about "Game of Thrones"

最酷的一點就是

is that the inhabitants of the Dothraki Sea

多斯拉克海的居民

have their own real language.

有他們自己真實的語言。

And Dothraki came hot on the heels

緊接在多斯拉克語之後，

of the real language that the Na'vi speak in "Avatar,"

阿凡達中的納美人也有他們獨自的語言

which, surely, the Na'vi needed

when the Klingons in "Star Trek"

星艦迷航記中的克林貢人

have had their own whole language

有他們一套完整的語言

since 1979.

早已於1979年存在

And let's not forget the Elvish languages

別忘了還有精靈語，

in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy,

出現於托爾金的魔戒中，

especially since that was the official grandfather

特別地是精靈語之後便成為

of the fantasy conlangs.

人工語言的始祖

Conlang is short for constructed language.

Conlang (人工語言) 是 constructed language 的縮寫

They're more than codes like Pig Latin,

它不只是純粹移動字母順序，

and they're not just collections

也不僅僅是組合

of fabricated slang like the Nadsat lingo

一些編造的俚語，如「Nadsat話」，

that the teen hoodlums

一群不良青少年

in "A Clockwork Orange" speak,

在電影「發條橘子」中所說的語言

where droog from Russian

droog源自於俄文

happens to mean friend.

意指朋友

What makes conlangs real languages

Conlang成為真實語言的原因

isn't the number of words they have.

不是因為擁有的字彙數目

It helps, of course, to have a lot of words.

當然而，詞彙多是一大助益

Dothraki has thousands of words.

多斯克拉語有幾千個字

Na'vi started with 1500 words.

納美語最初有1500個字，

Fans on websites have steadily created more.

網路上的粉絲慢慢地創造更多詞彙。

But we can see the difference

我們可清楚發現

between vocabulary alone

單獨字彙

and what makes a real language

與真實語言的差別

from a look at how Tolkien

看看托爾金如何

put together grand old Elvish,

創造古精靈語

a conlang with several thousands words.

古精靈語僅有幾千個詞彙但組織完整

After all, you could memorize 5,000 words of Russian

畢竟你可能牢記5000個俄文詞彙

and still be barely able to construct a sentence.

卻不太能夠組織一個句子

A four-year-old would talk rings around you.

一個四歲小孩可以和你暢談魔戒。

That's because you have to know

那是因為你必須了解

how to put the words together.

如何將詞彙組織在一起

That is, a real language has grammar.

也就是說，真實的語言是有文法的。

Elvish does.

精靈語就是如此

In English, to make a verb past,

在英語中，要將動詞變化為過去式，

you add an "-ed".

你得在字尾加上"ed"

Wash, washed.

如wash(洗)，過去式為washed

In Elvish, wash is allu

精靈語的洗是"allu"

and washed is allune.

過去式為allune

Real languages also change over time.

真實的語言也會因為時間而改變

There's no such thing

沒有任何一個

as a language that's the same today

現代的語言

as it was a thousand years ago.

和一千多年前完全相同

As people speak, they drift into new habits,

人們交談時會加入新的習慣，

shed old ones,

淘汰舊的習慣、

make mistakes,

犯錯、

and get creative.

或是創造新用法。

Today, one says,

現代人說：

"Give us today our daily bread."

''Give us today our daily bread'' (今日賜給我們今日的食物)

In Old English, they said,

古英文則是：

"Urne gedaeghwamlican hlaf syle us todaeg."

"Urne gedaeghwamlican hlaf syle us todaeg."

Things change in conlangs, too.

人工語言也會改變

Tolkien charted out ancient

托爾金創造了古精靈語

and newer versions of Elvish.

和現代精靈語

When the first Elves awoke at Cuivienen,

於Cuivienen 地區甦醒的小精靈

in their new language,

在他們的語言中，

the word for people was kwendi,

kwendi 意指人

but in the language of one of the groups

但其中一個族群 "Teleri 族"的語言

that moved away, Teleri,

因遷徙的緣故，

over time, kwendi became pendi,

kwendi (人) 漸漸演變成 pendi

with the k turning into a p.

k變成了p

And just like real languages,

正如同真實語言，

conlangs like Elvish split off into many.

人工語言像精靈語也有許多分支

When the Romans transplanted Latin across Europe,

羅馬人將拉丁語傳入歐洲，

French, Spanish, and Italian were born.

