Simlish
Simlish is a fictional language featured in EA Games' Sim series of games. It debuted in SimCopter, and has been especially prominent in The Sims, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3. The Sims development team created the unique Simlish language by experimenting with fractured Ukrainian, French, Latin, Finnish, English, Fijian, Cebuano, and Tagalog. Simlish can also be heard in SimCity 4, SimCity Societies and SimCity 2013, but far less frequently. Civilized Creatures in Spore can also be taught to speak Simlish. It is also featured to an extent in Firaxis Games' Sid Meier's SimGolf. Designer Will Wright was conscious of the need for dialogue in the game, but thought that using a real language would make it sound too repetitive and would also be too costly to hire translators for world languages.
Initially, inspired by the Native American code talkers of World War II, Sims creator Will Wright and language expert Marc Gimbel suggested experimenting with the Navajo language to create Simlish. However, they ultimately decided that Simlish worked best as a "language" made up of gibberish words that couldn't be translated, so that its meaning would be left open to the imagination of the player.[1] Wright later commented that using "nonsense language" turned out to be the right development choice, as people were capable of imagining it more realistically than a computer could simulate a real one.[2] The actual sound of Simlish was created improvisationally by voice actors Stephen Kearin and Gerri Lawlor.[3]
Music
Sims have been able to listen to Simlish music on their cheap boomboxes or fancy stereos since its inception; since Hot Date, they have also heard music on wall speakers on Community lots.
In The Sims: House Party and The Sims: Vacation, Sims sing campfire songs. They are sung to the tune of "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain", "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" and "On Top of Old Smoky". Lyrics for these songs were posted on the official website. A free full-length soundtrack album for The Sims: Superstar has also been released for download (complete with cover art), with several tracks sung in Simlish.[4] Several artists re-recorded hit songs in Simlish for the expansion pack Pets, including Aly & AJ doing their "Chemicals React"[5]
Fun, Patrick Stump, and Seether have recorded [6] Simlish versions of their music to be included [7] in The Sims 3: Showtime.
Cher Lloyd recorded her song "Superhero" in Simlish for "The Sims 3: Pets".[8]
References
- ↑ The Sims Bustin' Out Designer Diary #3
- ↑ Celeste Biever (24 September 2008). "Interview: The games master". New Scientist (Reed Business Information) 199 (2675).
- ↑ "Gonna Play the Sims? You Gotta Speak Simlish". Savvy Gaming. 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2009-02-15. "The voice actors who were working on The Sims are credited with actually giving voice to the Simlish language. These voice actors were Stephen Kearin and Gerri Lawlor."
- ↑ Make Your Own Superstar Soundtrack CD!, Thesims.ea.com. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
- ↑ EA and Aly & AJ collaborate on signature song for The Sims 2: Pets from GameZone. March 1, 2007.
- ↑ www.radio1045.com
- ↑ http://www.absolutepunk.net
- ↑ Cher Lloyd's "Superhero" in Simlish
External links
- Spot On: Simlish stylist Robi Kauker. Simlish music in The Sims 2: University
- Some songs in Simlish. Official The Sims 2 Site.
- Official Simlish Lessons. Official The Sims Site.
- The Big Simlish Dictionary The Big Simlish Dictionary thread on The Sims 2 Forum (BBS)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
