsewhere-attested compound oro-ak “order, command” (modern form orok) to yield the meaning “awaiting/vigilant for commands”. Both of these etymologies are equally plausible, but they present subtly different semantic interpretations.

As an aside, some scholars have noted a similarity between the composition of the original boh-oro-ak compound and the composition of the original form of the term matoran: mat-oro-ān “user(s) of words”. The reason for this similarity in pattern (if it is non-coincidental) thus far remains a mystery, although some folk-etymologies persist based on the (somewhat superstitious) belief that Bohrok are revenant-Matoran (having gone from being living “users of words” to non-living “followers of words”) and that the Bohrok nests are, in fact, ancient graves.

Bohrok Swarm-designations:

When the Bohrok were first discovered in nests beneath Metru Nui, scholars and archivists rushed to classify them according to known species of Rahi. After close examination, however, it was discovered that the Bohrok were actually fully mechanical--the first fully mechanical constructs encountered by Matoran. A profusion of technical terms soon arose for “non-biomechs”:

hi-vo and vo-hi, n. “powered-thing(s)”

hi-no, n. “protodermic-things(s)”

hi-olo, n. “thing-with-a-door/hatch”

hi-oro, n. “word-thing”

These terms were all variously incorporated into the official labels applied to the different types of Bohrok swarm-designations. As such, the labels were not so much independent words as they were technical classifications. They generally made use of the same pattern as the original term for Bohrok, boh-oro-ak, replacing boh with the elemental designation of each Bohrok nest and oro with one of the non-biomech terms listed above:

Tahnok, n.cmpd. “fire-designation Bohrok”

Gahlok, n.cmpd. “water-designation Bohrok”

Lehvak, n.cmpd. “air-designation Bohrok”

Nuhvok, n.cmpd. “earth-designation Bohrok”

Pahrak, n.cmpd. “stone-designation Bohrok”

Kohrak, n.cmpd. “ice-designation Bohrok”

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Moving along, what entry on the Bohrok would be complete without mention of the Bohrok Queens?

Bahrag, n.cmpd. “lit. elder-of-the-followers; vigilant/waiting-elders”

boh- stm. “boh, stm. “vigilance, watchfulness; awaiting, on-standby, ready-to-respond”
rag(a), stm. “tame one, wise one; elder”

The modern name of the Bahrag twins was also found as an inscription in even the earliest Bohrok nests: boh-rāgae. It exhibits the same ancient element boh as the name of the Bohrok, but combines it with a different (though equally ancient) compound rā-gae. This compound is itself derived from a combination of the stem rā “wild, untamed” and the elemental stem gae “water”, in this case with reference to the stem’s itinerant connotations of “peace, calm, serenity”. The compound rāgae thus originally denoted a concept of “being tame; settling one’s wildness”, ultimately leading to the more modern meanings of rag(a) “tame one, wise one; elder”. The compound boh-rāgae thus encapsulates the symbolism of the Bahrag’s role: elders or “queens” of the Bohrok Swarms, the leaders of those who await or follow.

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And what entry that includes the Bohrok and the Bahrag would be complete without mention of the Bohrok-Kal? I mean really.

(Bohrok-)Kal, n.cmpd. “seeker-of-power; lit. detecting/finding/sensing-power”*

kā, stm. “power, energy”
el, stm. “finding, seeking, sensing; detection, sense”

The stem kā combines straightforwardly with the stem el to yield the compound ka-el “power-seeking; seeker/finder of power”, modern form kal.

*...Find the Power?**

**(Live the Legend)

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And a couple more (related) Kanohi-etymologies to finish things off:

Kanohi Elda, n.cmpd. “Mask of Detection; allows the wearer to sense and find hidden things, as well as detect the location of the Kanohi Ignika”

el, stm. “finding, seeking/searching, sensing; detection, sense”
zata, stm. “authority, order; leader”

The element zata derives from an older compound of za (“strategy/strategic”) and the elemental stem ta (rough meaning of “leader(ship)”). The combination of zata and el yields a compound el-zata “leader-of-the-search; lit. (an) authority on detection”, with eventual reduction el-zata > elzda > elda.

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Kanohi Felnas, n.cmpd. “Mask of Disruption; allows the wearer to disrupt another being’s control of their natural powers, causing said power to go out of control”

fa(n), stm. “limit, restriction, range, field; also roof, ceiling, sky”
el, stm. “finding, seeking/searching, sensing; detection, sense”
nas, stm. “scattering, dispersing, disrupting”

The elements fa(n) and el combine to yield a compound fa(n)-el “sense-of-limits; limit-sense” (roughly the ability to measure and control one’s actions/potential). This compound is then combined with the stem nas to form a further compound fa-el-nas “scattering/disrupting (one’s) limit-sense”, modern form felnas. This compound encapsulates the concept whereby a Felnas-user can disrupt or scatter another being’s ability to control (i.e. sense the limits of) their powers.

