Agori/matoran Languages?

[Athmos]

This is my theory at Agori/Matoran Languages and communication. As everyone knows, or should know, or better know, is that the language in the MU is, well, Matoran. I tried looking up on BS01 to see if any other language is actually spoken in the MU besides Matoran, and that search turned up empty-handed. When the Reformation(or whatever it's "officially" called) happened, the Toa and Glatorians began an attempt to merge the Matoran and Agori populations. Now, I don't know if they spoke the same language, if Mata Nui did some mind-melding on both populations or what, but we do know that the Toa and Glatorians were able to communicate. Matoran, as is believed, is a robotic language. Much like R2-D2, or at least in that neighborhood of language. Agori(and Glatorians) are more organic then metal and gears like the Matoran Universe population. This begs the question: Are their vocal cords organic or is it a mechanical speech box(for lack of a better word. ) like the Matoran? The former is the most likely. With that in mind, it would be near impossible for the Agori to speak Matoran very fluently. Or even clearly. It would be like asking an American Indian, who has only spoken his language his entire life, to communicate with a Japanese man, who also only has spoken his language! There would be no communication except maybe for gestures and the like. Even then, the cultures are so different, the gestures mean different things! Now here's my theory: The Matoran actually don't talk in their robotic language. They actually speak Agori! Their speech boxes are programed to speak Agori. Why? It's simple really! The GB knew that they needed a language for the MU population to use. They didn't exactly have the time to make up a whole new language, now did they? They knew the Shattering was going to happen, so why not just use the language everyone already spoke? Agori. It would solve the communication problem I brought up earlier. With both populations speaking Agori, it would be easier for them to merge together into one population. The language in the MU, Agori, was just named Matoran, for the same reason Agori is named Agori. The Matoran are the largest population group. It makes sense to call the language Matoran. Why call it Vortixx or Skakdi when they make up a smaller group of the total population? TL;DR? Matoran actually speak Agori. Now, I do realize I didn't use the technical terms, but I think I got my point across. Go ahead and pick it apart, I know you people will. If you guys are confused, I'm sorry, but I can only explain it to you, I can't understand it for you. Thanks for reading.

[Ballom Nom Nom]

Actually, from what I've heard, the prevalent theory is that Matoran language is a form of programming language, if you will. Much like real life programming languages, which contain various words from another language to allow people to understand them, Matoran language would contain Agori words.Thus, Agori would probably be already able to speak Matoran, it being a more technologically program-oriented version of Agori. And, on the other hand, Matoran will likely know some Agori due to already speaking a rather condensed version of it.~B~

Edited July 10, 2012 by Ballom

[Click]

I think there are actually a few more languages that are spoken, but only referenced really. I think the Bohrok queens spoke a different one, and I remember in Bio. Adv. 8, it said "Sidorak cursed in a language that was old when Metru Nui was young," which I guess could be a dialect of Agori. Just picking it apart a bit. It does sound like a valid theory though, although Sci Fi's filled with those random things that shouldn't work, but somehow does according to the author/director/etc.

[LordofBionicles]

what happened was that Mata Nui made all Matoran Universe inhabitants able to speak Agori, which now that I think about would be like a robotic voice speaking a non-computer language, Matoran language is a programming language wich mean it could be like 0011010001111100111 or something like that, so it would be impossible for Agori and Glatorian to speak Matoran. it´s interesting what you said about vocal chords, that would mean the Agori language is a little similar to languages on Earth with pronunciations and tongue sounds

Edited July 10, 2012 by LordofBionicles

[Athmos]

Actually, from what I've heard, the prevalent theory is that Matoran language is a form of programming language, if you will. Much like real life programming languages, which contain various words from another language to allow people to understand them, Matoran language would contain Agori words.Thus, Agori would probably be already able to speak Matoran, it being a more technologically program-oriented version of Agori. And, on the other hand, Matoran will likely know some Agori due to already speaking a rather condensed version of it.~B~

Maybe.That's a good point, it's possible. But who really knows?

I think there are actually a few more languages that are spoken, but only referenced really. I think the Bohrok queens spoke a different one, and I remember in Bio. Adv. 8, it said "Sidorak cursed in a language that was old when Metru Nui was young," which I guess could be a dialect of Agori. Just picking it apart a bit. It does sound like a valid theory though, although Sci Fi's filled with those random things that shouldn't work, but somehow does according to the author/director/etc.

