HOME | DD
RvBOMally — Imperial Spaceport Sign
Published: 2016-05-18 21:17:12 +0000 UTC; Views: 1780; Favourites: 21; Downloads: 8
Redirect to original
Description
Another Space Cadet language test, this time showcasing both Traditional Standard Imperial and Simplified Standard Imperial. MSI Phonetic Alphabet here: rvbomally.deviantart.com/art/M…Related content
Comments: 26
Imperial citizens, go that way. Non-imperials, go the other way. Aliens, go forward or stand here. Not an execution booth, I promise!
👍: 1 ⏩: 0
So it seems like SI utilizes descendants of Hanzi, but in the form of a phonetic alphabet? Interesting. I wonder why they utilize Eastern-based characters with a Western-based grammar, and not simply one culture for their language. IMO, it would be difficult to diffuse English/Russian with Mandarin, since they're simply so different. Very cool overall.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
SI isn't descended from Hanzi, it's descended from the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets. The logographs are a later development, although some are based on Chinese characters.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Perhaps "kwa" is Imperial or Empire-related, since it's also attached to Japan on the map? So "Imperial people" and "non-Imperial people," perhaps?
No idea on the bottom right, though.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
What's that letter which looks like a standing rectangle with a rightward line sticking out in the lower right corner? I don't see your original /j/ in either this picture or the East Asian map, so can I assume it's the descendant of that glyph?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Okay, so kwamun is left, ne-kwamun (non-kwamun?) is right, and where there's ne-kwamun we also have alima. Departures <- -> Arrivals / baggage? *wild guess*
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Here's a hint: it reflects Imperial chauvinism.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Human! Human, non-human, animal?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Man, woman, animal? D:
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Gaaah, the fuck is a kwamun? ;o; I was so sure it was human ... is it something to do with social status? Like, noble and non-noble?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're half-right with the human angle.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Well, if I remember correctly, serfs have to be a non-baseline species ... baseline, non-baseline, serfs? I'd imagine architects are too rare to warrant special signs.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're thinking way too much into this. Here's a hint: kwamun and nekwamun both mean a certain kind of human.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Well, it's not citizen and non-citizen ... both mean a certain kind of human ... humans ... come in races ... sizes ... ages ... some are elves ... some are Greys ... thinking too much ... think less ... not male and female ... airport sign ... fatties and skinnies ... blondes and brunettes ... frequent flyers and morlocks ...
Okay I'm drawing a blank. XD I need to sleep now anyway, I'll blame my tiredness when you wave the obvious answers in front of my slow-thinking face.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It is citizen and non-citizen. Specifically, Imperial human and non-Imperial human.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Uuuuuuuuugh, for some reason thought it was .... ah, never mind. 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
No, kwamun means Imperial human. "Kwa" means "Imperial." As for alima, it means alien (specifically, sapient non-human, but that's what we usually mean by alien).
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hm, kinda terse language, to be able to express so much meaning in relatively few syllables. o.o Efficient!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Interesting note about the word "kwamun" and "nekwamun." While literally meaning Imperial human and non-Imperial human, the accepted meanings are citizen and foreigner, respectively. If you remove "mun" from "nekwamun," you have a slur, pronounced "nykwa" (although with the character for "ne" unchanged). This is a pejorative directed at non-Imperial humans, having connotations of barbarism and criminality (some translators translate "nykwa" as their word for "barbarian"). It also has a general, negative use, often directed against perceived inferiors. Thus, the most appropriate translation in most contexts is "scum." There is also an adjective, "nykwai," which literally means "foreign" (albeit pejoratively; the polite form is "nekwamuni"), but is often used as a general adjective for "very bad." Think the word "shitty" in English; rarely is that word used to mean "having the properties of feces."
And a note about the Traditional Standard Imperial name for the Third Empire. The Third Empire does not officially call itself that, considering itself a direct continuation of the Second Empire. Instead, it calls itself the "kwamunidalak," literally "Empire of the Humanish Galaxy," but more properly translated as "the Galactic Empire of Man" (the official name for the Second Empire). The full, official name of the Empire is almost never used, just as how the French do not refer to their country as the "Fifth French Republic" in casual conversation. The long form is only used on government documents, official speeches, or by people trying too hard to be patriotic. The shorthand noun for the Empire is "kwamuni," which would be translated as "Galactic Empire," 'Third Empire," or simply "the Empire."
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
IMO if you're French and you don't constantly refer to your country as the Fifth French Republic you're honestly just doing it wrong.
What was the official name of the First Empire?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Also the "Galactic Empire of Man," but written in Old Standard Imperial.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