The etymology of the stem nas itself is uncertain. It is most likely derived from or related to the same root that yielded terms such as aso “sand” (see entries <aso>, <aswe>). Whatever its exact origins, it is clear that this element is very ancient, possibly coeval with the elemental stems themselves. One plausible etymology for nas is a combination of (o)nu “earth” and the stem-form ās (also found as sā; these stem-forms yield modern aso, aswe, etc.), with a rough meaning of “shifting/dispersing earth/sand”. Words deriving from ās/sā seem to carry an original connotation of “shifting” or “instability”, consistent with the “sand” concept.

Meaningless Names - Pt. 1

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:12:00 +0000

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 offspring/spawn”

rahk, stm. “wild/untamable thing”
(i)shi, n. “offspring, spawn”

The element rahk began as an emergent compound rā-hī-ak. The components rā and hī should be recognizable as the basis for the independent modern term rahi “wild thing, beast”. The particle ak expresses an “intensive” meaning, hence rā-hī-ak “extremely-wild-thing; untamable-rahi”. This was the original term used by the early Matoran tribes in their first encounters with Rahkshi in the wild. It has since been gradually reduced -- rā-hī-ak > rah’ak, rahak > rah’k, rahk -- and now exists primarily as an affix-particle.

The element ishi “offspring, spawn”, which was already commonly used in reference to rahi-spawn (rahishi), was applied at a later point in history once the origins of the Rahkshi (literally the “sons” or “offspring” of individual Makuta) were known to Matoran. It has also undergone reduction as a part of the name: rahk-ishi > rahkshi. See above for a larger list of common variant forms.

Rahkshi names:

As the different types of Rahkshi were documented, various names were devised in reference to their characteristic powers, usually formed according to the pattern of stem “power” + -rahk “wild/untamable thing”. The element rahk, in its usage as an affix-particle, eventually took on “agentive” connotations, roughly analogous to English -er (Lerahk “poisonous-wild-thing; poison-er”, see below).

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Turahk, n.cmpd. “Rahkshi of Fear; terrifying-wild-thing, causer-of-fear”

tūr, stm. “fear, terror”
rahk, stm. “wild/untamable thing”

The element tūr was formed as a combination of the elemental stem ta “fire” and the particle ūr(u) “un-, negative, opposite”. The stem ta usually carries connotations of “courage” and “bravery”, and, in combination with ūr(u), it takes on the general meaning of “fear, terror”, both “fearful, terrified” and “causing fear, terrifying”. In combination with rahk, it carries the latter definition: tūr-rahk “terrifying-wild-thing, causer-of-fear”, modern form turahk (also see variants above).

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Guurahk, n.cmpd. “Rahkshi of Disintegration; disintegrating-wild-thing, disintegrator”

gūr, stm. “disintegrating, unsettling; un-peaceful”
rahk, stm. “wild/untamable thing”

The element gūr was formed as a combination of the elemental stem ga “water” and the particle ūr(u) “un-, negative, opposite”. The stem ga usually carries connotations of “peace”, “calm”, and “settled-ness”, and, in combination with ūr(u), it takes on the general meaning of “un-settledness, falling apart, disintegrating”. In combination with rahk it yields the compound gūr-rahk “disintegrating-wild-thing, disintegrator”, modern form guurahk (also see variants above).

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Kurahk, n.cmpd. “Rahkshi of Anger; raging-wild-thing, raging-one”

kūr, stm. “anger, rage”
rahk, stm. “wild/untamable thing”

The element kūr was formed as a combination of the elemental stem ko “ice” and the particle ūr(u) “un-, negative, opposite”. The stem ko usually carries connotations of “stillness”, “silence”, and “inner-calm”, and, in combination with ūr(u), it takes on the general meaning of “agitation”, “disturbance”, “anger/rage” . In combination with rahk it yields the compound kūr-rahk “raging-wild-thing, raging-one”, modern form kurahk (also see variants above).

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Lerahk, n.cmpd. “Rahkshi of Poison; poisonous-wild-thing, poisoner”

lēr, stm. “noxious, toxic, poisonous”
rahk, stm. “wild/untamable thing”

The element lēr was formed as a combination of the elemental stem le “air” and the particle ūr(u) “un-, negative, opposite”. The stem le usually carries connotations of “liveliness”, “vigor”, and “vivacity”, and, in combination with ūr(u), it takes on the general meaning of “non-vigorous”, “dying-off”, “poisoned/poisonous” . In combination with rahk it yields the compound lēr-rahk “poisonous-wild-thing, poisoner”, modern form lerahk (also see variants above).

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Vorahk, n.cmpd. “Rahkshi of Hunger; devouring-wild-thing, devourer”

vōr, stm. “hunger; energy-draining”
rahk, stm. “wild/untamable thing”

The element vōr was formed as a combination of the elemental stem vo “lightning, electricity” and the particle ūr(u) “un-, negative, opposite”. The stem vo usually carries connotations of “power”, “energy”, and “sustenance”, and, in combination with ūr(u), it takes on the general meaning of “non-energetic”, “drained”, “hungering/consuming/devouring” . In combination with rahk it yields the compound vōr-rahk “devouring-wild-thing, devourer”, modern form vorahk (also see variants above).

