Atlantean language

The Atlantean language is a constructed language created by Marc Okrand for Disney's film "". The language was intended as a possible "mother language" and was therefore invented to have Indo-European word stock with its own grammar ("Production Notes").

Language

Concept

The Atlantean language ("Dig Adlantisag") is a historically constructed, artistic language put together by Marc Okrand for Disney’s 2001 film "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" and associated media,"Production Notes." Atlantis-The Lost Empire. Ed. Tim Montgomery, 1996-2007. The Unofficial Disney Animation Archive. 13 Jan. 2007< http://animationarchive.net/Feature%20Films/Atlantis-The%20Lost%20Empire/Production%20Notes/>] . The Atlantean language is therefore based both on historic reconstructions or realities as well as on the elaborate fantasy/science fiction of the "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" mythos. Here are the fictional bases upon which the Atlantean language was created: Atlantean is the “Tower of Babel language”, the “root dialect” from which all languages descended. It has existed without change since sometime before 100,000 B.C., within the First or Second Age of Atlantis until the present. This is when the Mother Crystal ("Matag Yob") descended to Earth and brought enlightenment to the Atlantean people. It is preserved by the presence of the Mother Crystal in the same way that The Shepherd’s Journal, the City of Atlantis ("Wil Adlantisag"), the Atlantean people ("luden"), and especially its royalty ("yaseken") are preserved, healed, and given extended blissful life [ Kurtti, Jeff. The Mythical World of Atlantis: Theories of the Lost Empire from Plato to Disney. New York: Disney Editions, 2001, 48-56, 88, 89.] .

To create this, Dr. Okrand took common characteristics of all world languages and applied them to the Proto-Indo-European language. His mains source of words (roots and stems) for the language is Proto-Indo-European, but Okrand also uses ancient Chinese, Biblical Hebrew, Latin and Greek languages, along with a variety of other ancient languages or ancient language reconstructions [ Kalin-Casey, Mary. “Charting Atlantis the crew behind Disney’s latest animated adventure takes you behind the scenes.” Features Interviews. 17 Jan. 2007 < http://www.reel.com/reel.asp?node=features/interviews/atlantis>.] [ Murphy, Tab, Platon, David Reyolds, Gary Trousdale, Joss Whedon, Kirk Wise, Bryce Zabel, and Jackie Zabel. Atlantis the Lost Empire: The Illustrated Script [Abridged Version with Notes from the Filmmakers] , 55] .

Writing systems

There are three identified writing systems for Atlantean:

1) Writers Script Wloszczyna, Susan. “New movie trek for wordsmith.” USA Today Online. 24 May 2001. 12 Jan. 2007.] Adlantis
2) The Atlantean Alphabet Anderson, Matt. “Parlez-vous Atlantean?” Movie Habit. 12 Jan. 2006 .] ADLANTIS
3) Reader’s Script [ Henning, Jeffery. “Atlantean: Language of the Lost Empire” Langmaker.com. Jeffrey Henning. 1996-2005. 12 Jan. 2006 < http://www.langmaker.com/atlantean.htm>."Interview of Don Hahn on Atlantis!" Animagic.Com. 3/26/01.] AHD-luhn-this

They are listed in order of creation. Okrand originally put together the language in Writer’s Script. For those many parts in the movie for which it was written, the filmmakers wrote it using the Atlantean Alphabet, created by John Emerson with the help of Marc Okrand. For those fewer parts of the movie for which it is spoken, Okrand devised a Berlitz-style notation which he hoped would make the Atlantean easier to read for the actors.

Example:

1) Spirits of Atlantis, forgive me for defiling your chamber and bringing intruders into the land.

2) Nish.en.top Adlantis.ag, Kelob.tem Gabr.in karok.li.mik bet gim demot.tem net getunos.en.tem bernot.li.mik bet kag.ib lewid.yoh. (Okrand's original wouldn't have had periods; these are used for the translation below.)

3) NEE-shen-toap AHD-luhn-tih-suhg, KEH-loab-tem GAHB-rihn KAH-roak-lih-mihk bet gihm DEH-moat-tem net GEH-tuh-noh-sen-tem behr-NOAT-lih-mihk bet KAH-gihb LEH-wihd-yoakh.

