Changes: Nazja

Revision as of 08:56, 1 March 2010

Nazja is the language spoken by naga. Sailors speak of the mysterious and dangerous naga; some even claim to know phrases in the aquatic race's language heard on the wind as their ships sailed the seas. Such claims are often treated with a healthy skepticism.Template:Cite Nazja has evolved as its own unique language over 10,000 years, and has diverged from the Darnassian tongue. Although Nazja shares common heritage from the Darnassian tongue, over the course of its linguistic evolution the meanings and definitions of terms the language are no longer the same. Because of this some naga choose learn the language of their heritage, in order to communicate with their cousins, the night elves.Template:Cite

This is one of the four elven dialects.Template:Cite

Names

Naga names have little in common. Some retain kaldorei traditions, taking surnames that speak to the strengths of their race. Others prefer more exotic names that may have some meaning in the naga tongue or in some other forgotten language. Still others adopt titles purely for their intimidation value, or to assert claims to leadership. Their names often include many sibilants, Z’s and V’s.

• Male Names: Sakrasis, Shezril, Velrash, Zoniss.

• Female Names: Anna, Asprah, Charib’dishal, Scilla, Ursula.

• Surnames: Darkscale, Rendclaw, Serpens, Stormbow.Template:Cite

Nazja Primer (official translations)

Here are a few common Nazja phrases and words, so far no official translations have been confirmed by Blizzard:

Untranslated Nazja Words & Phrases

Ai ferobathelas! - Said by Naga Sea Witch in WC3.
Alana be'lendor! - Yelled by Fathom-Lord Karathress when killing a player (WoW)
Ash'thero sanguine! - Probably a battle cry, said by a Naga Myrmidon in chapter 2 of Terror of the Tides (WC3, TFT)
Ba'anthalso-dorei - Said by Warlord Kalithresh & a Naga Myrmidon in chapter 2 of Terror of the Tides (WC3, TFT)
Bal, lamer zhita! - Yelled by High Warlord Naj'entus.
Be'lanen dalorai! - Yelled by High Warlord Naj'entus.
Be'lemer an-delei! - Yelled by Lady Vashj during battle (WoW).
Gall'Mak! - Corresponds to spell "Crushing Wave". The spell words summons a 10 foot high wave that smashes into enemies.Template:Cite
Gellin'Dallah! - Words of magic that create an aura of silence.Template:Cite
Nazjatar - The naga capital, located beneath the Maelstrom.
Osh'bala-tharei - Phonetic spelling, Said by naga sirens (WC3).
Ranazjar - Naga-inhabited island in Desolace.
Rethress - Abandoned naga camp in Azshara.
Therazjasha! - Said by Naga Sea Witch in WC3.

Linguistic mechanics

According to the lore, Naga mainly speak Nazja and Common. However, Naga will often learn the languages of those they interact with. Because Darnassian is considered a different enough languages to pose communication issues with their cousins, some naga choose learn the language of their heritage (Darnassian) so as to be able to speak with night elves. However they can also communicate with shared knowledge of Common.Template:Cite

Fan Speculation

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

However, some fans who have tried to reconcile it in their own way, they theorize that for naga to communicate underwater, the naga vocal apparatus would have to be structured differently from that of an elf; as a result, saying a word, such as "quel'dorei," or "belore," would sound completely different, warped both by the new vocal apparatus and the water around the speaker. If this is the case, then Nazja might not be another language at all, just Darnassian spoken underwater, with a different vocal organ. This it would account for the accent the naga have when speaking to surface dwellers, and why they could communicate with elves without difficulty.

Sample Words (speculation)

Dallah = "Silence" or "Aura"
Dorei = "Children" or "Elves" used in other Darnassian dialects like Thalassian
Gall = "High" or "Wave" or "Crushing"
Gellin = "Aura" or "Silence"
Mak = "Wave" or "High" or "Crushing"