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Panrahk, n.cmpd. “Rahkshi of Fragmentation; shattering-wild-thing, fragmenter/shatterer”

pa-nūr, stm. “shattering, breaking, fragmentation”
rahk, stm. “wild/untamable thing”

The element pa-nūr was formed as a combination of the elemental stems pa (from po) “stone” and nu (from onu) “earth” with the particle ūr(u) “un-, negative, opposite”. Both elemental stems carry connotations of “strength” and “solidness”, and, in combination with ūr(u), they take on the general meaning of “decaying”, “breaking-down”, “shattering/fragmenting” . In combination with rahk this yields the compound panūr-rahk “shattering-wild-thing, fragmenter/shatterer”, modern form (highly reduced) panrahk (also see variants above).

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To conclude, a couple of interesting mask-name etymologies (possibly related to the above discussion?):

Olmak, n.cmpd. “Mask of Dimensional Gates; allows the wearer to open portals into other dimensions”

ol(o), stm. “door, gate, opening; available course/pathway”
ma(t), stm. “mastery, control”
-ak, p. “intensive particle”

The elements ol(o), ma(t), and the intensive particle -ak combine straightforwardly to yield the compound ol(o)-ma(t)-ak “powerful control of doors/gateways”, modern form olmak (see also variant forms above).

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Olisi, n.cmpd. “Mask of Possible Futures; allows the wearer to see (and cause others to see) possible future timelines”

ol(o), stm. “door, gate, opening; available course/pathway”
isi, n./adj. “possibility; possible”

The elements ol(o) and isi combine straightforwardly to yield the compound ol(o)-isi “possible available course(s)/pathway(s)”, modern form olisi.

Nameless Masks

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 17:30:00 +0000

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, you can be sure that there are quite a few. Here are some musings on what some of those masks might have been called if they had only been important enough:

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Kanohi Vaamaku, n.cmpd. “Mask of Psychometry; allows the wearer to see the history of an object/place through physical contact”

Etymology:

vā, stm. “time (absract)”
-amu, p. “through, during (transitional-instrumental particle)”
aku, n. “sight”

The element vā-amu translates straightforwardly to “through/across time”, with the application of the transitional-instrumental particle (see Lesson 8, section IIf.). This is combined with aku “sight” to yield the historical compound vā-amu-aku “through/across-time sight”, modern form vaamaku.

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Kanohi Amana, n.cmpd. “Mask of Healing; allows the wearer to heal visible/known physical injuries”

Etymology:

amana, n. “(re)forming, (re)making; healing”

The element amana is of uncertain etymology. It is almost certainly related to (or even directly derived from) the ancient stem ma(t), denoting “control, mastery, use, etc.”, with a variant meaning of “form, shape, create”. See dictionary entries <mat> and <manta>.

One possible solution involves an etymology patterned after the name Mata (lit. All-Master: cf. Mata Nui “the Great Spirit”), which derives from the ancient stem mat combined with a (generally intensive) particle ā. Application of such a particle to a hypothetical stem ?man could yield a form ?man-ā, with displacement of the particle (“variable placement”*) resulting in a further form a-man-a, dividing the particle ā (literally aa) into two units: a and a. This would be in accord with the variant form mana (see variant form above) and with the attested dialectal variants of the Mata-name, namely Amata, as well as with the obscure title Amana Nui, which, in Matoran cosmology, may in fact be a further pseudonym for Mata Nui himself, with a meaning roughly analogous to “Great Healer”, “Great (Re)Former”, or (post-Bara Magna) “Great Melder”.

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Kanohi Onweku, n.cmpd. “Mask of Intangibility; allows the wearer to become intangible (non-solid)”

Etymology:

onwe, adj. “solid, stable”
-ku, p. “non-, un- (negative particle)”

The element onwe derives from the metaphoric meaning of the elemental stem onu “earth”, with application of the (relatively rare) adjectival particle -ee (onu-ee > onwe). This is combined with the general negative particle ku, yielding the compound onwe-ku “non-solid; intangible”.

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Kanohi Isima, n.cmpd. “Mask of Possibilities; allows the wearer to subtly alter fields of probability”

Etymology:

isi, n. “possibility”
ma(t), stm. “mastery, control”

The element isi combines straightforwardly with the element ma(t), yielding the compound isi-ma(t) “control of possibility”, modern form isima.

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Kanohi Awai, n.cmpd. “Mask of Growth; allows the wearer to increase in physical size”

Etymology:

wā, stm. “great, large, broad; large size”
ya p. “verbal particle”

The original stem wā denotes “great, large, broad; large size”. This stem is verbalized by the addition of the verbal particle ya, yielding a compound wā-ya roughly with the meaning of “become large”. The particle ya exhibits “variable placement”*. It can be “split” into two separate units i and a, with the latter unit being displaced before the stem to which the particle is applied. In this case, this yields the form a-wā-i, modern form awai. This basic verbalization of a stem with displacement of the verbal particle is frequently used to denote a generalized (nounal) event, equivalent to a gerund (or possibly infinitive) in English: “becoming large, increasing, growing”. Variants of this mask-name do appear without the displaced particle (see variant forms above), but they are dialectically very restricted.

