Lapine language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lapine is an constructed language created by author Richard Adams for his 1972 novel Watership Down, where it is spoken by fictional rabbit characters. The fragments of language presented by Adams consist of a few dozen distinct words, and are chiefly used for the naming of rabbits, their mythological characters, and objects in their world. The name "Lapine" comes from the French word for rabbit, lapin, and can also be used to describe rabbit society.
Adams commented[citation needed] that the motivation for the sound of Lapine was that it should sound "wuff-fluffy", as in the name "Thethuthinnang". It is akin in some phonological respects to Arabic—for example, the Lapine name "Kehaar" is quoted as being reminiscent of the Arabic "Behaar"—and this was probably influenced by his time in North Africa in World War II
Fans of the book, including authors and academics, have attempted to expand on the few words and phrases extant in the corpus of "Watership Down" and develop it into a fuller language.[citation needed]
Within the book, only the rabbits speak Lapine; other animals communicate in a lingua franca known as "hedgerow."
[edit] