Traveller wordlist for "alien" languages

[robject]

I was cooking up a short (one page) lexicon for Oynprith, and started wondering about the most useful words an alien wordlist can give to a Traveller referee.

Career-related words? Scout, Rogue, Soldier, Spacer, Noble, Merchant, Factor, etc?

World-related words? Habitable, planetoid, gas giant, corrosive, insidious, water, ice, vacuum? Chaser, pouncer, grazer, hunter, gatherer, filter, siren, killer?

Ship-related words? Corsair, patrol, scout, jump drive, power plant, maneuver drive, turret, life support?

Time-related words? Weeks, Years, Millennia?

Others?

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

It makes the world go round...

Money, where is the word for money? Or reward might work as well. And of course, Patron.

 

[robject]

Think about contexts where a ref would use an alien language.

Not for full sentences. For very basic information. Consider that actual interactions would be in a pidgin, if not Anglic. Written text, however, would have key words that pop out at players, because we're ure not going to write entire Rosetta Stones for a game. Not typically, anyway.

Money, as in the credit, perhaps. Trade. Patron? Maybe a word that would mean that as par of the Traveller gaming session? Factor. Job. Guard?

Find something.
Steal something.
Recover something. Or someone.

 

[Aquinas]

I, you (sing & pl), police, arrest, law, duck (the verb)

Maybe those are just for my players!

 

[Andrew Boulton]

yes
no
help
stop shooting
doctor

 

[BytePro]

Surrender
Die
Scum
Don't
Push
That

 

[aramis]

Grab a dolch list: http://www.mrsperkins.com/dolch.htm is a good one.
Also a swadesh list (there's high overlap): http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Template:Swadesh_list_207_plain is a good 207 entry one.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

"Warning!"
"Attention!"
"Do not cross" (I'm thinking in particular of those words on yellow plastic tape, strung about an area......)
"Authorized personnel only"
"No admittance"
"Vacuum on other side of hatch"
"Pub/tavern/bar/restaurant"
"Wet floor"
"Entrance/In" paired with "Exit/Out"
symbols for male and female of the species, especially if not humanoid
"No humans" or "No aliens"
"Push/Pull"
"Do not touch"
"Wet paint"
"Administrator" or "Chief anything"
"Police"
"Fire" or "Fire suppression equipment"

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Almost all of those have potential adventure/campaign consequences for misunderstanding or a need to understand them to deal with a crisis or to generate one.

These things are along the lines of the "linguistic" training we were given before deploying to Bosnia. The only phrase I remember (and I shall spell it out phonetically to the best of my ability) is "Stany eely pootsam!", which means "Stop, or I'll shoot!" (Which might be another good one for a traveller to know in every local language, along with the corresponding equivalent of "Nicht shiessen!"......)

 

[BytePro]

D*mn :devil:

Spending time as the minority in a 'minority' neighborhood - I became very proficient in cursing in a foreign tongue.

Insulting slang words referring to humans is another that comes to mind - let players figure it out...

 

[Hyphen]

I.

Will Have.

Two Beers.

(My Friend is Paying.)

<*points sideways*>

 

[aramis]

I didn't do it!
Nobody saw me!
You can't prove a thing!

Where's my (lawyer/advocate)?

I see Nothing!
Nothing at all!

 

[Enoki]

I've been all over the planet many times and I can tell you that boiled down to its simplist you need to know three phrases in the local dialect to get by at a minimum:

1. NO! An emphatic NO!

2. Where's the bathroom?

3. Two more beers over here!

 

[77topaz]

"I come in peace" is always useful, especially for Scouts...

 

[Hyphen]

"It was like that when I got here..."

 

[AndreaV]

I am lost
I feel sick
Help
Yes
No
Where is...
My name is...
Is this...
I need a...

 

[dean]

DIE Alien Scum!

=]

(Or, as the Ullerians said to the Terrans, "Znidd suddabit!")

 

[Andrew Boulton]

"My hovercraft is full of eels."

 

[rancke]

Where is the black market?

I did not see the sign, Officer.

Does this large-denomination bank note belong to you, Mr. Customs Officer, sir?

Where is the secret gambling den?

I prefer my own dice/cards.

The dealer is my cousin.

Give me my money back, you cur!

Excuse me, can I use your toilet?


Hans

 

[robject]

"Warning!"
"Attention!"
"Do not cross" (I'm thinking in particular of those words on yellow plastic tape, strung about an area......)
"Authorized personnel only"
"No admittance"
"Vacuum on other side of hatch"
"Pub/tavern/bar/restaurant"
"Wet floor"
"Entrance/In" paired with "Exit/Out"
symbols for male and female of the species, especially if not humanoid
"No humans" or "No aliens"
"Push/Pull"
"Do not touch"
"Wet paint"
"Administrator" or "Chief anything"
"Police"
"Fire" or "Fire suppression equipment"

Very nice, Fritz. Thank you. I guess the "phrasebook" is the right model for this sort of thing.