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Kanohi Mautru, n.cmpd. “Mask of Mutation; allows the wearer to mutate organisms”

Etymology:

mautru, n. “change, mutation”

The original stem maut denotes “change, differentiation”. Application of the (relatively rare) nounal particle -rū, denoting an object or place embodying a concept, yields the compound maut-rū, modern form mautru.

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Kanohi Mutuku, n.cmpd. “Mask of Emulation; allows the wearer to analyze and replicate the powers of other beings temporarily”

Etymology:

mutu, adj. “different, unlike”
-ku, p. “non-, un- (negative particle)”

The element mutu derives from the older stem maut “change, differentiation”, with application of the adjectival particle -u (maut-u > mut-u). This is combined with the general negative particle ku, yielding the compound maut-u-ku “not-different, not-unlike”, modern form mutuku.

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Kanohi Mautatu, n.cmpd. “Mask of Charisma; allows the wearer to convince others to agree with the wearer’s perspective/will by subtly altering their perception of the world”

Etymology:

maut, stm. “change, differentiation”
atu, n. “mind, will”

The original stem maut denotes “change, differentiation”. In combination with atu, this yields the compound maut-atu “lit. change-mind/will; changing/altering the mind or will”.

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Kanohi Eyi, n.cmpd. “Mask of Fusion; allows the wearer to forcibly fuse with one or more beings to form a single, larger being”

Etymology:

e-, p. “make/cause X (causative particle)”
yi, adj/adv. “together”

The adjectival element yi is combined with the causative (verbal) particle e-, yielding a semi-verbal compound e-yi “make together; cause-to-be-together”.

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Kanohi Konomau, n.cmpd. “Mask of Biomechanics; allows the wearer to interface with and assume mental control over (bio)mechanical systems”

Etymology:

uko, p. “outside, external (locative particle)”
noi, n. “(physical protodermic) body”
ma(t), stm. “control, mastery”

The elements noi and ma(t) combine to form the compound noi-ma(t) “body-control”. The element noi is used in reference to the (bio)mechanical nature of the Matoran body. The particle uko exhibits “variable placement” (see Lesson 7 IIId., Lesson 8 Ia.). It can be “split” into two separate units u and ko, with the latter unit being displaced before the stem to which the particle is applied. In this case, the particle uko is applied to the compound noi-ma(t), yielding the form ko-noi-ma(t)-u “external body-control; body-control from outside“, modern forms konomau (-noi- > -no-) and konomatu. Variants of this mask-name also exist using the unsplit form of the particle (see variant forms above).

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[Note: the following masks are not officially confirmed Kanohi powers, but they are powers that (I think) could be exhibited by Kanohi (e.g. Makuta/Rahkshi powers)]

Kanohi Koramau, n.cmpd. “Mask of Rahi Control; allows the wearer to exert control over various species of Rahi”

Etymology:

uko, p. “outside, external (locative particle)”
rahi, n. “Rahi, animals, fauna (general term)”
ma(t), stm. “control, mastery”

The elements rahi and ma(t) combine to form the compound rahi-ma(t) “rahi-control”. The particle uko exhibits “variable placement”*. It can be “split” into two separate units u and ko, with the latter unit being displaced before the stem to which the particle is applied. In this case, the particle uko is applied to the compound rahi-ma(t), yielding the form ko-rahi-ma(t)-u “external rahi-control; rahi-control from outside“, modern forms koramau (-rahi- > -ra-) and koramatu. Several variants of this mask-name did exist early on using the unsplit form of the particle (see variant forms above) but these were dialectically very restricted.

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Kanohi Kokrimau, n.cmpd. “Mask of Insect Control; allows the wearer to exert control over various species of Insect Rahi”

Etymology:

uko, p. “outside, external (locative particle)”
kiri, n. “insects (general term)”
ma(t), stm. “control, mastery”

The elements kiri and ma(t) combine to form the compound kiri-ma(t) “insect-control”. The particle uko exhibits “variable placement” (see Lesson 7 IIId., Lesson 8 Ia.). It can be “split” into two separate units u and ko, with the latter unit being displaced before the stem to which the particle is applied. In this case, the particle uko is applied to the compound kiri-ma(t), yielding the form ko-kiri-ma(t)-u “external insect-control; insect-control from outside“, modern forms kokrimau (-kiri- > -kri-) and kokrimatu. Several variants of this mask-name did exist early on using the unsplit form of the particle (see variant forms above) but these were dialectically very restricted.

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Kanohi Akataiku, “Mask of Heat Vision; allows the wearer to project beams of heat along the wearer’s line of sight”

Etymology:

aka, n. “power, ability”
taiaku, n.cmpd. “heat-vision”

The element aka combines straightforwardly with the element taiaku, yielding the compound aka-taiaku “power of heat-vision”, modern form akataiku (also see variants above).