(Spirit.Plural.Vocative Atlantis.Genitive, Chamber.Oblique you-plural-familiar.Genitive defile.Past-Perfect.1st-Person-Singular for and land.Oblique into intruder.Plural.Oblique bring.Past-Perfect.1st-Person-Singular for I-Dative forgive.Imperative-Plural.)

(Written boustrophedon, as if in Atlantean alphabet: )

NISHENTOP ADLANTISAG KELOBTEM
MIG TEB KIMILKORAK NIRBAG
DEMOTTEM NET GETANOSENTEM
BIGAK TEB KIMILTONREB
LEWIDYOH [ Murphy, Tab, Platon, David Reyolds, Gary Trousdale, Joss Whedon, Kirk Wise, Bryce Zabel, and Jackie Zabel. Atlantis the Lost Empire: The Illustrated Script [Abridged Version with Notes from the Filmmakers] , 85]

Atlantean alphabet: use and sources

Writing systems correspondence and number of letters used

Here’s how they all correspond to one another. Kurtti, Jeff. Atlantis Subterranean Tours: A Traveler’s Guide to the Lost City (Atlantis the Lost Empire). New York: Disney Editions: 2001, Inside Front Cover.] [ Hahn, Don; Wise, Kirk; Trousdale, Gary et al. 2-Disc Collector’s Edition: Atlantis: The Lost Empire, especially Features "How to Speak Atlantean", "The Shepherd's Journal".] For sake of standardization, they are arranged according to a fan-composed alphabet. It is based on the oldest example of the Northern Semitic Abecedary as found in the Ugaritic language.

Atlantean's phonetic inventory includes a vowel system with the above five phonemes, a system common to many languages, such as Spanish. Most vowels have two prominent allophonic realizations, depending on whether it occurs in a stressed or unstressed syllable. Vowels in stressed syllables tend to be tense, and likewise unstressed ones tend to be more lax. Thus, for example, IPA|/i/ is realized as [close front unrounded vowel|IPA| [i] ] or [near-close near-front unrounded vowel|IPA| [ɪ] ] in stressed and unstressed syllables, respectively. Likewise, IPA|/e/ is realized as [close-mid front unrounded vowel|IPA| [e] ] or [open-mid front unrounded vowel|IPA| [ɛ] ] , and so on. (IPA|/ɑ/ fits into this pattern as [open back unrounded vowel|IPA| [ɑ] ] or [open-mid back unrounded vowel|IPA| [ʌ] ] .) There are three diphthongs.

Consonants

Notes:
#With the exception of "mat", "mother", which takes the special Maternal Filial Suffix -tim. Note that the only other kinship term, "father", "tab", takes the usual -top.
#No translation given. As discussed in "The Shepherd's Journal" on the "Collector's DVD": ketub-kup (page 4) and setub-mok-en-tem (page 10), setub-mok-en-ag (page 5), and setub-kup (pages 1-4).
# No translation given. As discussed in "The Shepherd's Journal" on the "Collector's DVD": derup-tem and derup-nuh (page 5).

Other suffixes

Person/number suffixes

Vocabulary

Most of the vocabulary was made for the movie, so it relates to concepts that occur in the movie.

"Animal Life"

There are words for the bizaare animal life around Atlantis, creatures that resemble: ostriches (wemoten), purple lobsters (tuyeben), parrot lizards (yeragosen), lava whales (ketaken obesag), and multiple-eyed purple tigers (bahodmoken). There are about as many names for normal animal life as well, mostly sea creatures on account of their vehicles being fashioned in their shapes.

"Politics and Religion"

There are words for a few elements of the Atlantean political system: city (wil), king (makit), Your Highness (taneb), royalty/judges (yaseken), marker (keran), law (tamar), orderly (laridin), command (kobden), and foreigner (duwer).