法語、西班牙語、義大利語隨之誕生

When groups move to different places,

族群遷徙至新的地方，

over time their ways of speaking grow apart,

隨著時間推進，說話方式也會有所改變，

just like everything else about them.

如同其他生活習慣也會日漸產生變化

Thus, Latin's word for hand was manus,

拉丁文的「手」是manus

but in French, it became main,

但在法文中演變成main

while in Spain it became mano.

西文則是mano

Tolkien made sure Elvish did the same kind of thing.

托爾金以同樣的概念創造精靈語

While that original word kwendi became pendi

除了Teleri 族語的「人」由 kwendi 變成 pendi

among the Teleri,

among the Avari, who spread throughout Middle Earth,

遍布整個中土世界的Avari 族

it became kindi

則是將 kwendi (人) 變成 kindi

when the w dropped out.

也就是去除 kwendi 的 w

The Elvish varieties Tolkien fleshed out the most

托爾金所創造最充實完善的兩個精靈語

are Quenya and Sindarin,

為 Quenya 及Sindarin族語

and their words are different

他們的詞彙之間的關係和

in the same way French and Spanish are.

法文與西文一樣有所不同

Quenya has suc for drink,

Quendya族語的 suc 意思為喝

Sindarin has sog.

Sindarin語則是 sog

And as you know, real languages are messy.

眾所皆知，真實語言是非常複雜的

That's because they change,

那是因為他們會改變

and change has a way of working against order,

且改變常常違背規則

just like in a living room

像我們說在客廳「裡」

or on a bookshelf.

但說在書架「上」

Real languages are never perfectly logical.

真實的語言往往不完全符合邏輯

That's why Tolkien made sure

這就是為什麼托爾金

that Elvish had plenty of exceptions.

在精靈語中製造許多例外

Lots of verbs are conjugated in ways

許多動詞的變化方式

you just have to know.

你必須特別知道

Take even the word know.

舉 know (知道) 為例，

In the past, it's knew,

過去式為 knew

which isn't explained by any of the rules in English.

這並不符合英文的變化規則

Oh well.

好吧

In Elvish, know is ista,

精靈語的知道是 ista

but knew is sinte.

過去式則是sinte

Oh well.

好吧

The truth is, though,

事實上，

that Elvish is more a sketch for a real language

精靈語更像是真實語言的雛形

than a whole one.

而不是一個真正的語言

For Tolkien, Elvish was a hobby

精靈語對托爾金而言是一項興趣

rather than an attempt to create something

而不是意圖創造一個

people could actually speak.

人們可以真正使用的語言

Much of the Elvish the characters

許多精靈語詞彙

in the "Lord of the Rings" movies speak

於魔戒中用以交談

has been made up since Tolkien

在托爾金之後又陸續產生新詞彙

by dedicated fans of Elvish

由其粉絲

based on guesses as to what Tolkien

猜測托爾金

would have constructed.

的想法所創造出來

That's the best we can do for Elvish

我們能做的也就只有這樣

because there are no actual Elves around

因為現實生活中並沒有精靈語

to speak it for us.

可以讓我們講

But the modern conlangs go further.

但現代人工語言則更進步

Dothraki, Na'vi, and Klingon are developed enough

多斯拉克語、納美語和克林貢語都發展地很完善

that you can actually speak them.

你可以真的說這些語言

Here's a translation of "Hamlet" into Klingon,

現在已經有克林貢語的「哈姆雷特」譯本

although performing it would mean getting used

想要發克林共音必須要習慣

to pronouncing k with your uvula,

用你的懸雍垂發K的音

that weird, cartoony thing hanging

一個形狀奇怪如卡通般的東西垂掛在

in the back of your throat.

喉嚨後方

Believe it or not,

相信與否，

you actually do that in plenty

其實你得大量用小舌音

of languages around the world,

說許多世界語言

like Eskimo ones.

像愛斯基摩語群

Pronouncing Elvish is much easier, though.

而發精靈語則簡單許多

So, let's take our leave for now

最後的道別就讓我們

from this introduction to conlangs in Elvish

用介紹過的人工語言－－精靈語

and the other three conglangs discussed

以及其他討論過的三種人工語言

with a heartfelt quad-conlangual valedictory:

的告別詞來做結尾吧

"A na marie!"

「A na mariel !」

"Hajas!"

「Hajast!」

Na'vi's "Kiyevame!"

納美語的 「Kiyevame!」

"Qapla!"

「Qapla!」

and "Goodbye!"

以及「Goodbye!」