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[Note: the following masks are not actually nameless. They have official names, but no official etymologies. Here are unofficial etymologies for them.]

Kanohi Komau, n.cmpd. “Mask of Mind Control; allows the wearer to exert mental control over a target”

Etymology:

uko, p. “outside, external (locative particle)”
ma(t), stm. “control, mastery”

The particle uko exhibits “variable placement”*. It can be “split” into two separate units u and ko, with the latter unit being displaced before the stem to which the particle is applied. In this case, the particle uko is applied to the stem ma(t), yielding the form ko-ma(t)-u “external control; control from outside“, modern forms komau (more frequent) and komatu. Variants of this mask-name did exist early on using the unsplit form of the particle--mat-uko and ma-uko—but these were dialectically very restricted.

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Kanohi Suletu, n.cmpd. “Mask of Telepathy; allows the wearer to communicate with others telepathically, along with a range of other telepathic abilities”

Etymology:

seu(l), stm. “elemental Psionics” (modified form of elemental prefix se-, ce-)
atu, n. “mind, will”

The element seu(l) is an elaboration of the elemental Psionics prefix se- (also spelled ce-) modified along a similar pattern as, e.g. ga > (a)gal- (see dictionary entries <gah>, , ). This is combined with atu (from older *aetu) to yield a compound seul-aetu “psionic will; mental will”, modern forms suletu (more frequent), selatu.

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Kanohi Mahiki, n.cmpd. “Mask of Illusion; allows the wearer to create and manipulate visual illusions”

Etymology:

ma(t), stm. “control, mastery”
hiki, n. “deception, trickery”

The ancient stem ma(t) combines with the element hiki to form the compound ma-hiki “control of deception/trickery”. The etymology of hiki is somewhat interesting to note. The concept of deception or trickery in the emergent Matoran culture appears to have been associated with “incompleteness”, “part of a whole”, or “something held back”. The composition of hiki reflects this association: the element ki denotes “(a) part, piece”, while hī denotes “(a) thing, place”, with the original meaning of hiki being “part of a thing”.

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Kanohi Akaku, n.cmpd. “Mask of (X-Ray) Vision; allows the wearer to see with enhanced vision, even through solid matter”

Etymology:

aka, n. “power, ability”
aku, n. “sight, vision”

The element aka combines straightforwardly with the element aku, yielding the compound aka-aku “power of vision”, modern form akaku.

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Kanohi Kakama, n.cmpd. “Mask of Speed; allows the wearer to move at extremely high speeds”

Etymology:

ka, n. “power, energy”
ka-ma, v. “to move”

The element ka combines with the verbal complex ka-ma to form the compound ka-kama “power of moving/movement”. In order to express the generalized (nounal) event of “moving, movement” intended here, the verbal particle is also sometimes displaced (“variable placement”*), yielding the variant verbal complex ma-ka (and the variant form kamaka, see variant form above).

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Kanohi Vahi, n.cmpd. “Mask of Time; allows the wearer to control the flow of time itself”

vā, stm. “time (abstract)”
hī, stm. “thing, place”

The elements vā and hī combine straightforwardly to yield the compound vā-hī, literally meaning “time-thing”, modern form vahi.

[*see Lesson 6 I., Lesson 7 IIId., Lesson 8 Ia. for more information on “splitting” particles and “variable placement”]

Learning Matoran: Lesson 8

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:30:00 +0000

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 particles will be discussed in this lesson, and these can be organized into two series of three particles each: The first three are “locative” in nature, while the last three deal with concepts such as the endpoint, origin, and transition/path of an action.

Ia. The Basic Locative Particle.

The basic locative particle specifies a position spatially in/at/on or temporally during the noun with which it is paired. The exact interpretation (i.e. temporal or spatial) is up to the context and the denotation of the noun itself.

The basic form of the particle is two-fold, depending on its placement with respect to the noun. Recall from the previous lesson the discussion of “variable placement” with the possessive particle: wa(i) before the noun, but ui/u’i after the noun. The basic locative particle exhibits a very similar case of variable placement, although it is more analogous to the variable placement of the verbal particle ya, which can be “split” into a- and -i (see Lesson 6, section I.).

To begin, the basic form of the particle is oki when it is placed after the noun. This particle can be “split” into a particle ki or ke (interchangeable) which is displaced before the stem, and a particle ō which remains after the stem. A few examples will be useful to illustrate the variation (the particle ō can vary with ou, particularly if it follows a vowel):

1) a. matoran-oki OR ki-matoran-ō, ke-matoran-ō   “in/on/at the Matoran”
     b. wahi-oki OR ki-wahi-ou, ke-wahi-ou   “in/at the Wahi”
     c. aval-oki OR ki-aval-ō, ke-aval-ō   “in/during the time/period” (aval “time, period (of time)”)

IIb. The Ante-Locative Particle.

The ante-locative particle specifies a position temporally before/preceding/prior to or spatially behind/on the other side of the noun with which it is paired. The exact interpretation (i.e. temporal or spatial) is up to the context and the denotation of the noun itself.