I thought the Bohrok Queens didn't speak at all, it was just a mental link. Dang it, I'm gonna go read Chronicles 2.....

what happened was that Mata Nui made all Matoran Universe inhabitants able to speak Agori, which now that I think about would be like a robotic voice speaking a non-computer language, Matoran language is a programming language wich mean it could be like 0011010001111100111 or something like that, so it would be impossible for Agori and Glatorian to speak Matoran. it´s interesting what you said about vocal chords, that would mean the Agori language is a little similar to languages on Earth with pronunciations and tongue sounds

Binary, you mean. Well, it has been stated that Agori and Glatorian are capable of breeding, growing hair, the need to wear clothing, so I assume that the speaking with vocal chords would be very close to Earth's Language's pronunciations. Edited July 10, 2012 by Cinnamon Grochi

[Ballom Nom Nom]

Actually, from what I've heard, the prevalent theory is that Matoran language is a form of programming language, if you will. Much like real life programming languages, which contain various words from another language to allow people to understand them, Matoran language would contain Agori words.Thus, Agori would probably be already able to speak Matoran, it being a more technologically program-oriented version of Agori. And, on the other hand, Matoran will likely know some Agori due to already speaking a rather condensed version of it.~B~

Maybe.That's a good point, it's possible. But who really knows?

Well, just handwaving criticism like that sort of defeats the point of inviting us to pick it apart, as that line suggests you'll actually try to refute other arguments. Also, if your attittude was "Who really knows" I'm curious as to why you posted a theory. ~B~ Edited July 10, 2012 by Ballom

[Athmos]

Actually, from what I've heard, the prevalent theory is that Matoran language is a form of programming language, if you will. Much like real life programming languages, which contain various words from another language to allow people to understand them, Matoran language would contain Agori words.Thus, Agori would probably be already able to speak Matoran, it being a more technologically program-oriented version of Agori. And, on the other hand, Matoran will likely know some Agori due to already speaking a rather condensed version of it.~B~

Maybe.That's a good point, it's possible. But who really knows?

Well, just handwaving criticism like that sort of defeats the point of inviting us to pick it apart, as that line suggests you'll actually try to refute other arguments. Also, if your attittude was "Who really knows" I'm curious as to why you posted a theory. ~B~

Heh, I'm not handwaving it away. You make a rather valid point. But I wrote this theory as a theory. A guess. A thought-out guess, but still a guess. And until GregF reveals answers to all our questions, who knows what is correct?

[fishers64]

Honestly, I don't think it would be like zeroes and ones...I think Matoran have a higher level of communication than R2-D2's little beeps. I think it would be more like them speaking Java (metaphorically only) and their brains converting into bytecode, then into 0101101. Of course, this would happen extremely fast, like in a modern computer - and that's all assuming that they're brains aren't organic...One possible idea is that the Matoran language changed from system beeps to bytecode to modern Matoran as they gained sapience...If the Matoran have organic brains as we do, then their processing of language would probably be similar to how we do it, and in that case it's just a different language. I don't think that Mata Nui would have to do a modification for the Matoran, however, if they already spoke an understood Agori. Also, the Matoran gained sapience after they left Spherus Magna, and would have little knowledge of Agori. So I find this theory unlikely.

[Athmos]

Regardless of when they gained sapience, they would still require to communicate for the Mata Nui Robot to run. Computers today communicate with their own language. The Matoran would had to communicated as well. From our current understanding of Matoran, they don't have organic brains.

[fishers64]

Regardless of when they gained sapience, they would still require to communicate for the Mata Nui Robot to run. Computers today communicate with their own language. The Matoran would had to communicated as well. From our current understanding of Matoran, they don't have organic brains.

Just because they needed to communicate doesn't mean that they communicated in Agori. And if Mata Nui had to modify them (using the Ignika) to be able to speak Agori, that strongly implies that they did not speak Agori in the first place.