There are words for religious and mythological concepts, given in : to defile (karoke), to forgive (lewide), to worship (yadluge), (the old religion: ) Mother Crystal or The Heart of Atlantis (Kerod Adlantisag; tok, it), Yob (Crystal), Peace (Weshekmol), Giants (gonosen), (the decadent religion: ) Lightning/ Odin/ Leviathan the Last of the Mighty War God(desses) (Lot.an, literally "light.ning"; tuh, she), (Pre-1914 religion: ) The Great Flood (Mebelmok) and Nishen (Spirits).

"Adventure Words"

There are words for travel and discovery, such as to be located (tikude), to see (gamose), to discover (komtibe), path (ben), cave (tinemoshep), enclosed (digenmil), lair (pred), to continue (tenite), and to get somewhere (kwetipe)

Given the epic scale of the movie, there's a few words related to serious matters: to kill (gwenoge), to doom (hobde), to be finished (yodene), and to destroy (megide).

"Everyday Life"

There are also quite a few "normal" words, like to be (ese), in (net), on (meg/med), through (pak), and an assortment of modal verbs like to be able (boge). There is no word for "to have".

There is a very full set of measurements and numbers 1-10 with hints at formations for 20 and 30.

However, the majority of the verbs and words seem to be of an everyday nature: to travel along (satib), to come (mase), to walk (galeme), to rush (nuroshe), contrivance (neshingos), marketplace (weser), to cost (mohede), to listen (epkele), to think (kapere), to speak (bashebe), to understand (doyine), tree (denet), person (lud), time (nal/darim/konos), to worship (yadluge), entrance (mannal), chamber (keylob), shelter (tegul), and joyfully (gawidin).

"Family and Anatomy"

There are also a few basic kinship terms, namely father (tab), mother (mat), to be well (mat), and child (alish). "Mother" takes a special kinship vocative suffix: -tim, though "father" takes the usual -top. There are actually no words for man or woman.

Here's the short list of mostly human body parts: eye (okwep), heart (kerod), hand (shayod), arm (gobeg), tail (wibak).

"Mystery Words"

Half of the words have not been diciphered and probably relate to either the history or location of Atlantis as they occur in "The Shepherd's Journal". "The Shepherd's Journal", in reality, amounts to about 2 or 3 pages of actual text and 7 pages of dummy text which repeats fragments of the actual parts.

The vocabulary exhibits a limited yet well-balanced character.

References

*Cynthia, Benjamin. "Atlantis: The Lost Empire : Welome to my World." New York: Random House: 2001.
*Ehrbar, Greg. "Atlantis: The Lost Empire." Milwaukee: Dark Horse Comics: June 2001.
*Hahn, Don; Wise, Kirk; Trousdale, Gary et al. "2-Disc Collector’s Edition: Atlantis: The Lost Empire."
*"Disney Adventures" magazine, Summer Issue 2001.
*Howard, James N. "Atlantis: The Lost Empire An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack" : Limited Tiwanese Edition. Taiwan and Hong Kong: Walt Disney Records: Represented by Avex: 2001.
*Kurtti, Jeff. "Atlantis Subterranean Tours: A Traveler’s Guide to the Lost City (Atlantis the Lost Empire." New York: Disney Editions: 2001.
*Kurtti, Jeff. "The Journal of Milo Thatch." New York: Disney Editions: 2001.
*Murphy, Tab et al. "Atlantis, the Lost Empire : The Illustrated Script." New York : Disney Editions: 2001.

External links

* [http://www.langmaker.com/atlanteanmetahistory.htm Henning's Old Introduction to the Language]
* [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/atlantean.htm Info on Atlantean at OmniGlot.com]
* [http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/atlantean_language/ A Yahoo Tech Group dedicated to the dicipherment and use of Atlantean Language. Contains dictionaries, grammars, lessons, conversation groups, and other documents.]
* [http://noble-scarlet.net/kfu/viewtopic.php?t=75 An Student-Teacher Interactive Message Thread for Okrand's Atlantean, hosted by Lisa Noble-Scarlet's Kidagakash Fans Unite ATLE Fan Message Board ("Fandom">"Atlantean">"Lessons in Okrand's Atlantean")]
* [http://www.freewebs.com/mother-tongue/ Website dedicated to Atlantean.]
* [http://atlantean.110mb.com/ Contains full corpus without language explanation.]