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-The [[language]] spoken by [[naga]]. Sailors speak of the mysterious and dangerous naga; some even claim to know phrases in the aquatic race's language heard on the wind as their ships sailed the seas. Such claims are often treated with a healthy skepticism.{{Cite|WoWRPG|131}} Nazja has evolved as its own unique language over 10,000 years, and has diverged from the [[Darnassian]] tongue. Athough Nazja shares common heritage from the Darnassian tongue, over the course of its linguistic evolution the meanings and definitions of terms the language are no longer the same. Because of this some naga choose learn the language of their heritage, in order to communicate with their cousins, the night elves.{{Cite|MG|106}}
+'''Nazja''' is the language spoken by [[naga]]. Sailors speak of the mysterious and dangerous naga; some even claim to know phrases in the aquatic race's language heard on the wind as their ships sailed the seas. Such claims are often treated with a healthy skepticism.{{Cite|WoWRPG|131}} Nazja has evolved as its own unique language over 10,000 years, and has diverged from the [[Darnassian]] tongue. Although Nazja shares common heritage from the Darnassian tongue, over the course of its linguistic evolution the meanings and definitions of terms the language are no longer the same. Because of this some naga choose learn the language of their heritage, in order to communicate with their cousins, the night elves.{{Cite|MG|106}}
+This is one of the four elven dialects.{{Cite|CoH|67}}
+==Names==
+Naga names have little in common. Some retain kaldorei traditions, taking surnames that speak to the strengths of their race. Others prefer more exotic names that may have some meaning in the naga tongue or in some other forgotten language. Still others adopt titles purely for their intimidation value, or to assert claims to leadership. Their names often include many sibilants, Z’s and V’s.
+• Male Names: Sakrasis, Shezril, Velrash, Zoniss.
+• Female Names: Anna, Asprah, Charib’dishal, Scilla, Ursula.
+• Surnames: Darkscale, Rendclaw, Serpens, Stormbow.{{cite|DF|13}}
-This is likely one of the four elven dialects.{{Cite|CoH|67}}
 ==Nazja Primer (official translations)==
-Here are a few common Nazja phrases and words, for which the translations have been officially confirmed by [[Blizzard_Entertainment|Blizzard]] in various sources:
+Here are a few common Nazja phrases and words, so far no official translations have been confirmed by [[Blizzard_Entertainment|Blizzard]]:
-====Spell Words====
-*Gellin'Dallah! - Words of magic that create an aura of silence. No direct translation known.{{Cite|M&M|59}}
-*Gall'Mak! - spell words that summons a 10 foot high wave that smashes into enemies. No direct translation known.{{Cite|M&M|59}}
 ====Untranslated Nazja Words & Phrases====
-* '''Ba'anthalso-dorei''' - Said by [[Warlord Kalithresh]].
+* '''Ai ferobathelas!''' - Said by Naga Sea Witch in WC3.
+* '''Alana be'lendor!''' - Yelled by [[Fathom-Lord Karathress]] when killing a player (WoW)
+* '''Ash'thero sanguine!''' - Probably a battle cry, said by a Naga Myrmidon in chapter 2 of Terror of the Tides (WC3, TFT)
+* '''Ba'anthalso-dorei''' - Said by [[Warlord Kalithresh]] & a Naga Myrmidon in chapter 2 of Terror of the Tides (WC3, TFT)
+* '''Bal, lamer zhita!''' - Yelled by [[High Warlord Naj'entus]].
+* '''Be'lanen dalorai!''' - Yelled by [[High Warlord Naj'entus]].
+* '''Be'lemer an-delei!''' - Yelled by [[Lady Vashj]] during battle (WoW).
+* '''Gall'Mak!''' - Corresponds to spell "Crushing Wave". The spell words summons a 10 foot high wave that smashes into enemies.{{Cite|M&M|59, 84}}
+* '''Gellin'Dallah!''' - Words of magic that create an aura of silence.{{Cite|M&M|59}}
 * '''[[Nazjatar]]''' - The naga capital, located beneath the [[Maelstrom]].
 * '''Osh'bala-tharei''' - Phonetic spelling, Said by naga sirens (WC3).
 * '''[[Ranazjar Isle|Ranazjar]]''' - Naga-inhabited island in [[Desolace]].
 * '''[[Rethress Sanctum|Rethress]]''' - Abandoned naga camp in [[Azshara]].
+* '''Therazjasha!''' - Said by Naga Sea Witch in WC3.
-==Sample Words (speculation)==
-{{speculation}}
-*Gellin = "Aura" or "Silence"
-*Dallah = "Silence" or "Aura"
-*Gall = "High" or "Wave"
-*Mak = "Wave" or "High"
-*Dorei = "Children" or "Elfs" used in other Darnassian dialects like Thalassian
 ==Linguistic mechanics==
 According to the lore, Naga mainly speak Nazja and [[Common (language)|Common]]. However, Naga will often learn the languages of those they interact with. Because Darnassian is considered a different enough languages to pose communication issues with their cousins, some naga choose learn the language of their heritage ([[Darnassian]]) so as to be able to speak with night elves. However they can also communicate with shared knowledge of Common.{{Cite|MG|106}}
-===Fan Speculation===
+==Fan Speculation==
 {{speculation}}
 However, some fans who have tried to reconcile it in their own way, they theorize that for naga to communicate underwater, the naga vocal apparatus would have to be structured differently from that of an elf; as a result, saying a word, such as "quel'dorei," or "belore," would sound completely different, warped both by the new vocal apparatus and the water around the speaker. If this is the case, then Nazja might not be another language at all, just Darnassian spoken underwater, with a different vocal organ. This it would account for the accent the naga have when speaking to surface dwellers, and why they could communicate with elves without difficulty.
+===Sample Words (speculation)===
+*Dallah = "Silence" or "Aura"
+*Dorei = "Children" or "Elves" used in other Darnassian dialects like Thalassian
+*Gall = "High" or "Wave" or "Crushing"
+*Gellin = "Aura" or "Silence"
+*Mak = "Wave" or "High" or "Crushing"
 {{Language_links}}
 [[Category:Languages]]

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