[Click]

Oh, and I just remembered, the Visorak also have their own language. Thought I should mention that. They developed it themselves after their creation.As for the Matoran, maybe they were originally given a "program" to be able to speak Agori should it be needed. Like maybe they speak in morse code or something (which would be cool, but I guess Nuju and Kualus's "Flyer-speak" kind of ruin that, since it was a completely different language consisting of clicks and whistles, so if it's different, then their language probably doesn't consist of clicks, beeps, whirs, or whistles, ruling out "R2speak."), and then later, when they heard the Agori language, the program kicks in, and voila! They speak Agori.

[Nuparu1995]

The "old language" theorem and related language theorem may stand. I bet they're very closely related, with Matoran just designed a little differently. Possibly different "dialects," like standard Matoran and Chutespeak. Or maybe it's something like the relationship between Spanish-Portugese and Spanish-Italian linguistic relations. The two languages are so similar that the speakers of each language can understand each other to a certain degree. Either way, if they were able to communicate well, then the languages must be only infinitesimally different.

[bonesiii]

I tried looking up on BS01 to see if any other language is actually spoken in the MU besides Matoran, and that search turned up empty-handed.

It's known that the Visorak have their own language, as well as that rhinolike Rahi whose name I forget from LoMN. Both of these are considered Rahi by the Matoran, though. There's also the bird language, which Nuju, Kualus, and Matoro speak.There was also some kind of different written language on the Mask of Light. Exactly what it was is not known. Might just be an older version of Matoran.

Now, I don't know if they spoke the same language, if Mata Nui did some mind-melding on both populations or what, but we do know that the Toa and Glatorians were able to communicate.

Firstly, this is just a nitpick, but it's Glatorian, no s. Plural s is not used with Bionicle words. Anywho...Mata Nui used the Mask of Life to teach all the MU beings (or at least Matoran) Agori. Which wasn't too hard since Matoran already used Agori words as a programming language, but the grammar might have been different, and probably many words were foreign to both. "Matoran" at the very least should include Toa and Turaga of course. Thus all five major types can now speak to each other easily in Agori. If Skakdi and the like didn't get the instant language learning, Matoran could act as translators, but probably they all did. (All the humanoids anyways.)

Matoran, as is believed, is a robotic language. Much like R2-D2, or at least in that neighborhood of language.

R2-D2 is better compared to the bird language; a series of beeplike sounds and the like. Matoran uses Agori words; all the Bionicle words you know from the MU like "Kanohi" and such are actually spoken that way, not just beeps or whatever.

Agori(and Glatorians) are more organic then metal and gears like the Matoran Universe population. This begs the question: Are their vocal cords organic or is it a mechanical speech box(for lack of a better word. ) like the Matoran?

We don't know if the Matoran have a mechanical or organic speech system. We know their lungs are organic, though, so there's some evidence it's organic, but either way, it works the same basic way as Agori (and humans). And not sure if you were asking this, but the Agori's is almost certainly natural organic, since their mechanical components are implants, mainly armor, and voiceboxes work fine organically.

The former is the most likely. With that in mind, it would be near impossible for the Agori to speak Matoran very fluently. Or even clearly.

No, they could. Speakers of English can easily learn many programming languages that use English, just in a more rigorous syntax so that there's no room for confusion. Chances are you know some yourself, like basic BB code or html; how to bold things for example is easy to remember as it uses the letter b for bold.But it made more sense for the Matoran to get upgraded to Agori, since Agori was designed for sapient, fully intelligent beings while Matoran was not. The Matoran accidently gained sapience, so they now get a language better suited to what they are now.

It would be like asking an American Indian, who has only spoken his language his entire life, to communicate with a Japanese man, who also only has spoken his language!

It's more like speaking a different dialect of native American, or technically a programming language written by speakers of native American.

Even then, the cultures are so different, the gestures mean different things!

Matoran and Agori cultures aren't all that different. In any case, the meanings of the obscure words and the like were apparently given to the MU beings by Mata Nui, or if not they could define them fairly easily using common words.

The Matoran actually don't talk in their robotic language. They actually speak Agori! Their speech boxes are programed to speak Agori. Why? It's simple really!The GB knew that they needed a language for the MU population to use. They didn't exactly have the time to make up a whole new language, now did they? They knew the Shattering was going to happen, so why not just use the language everyone already spoke? Agori.