The basic form of the particle is oki or okī (interchangeable) and it is always placed before the noun. Additionally, the o- of the particle can optionally be dropped (oki > ki, okī > kī). Note that the basic form of this particle is identical to that of the previous particle except for its position with respect to the noun.

2) a. (o)ki-nuyo, (o)kī-nuyo   “behind/on the other side of the mountain”
     b. (o)ki-matoran, (o)kī-matoran   “behind/on the other side of the Matoran”
     c. (o)ki-azal, (o)kī-azal   “before/prior to the attack”

IIc. The Post-Locative Particle.

The post-locative particle specifies a position temporally after/subsequent to or spatially after/in front of/on this side of the noun with which it is paired. The exact interpretation (i.e. temporal or spatial) is up to the context and the denotation of the noun itself.

The basic form of the particle is hi, and it is always placed after the noun.

There are a few variations in the form of the particle, depending on the form of the stem: If the stem ends in a short vowel, hi is strengthened to khi (hoto-hi > hotokhi). If the stem ends in a long vowel, hi becomes gi (kolhī-hi > kolhīgi). If the stem ends in a consonant, hi becomes ki (brakas-hi > brakaski), unless the consonant is n, in which case hi becomes gi (matoran-hi > matorangi).

In addition, there is some variability that is the consequence of etymological developments in noun stems. For example, if a noun stem ends in a long vowel, the particle would usually become gi (kolhī-hi > kolhīgi). Historically, many noun stems ended in long vowels which have since shortened, leading to variation between the khi and gi forms of the particle. One common example involves the derivational nounal particle hi (as in wa-hi, kano-hi, etc.), which has been shortened from older hī. As a result, the form of the post-locative particle when it is attached to such stems frequently varies between khi and gi: wahikhi vs. wahigi, kanohikhi vs. kanohigi, etc.

3) a. ihnu-khi   “in front of/on this side of the hill” (ihnu “hill”)
     b. matoran-gi   “in front of/on this side of the Matoran”
     c. daika-khi   “after/subsequent to the music” (daika “music, notes”)
     d. azal-ki   “after/subsequent to the attack”

IId. The Endpoint Particle.

The endpoint particle specifies that the noun with which it is paired is the endpoint of the action of the verb. It will usually be translated into English as “to”. Depending on the context and the denotations of the noun and verb, an endpoint can manifest in many different ways. For example, with a verb expressing some kind of movement, the endpoint could be expressed as the location to which the subject moves (“Kopaka went to Ko-Koro.”). Conversely, with a verb expressing an event where the subject affects an object in some way, the endpoint could be the person or location at which the object ends up (“Tahu gave the mask to Gali.”). Additionally, there is an interplay between this particle and the basic locative particle discussed above, particularly with verbs expressing the latter situation. This interplay will be noted in a later lesson.

The basic form of the particle is ī or ih, and it is always placed before the noun. The ī form is usually used before a stem beginning in a consonant (ī-matoran), while the ih form is used when a stem begins with a vowel (ih-akaku).

4) a. ī-metru   “to/toward the city”
     b. ī-matoran   “to/toward the Matoran”
     c. ihazal   “to/toward the attack”

IIe. The Origin Particle.

The origin particle specifies that the noun with which it is paired is the origin-point of the action of the verb. It will usually be translated into English as “from” or “out of”. Depending on the context and the denotations of the noun and verb, an endpoint can manifest in many different ways. For example, with a verb expressing some kind of movement, the endpoint could be expressed as the location from/out of which the subject moves (“Kopaka came from Ko-Koro.”). Conversely, with a verb expressing an event where the subject affects an object in some way, the endpoint could be the person or location from which the object originates (“Tahu took the mask from Gali.”). Additionally, as with the other particles, there is an interplay between this particle and the other objective particles, particularly with verbs expressing the latter situation. This interplay will be examined in a later lesson.

The basic form of the particle is ha, and it is always placed after the noun.

There are a few variations in the form of the particle, depending on the form of the stem (note that these variations mirror the variations exhibited by the posterior-position particle hi): If the stem ends in a short vowel, ha is strengthened to kha (hoto-ha > hotokha). If the stem ends in a long vowel, ha becomes ga (kolhī-ha > kolhīga). If the stem ends in a consonant, ha becomes ka (brakas-ha > brakaska), unless the consonant is n, in which case ha becomes ga, frequently strengthened to gō, from earlier *gā (matoran-ha > matoranga, matorangō)

In addition, just as with the post-locative particle hi, there is a degree of variability that is the consequence of etymological developments in noun stems. For example, if a noun stem ends in a long vowel, the particle would usually become ga (kolhī-ha > kolhīga). Historically, many noun stems ended in long vowels which have since shortened, leading to variation between the kha and ga forms of the particle. One common example involves the derivational nounal particle hi (as in wa-hi, kano-hi, etc.), which has been shortened from older hī. As a result, the form of the post-locative particle when it is attached to such stems frequently varies between kha and ga: wahikha vs. wahiga, kanohikha vs. kanohiga, etc.

