Unas language
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The Unas Language from the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1 is a simplistic constructed language that lends itself to quick, sharp sentences. It is spoken by the Unas, a primitive and strong clan-based race of humanoid aliens. All Unas words and sentences are said with animal emphasis (and as such all Unas words are fully capitalised), and are often repeated many times, either for strength or because the Unas is emotionally intense or feels its point isn't being understood.
The Unas language is remarkably similar in certain resepects to the Goa'uld language, suggesting to some a relationship.
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[edit] Unas Syntax
The syntax of the Unas language is the same as that of English: subject-verb-object. There are no known tenses in the Unas Language.
[edit] Pronouns
The Unas language possess only one pronoun, KO, meaning 'we'. In all other instances, one either uses the proper noun, or excludes it entirely. For instance the sentence AKANA KEKA CHAKA (Akana kills Chaka) uses the proper nouns Akana and Chaka, with the verb KEKA (to kill).
The pronoun KO (we) is used very differently to its English counterpart. KO acts as a suffix, much like the suffix -men in Chinese. The above sentence AKANA KEKA CHAKA (Akana kills Chaka) has an entirely different meaning when KO is added; AKANA KO KEKA CHAKA (All the Unas named AKANA kill Chaka). However, KO can be eliminated entirely in some instances of extreme emphasis; KO CHA (we will stay).
[edit] Unas Dictionary
To date only a very small portion of the Unas language has been translated.
[edit] A
A: and
A: particle, all (see KO(2))
AKANA: a name
A KA NAY: as one tribe
A CHA'KA: general greeting/hello/etc.
A KA: thank you
ASEK: shirt
[edit] B
BERNAR: retreat
BERNAR KA CHA: break off attack and retreat
[edit] K
KA: no
KA CHA: only (me, him KA CHA/me and him only)
KADA: naquadah
KA NAY: friend
KEKA: danger
KEKATA: staff weapon
KEL: why
KEL: how
KEL KO TAR: who is he/can we trust him
KEL KA: how many
KEL KA NAYA: how many tribes
KETA: retaliate
KO: we/us
KO: all together (UNAS KO KEKA/all the unas fight)
KO: give
(KO) CHA: to stay
KO KA CHA: relocate, move
(KO) NO NAY: away from your home
KOR: iron
KOR ASEK: refers to the alpha male - his name, actually (iron shirt)
[edit] L
LOTA: wait
[edit] M
MAK TAL: a sacrifice
MAKA: sorry, apologies
MA KAN NOK: stop fighting immediately
MOO TA: marked for death/going to die
[edit] N
NAK: enemy
NAN: feed/eat
NAY A: tribe
NO NA: home
[edit] O
ONAC: the Goa'uld
[edit] S
SOSEKA: a large number, 20 (two tens)
SHA: yes/I agree
SHA NAT: to free (from a prison/danger)
SHESH: I don't know, I don't understand
SHEISH: an exclamation for alarm
SHO: this
SKA NAT: stop fighting
SKA NAT: save lives
SKA NAT TE: alliance, to preserve life.
[edit] T
TA: speak, negotiate
TA: say, how do I say ("TA relocate?")
TATAK: attack
TAR: who
TAK: trick, deception
TAR MAN KAN KO: do you wish to help us
TE: particle used for introduction (TE KOR ASEK/I am Iron Shirt)
TE: particle (Chinese "a")
TOK: against/resistance
TONOK: that (referring to the most recent object)
TONOK SHESH: that is unclear
TONOK TOK ONAC: to fight the Goa'uld
[edit] U
'UMAN: humans/Tau'ri (derived from "human")
'UMAN TA TOK: will the humans attack
UNAS NAY A TOK: all the tribes will fight
[edit] Z
ZO: particle (Chinese "a")
ZO: will
[edit] Notable Phrases
KEL KO KEKA: why did you attack us?
DAN'AL CHO'EE'CHE, 'UMAN KO KEKA UNAS: while you Dan'al (Daniel Jackson) spoke peace, the humans killed Unas.
A TOK 'UMAN: a human that is different than the rest, a better human
KA CHA: away from harm
SHA NAT KA KEKA: to help one escape from impending doom (eg, "I was helping you escape the executioner.")
KA KEK: you don't have to kill
KA NAN TOK: Get out of my way!
SHO EYAY JAY: this thing is good (as in moral)
UNAS KO TOK ONAC: the Unas fight the Goa'uld
MAK TAL KO KAKEKA 'UMAN ONAC NAYA, ONAC KEKATA KEKA MAKTAL: The sacrifices fight the human hosts, but the goa'uld's staff weapons kill the sacrifices.
A CHA'KA AKANA, CHO'EE'CHE: hello, Akana. Please, sit.
AKANA, CHAKA KA CHA KA KEKA 'UMAN MAKTAL: Akana and Chaka don't kill the human sacrifices.
[edit] Notes on Translations
[edit] KA KEKA ONAC
From "Enemy Mine", although literally translated "not kill the Goa'uld", context suggests it should be understood "take the weapons of the Goa'uld", or "disarm the Goa'uld".
[edit] KEKATA
Mafdet theorizes that KEKATA simply means weapon, and applies to all weapons of any description, whereas I have translated it to mean solely the Jaffa Staff Weapon; If we break it apart, we see KA TA or don't speak; thus it can be assumed that something that silences someone for good kills them, a weapon. This debate will remain open however, for there is yet no translation for KE.
Also may be composed of KEKA meaning danger and TA meaning speak.
[edit] SESEKA
A large number, or twenty. Although the second translation is never given, it can be assumed to mean approximately that number, as the size of the army in "Enemy Mine" is approximately 300 Unas, which is twenty times KOR ASEK's tribe of between seven and fifteen. Elsewhere it has been speculated that SESEKA means "forty-four" or "four and four tens". This is still a plausible number with the lower end of the estimated tribe size.
[edit] BERNAR KA CHA
This can be translated both "retreat only" and "retreat, and don't hurt". In this case, the multiple meanings of KA CHA lead to the same meaning; however, in some other cases, they do not. Presumably, KA CHA means "only", because if it is only a couple of people, then they must trust each other, and therefore KA CHA "not hurt" each other.
[edit] Relation to Goa'uld
The Goa'uld language has numerous similarities with Unas, leading some to believe that the former was derived from the latter. Whether or not this is true, there are some similarities, not least of which is the subject-verb-object word order. There are also vocabulary similarities, as follows:
- KEKA/Khek: "Kill" or "death" in both Goa'uld and Unas.
- ONAC: In Goa'uld, "onac" means "sentient being". In Unas, it means "Goa'uld".
- TOK: In Unas "tok" means "against" while the Tok'ra are the Goa'uld against Ra.
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