Because it had to be a programming language, and Agori's grammar was probably too informal. Just think of English versus programming languages that use English words. English's grammar is far looser, which is too complicated and inexact for computers.But you're kinda right, because the GBs did not bother to invent a totally new language. They recycled words, etc.

Actually, from what I've heard, the prevalent theory is that Matoran language is a form of programming language, if you will.

It's not just a theory; it's confirmed. The Mask of Conjuring's power was inspired by that confirmation for example; speaking carefully worded sentences can actually program a new power temporarily. And the giant robot's systems run code that uses the Matoran language.

I think the Bohrok queens spoke a different one, and I remember in Bio. Adv. 8, it said "Sidorak cursed in a language that was old when Metru Nui was young," which I guess could be a dialect of Agori.

I'm not aware of any evidence that the Bahrag spoke anything other than Matoran, although they did use telepathic communication at times which might be beyond speech. And yeah, that Siddy example sounds like Agori. I've also wondered if the Mask of Light one might be Agori, though it seems unlikely.

Matoran language is a programming language wich mean it could be like 0011010001111100111 or something like that

No, lol -- the words you know from Matoran (like "Matoran" ) are spoken just the way we do. Not binary or anything like that.

As for the Matoran, maybe they were originally given a "program" to be able to speak Agori should it be needed.

Perhaps; that would explain the Sidorak quote well, and then what Mata Nui did at the end would be more like reactivating something that had been forgotten. Still, Greg gave no indication of this. And Sidorak's example could also be explained as poetic exaggeration. :shrugs:Anyways, if the theory is "Matoran speak Agori", literally and exactly, then the answer is no. But in a sense they do as Matoran is a version of Agori. If your theory is "Matoran speak Agori" in the sense of "a language closely derived from it, rather than beeps or binary", then yes. Also, we do not (and cannot) know all the specific differences, since we obviously don't have fully defined languages in Bionicle. We know some of the words, but not the grammar for the most part or all the words. Edited July 10, 2012 by bonesiii

[~Shockwave~]

its a kikinalo, bones.i'm going to guess that they are the same. or relatively close.

[Athmos]

Well, thanks Bonesiii!

[Toa of Ice - 1987]

Vahki spoke matoran universe/binary but at a much higher pitch frequency making them hard to understand.

Edited July 11, 2012 by .-:Kopaka Nuva:-.

[bonesiii]

Vahki spoke matoran universe/binary but at a much higher pitch frequency making them hard to understand.

No, they did not speak binary. They spoke Matoran. You're correct about it being sped up and higher pitched, but it wasn't binary. Here's a quote from BS01:

Vahki could not speak normal Matoran. Instead, they communicated with ultrasonic signals. These signals, which were actually Matoran at a high speed and pitch, could only be understood by other Vahki and Turaga Dume, due to a special technology in Dume's chamber at the Coliseum.

[Nuparu1995]

Even if minor language discrepancies did exist, keep in mine that any prominent diplomatic figure wearing a Kanohi Rau (i.e. Nokama) could easily solve such a misunderstanding.

[Toa of Ice - 1987]

Vahki spoke matoran universe/binary but at a much higher pitch frequency making them hard to understand.

No, they did not speak binary. They spoke Matoran. You're correct about it being sped up and higher pitched, but it wasn't binary. Here's a quote from BS01:

Vahki could not speak normal Matoran. Instead, they communicated with ultrasonic signals. These signals, which were actually Matoran at a high speed and pitch, could only be understood by other Vahki and Turaga Dume, due to a special technology in Dume's chamber at the Coliseum.

But i never understood why only turaga dume was allowed to understand the vahki. If the vahki spoke matoran in a normal way they could have had easier times talking inmediately to the matoran before using brute tactics and chasing. Edited July 15, 2012 by .-:Kopaka Nuva:-.

[ALVIS]

Well, if many of the creations in BIONICLE had been better thought out, we wouldn't have much of a story.

[bonesiii]

But i never understood why only turaga dume was allowed to understand the vahki. If the vahki spoke matoran in a normal way tohey could have had a easiers time talking inmediately to the matoran before using brute tactics and chasing.

Probably the major concern was that criminals wouldn't be able to overhear Vahki communicating between themselves, and Matoran already knew what they were supposed to be doing anyways, so there wasn't a need for Vahki to say anything, but Dume did need to hear their reports, be able to give orders, etc.