5) a. ihnu-kha   “from/away from/out of the hill”
     b. matoran-ga, matoran-gō   “from/away from the Matoran”
     c. metru-kha   “from/away from/out of the city”
     d. azal-ka   “from/away from the attack”

IIf. The Transitional-Instrumental Particle.

The transitional-instrumental particle specifies that the noun with which it is paired is the path, transition, or instrument by which the action of the verb progresses. It will usually be translated into English as “through” or “by” or “with”. Depending on the context and the denotations of the noun and verb, a path/transition meaning can manifest in many different ways. For example, with a verb expressing some kind of spatial movement, the transition could be expressed as the location through or by means of which the subject moves (“Kopaka came/went through Ko-Koro.”). Conversely, with a verb expressing an event where the subject affects an object in some way, the transition could be expressed as the instrument through or by means of which the object is affected (“Tahu attacked the Rahi with his sword.”). Additionally, as with the other particles, there is an interplay between this particle and the other objective particles, particularly with verbs expressing this latter instrumental situation. This interplay will be examined in a later lesson.

Mirroring the basic locative particle, the basic form of the transitional particle is two-fold, depending on its placement with respect to the noun (“variable placement”). To begin, the basic form of the particle when it is placed after the noun is amu when the stem ends in a consonant and mu when the stem ends in a vowel. This particle can be “split” into a particle u or ou (interchangeable) which is displaced before the stem, and a particle ma (with a truncated variant -n) which remains after the stem. A few examples will be useful to illustrate the variation:

6) a. matoran-amu OR (o)u-matoran-ma   “through/by the Matoran”
     b. wahi-amu OR (o)u-wahi-ma, (o)u-wahi-n   “through/by the Wahi”
     c. azal-amu OR (o)u-azal-ma   “through/with the attack”
     d. onoto-amu OR (o)u-onoto-ma, (o)u-onoto-n   “by/with the tool”

Learning Matoran: Lesson 7

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 23:42:00 +0000

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.) in the sentence. Unlike verbs, however, nouns in Matoran do not take a dedicated set of particles in the same way as verbs. For example, many nouns are simply stems in their own right, while all verb-stems must be paired with a verbal particle. Nominal particles do exist, of course, and some of them function in similarly to verbal particles, i.e. indicating that the stem with which they are paired is of the category “noun”, rather than some other category. Such particles would technically be referred to as “derivational”, and they contrast with the “functional” particles that are more abundant for nouns. These functional particles will be the primary subject of the following discussions. In this respect, verbal particles are both derivational and functional: they indicate that the stem is a verb, in addition to encoding functional content such as Tense. In contrast, nominal particles are mostly functional, encoding content such as “subject”, “object”, “possessor”, etc. Regardless, as in the case of verbs, the combination of stem+particle will be referred to as the nominal complex when necessary.

Pronouns follow the same paradigms as nouns, although they are, in many respects, more irregular. Originally, pronouns took nominal particles identically to nouns, and they therefore encoded the same functional content (“object”, “possessor” etc.). With time, however, pronoun+particle sequences merged drastically, such that, in current stages of Matoran, they form single units.

We will begin with a discussion of the subject forms of pronouns (the simplest paradigm) before moving on to a discussion of the paradigms for a few of the essential nominal particles, a complete discussion of the other (more complicated) paradigms being delayed until later.

II. Pronouns: Subject Forms.

Before we get to a discussion of particles and the nominal complex, we’ll start off with some simple things. For this section, all you need worry about are the subject forms of pronouns (these were called “nominative” in previous lessons—same function). In anticipation of future discussion, however, it will be good to know that the “subject” category contrasts with the “objective” category, which, for nouns, includes a basic “objective” particle indicating direct/indirect object status (I threw the snowball.), as well as a range of more descriptive markers indicating spatial and temporal positions (“I arrived in Ko-Koro before sundown.”), along with aspectual contours of events (“I threw the snowball to Kopeke” vs. “I threw the snowball at Kopeke” vs. “I threw the snowball toward Kopeke”, etc.).

The subject forms of pronouns for first-person through “fourth-person” (an impersonal/generic pronoun “one, some”) are as follows (the particle nā indicates plural number):

   Sg.       Plural
1 o          o nā
2 oa        oa nā
3 ai         ai nā
4 ua       ua nā

You can see that the paradigms for the plural pronouns are actually much simpler now than they were in previous lessons. Rejoice! Subject-pronouns are usually positioned directly before the verb. This is a fairly rigid rule; however, due to the variability of word order in Matoran, an object or other element could intervene between the subject-pronoun and verb. This is much more common when the subject is non-pronominal, however. The following examples will illustrate:

1) a. o okoma   “I sleep.” (oko ma “to sleep; to pause/rest”)
    b. ai nā okonnā   “They are sleeping.”
    c. oa orahō   “You spoke.”
    d. ai orahōna   “He was speaking.”
    e. o nā kamē   “We will go.”
    f. ua orakha “One speaks...” (example context: “One should speak only when spoken to...”)
    g. airahi oa akumō “You saw Rahi.” (aku ma “to see”; airahi < ai-rahi. The particle ai is objective.)
    h. oa airahi akumō “You saw Rahi.”

The patterns of combination here are very straightforward. Note that (1g), which exhibits a full nominal object preceding the pronominal subject and the verb, would be more standard than (1h), which has a full nominal object intervening between subject and verb, although (1h) is certainly not ungrammatical.

III. Nominal Particles: Introduction.

Now that you’re aware of the overall structure of the nominal complex and you’ve been introduced to the subject-forms of pronouns, it’s time to jump into the first few types of nominal particles. These are the subject particle, the basic objective particle, and the possessive particle.

IIIa. The Subject Particle.

As its name suggests, the subject particle indicates that the noun is the subject of a sentence (generally the agent). The particle takes the form ai or ka, and is always positioned after the noun. The ai form generally occurs with stems ending in a consonant (ussal ai or ussalai), but can also occur with stems ending in a or a long vowel (or diphthong), in which case it is frequently shortened to -‘i (mata ai > mata’i; kolhī ai > kolhī’I, hau ai > hau’i). The ka form generally occurs with stems ending in a short vowel other than a (hoto ka, rhotu ka). As usual, the particle can be written as a separate word or attached to the noun either directly or with a dash.

One exception to the usage rules of ai/ka is as follows: if a stem ends with n, ka is frequently used instead of ai and merges with the noun stem itself, forming -nga: matoran-ka > matoranga.

Also, note that the subject particle is actual optional in many cases! For example, if a noun is placed directly before the verb (a common pattern), and information from context makes it possible to distinguish between the subject and object, the subject particle can be dropped. There is, in fact, an interesting interplay between word order and particle-marking that will be discussed in a later lesson.

IIIb. The Basic Objective Particle.

The basic objective particle indicates that the noun is a direct or indirect object, depending on the context and the verb involved. It is the most commonly used of the objective particles. The particle itself takes the form of ai or ak. The ai form generally occurs with nouns beginning in a consonant (rahi > ai rahi), while the ak form is used with nouns beginning in a vowel (ak ussal). As you can see, the particle is always positioned before the noun, and can be written as a separate word or attached to the noun either directly or with a dash (ai rahi, ai-rahi, airahi; ak ussal, ak-ussal, akussal).

One exception to the usage rules of ai/ak is as follows: if a stem begins with n, ak is frequently used instead of ai and merges with the noun stem itself, forming ang-: ak-nohi > angohi. This mirrors the exception to the usage rules of the subject pronoun discussed above.

Finally, note that, much like the subject particle, the basic objective particle is also optional in many cases, depending on the context, the presence of other forms of marking, and the word order. This interplay between factors will be discussed in-depth in a later section.

IIIc. Examples.

Now that you know something about the subject and basic objective particles, a few examples are in order:

2) a. matoranga ak-ussal usyōna.   "The Matoran was riding the Ussal." (us ya “to ride”)
    b. ai-piraka toa’i zyōna.   "The Toa attacked the Piraka." (zya “to attack”)
    c. turaga’i orahē ai-matoran nā. "The Turaga spoke to the Matoran (pl.)."
    d. kanohika crasyō ak-azal. “The Kanohi repelled the attack.” (cras ya “to repel”, azal “attack”)
    e. gehelai galya.   “The river flows.” (gehel “river, stream”, gal ya “to flow”)
    f. angenu toa’i vikimē. “The Toa cut the grass.” (angenu < ak-nenu “grass”, viki ma “to cut”)
    g. brakasai matyō ak-enerui. “The Brakas used (climbed) the vine.”

IIId. The Possessive Particle.

The possessive particle indicates—you guessed it—possession! It is attached to the possessor-noun (the noun that possesses something: Tahu’s mask, Makuta’s evil plan). The particle comes in two different flavors, each of which is historically descended from a single possessive marker. These two forms are wai, which is always placed before the noun, and ui or u’i, which is always placed after the noun. The wai form frequently truncates to wa- when the stem begins with a vowel. In addition, as you can see, the possessor-noun itself (stem+particle or particle+stem) is positioned after the noun it possesses.

Both of these markers descend from a single historical marker *-uai, which was originally placed after the noun. Recall, however, that in the case of verbs, verbal particles may be displaced before the stem to which they are attached. This is, in fact, a consistent pattern that extends beyond verbal particles, and the variation in the forms of the possessive particle are one of the results. Indeed, this concept of “variable position” will feature prominently in future discussions of the remaining objective particles.

A few examples, to conclude:

3) a. ussal wai-huki   “Hewkii’s ussal”
     b. onoto matoranui   “Matoran’s tool” (onoto “tool”)
     c. azahi pirakau’i   “Piraka’s crime” (azahi “crime”)
     d. onuyo wa-ihu   “Ihu’s mountain” (truncation of wai to wa; (o)nuyo “mountain”)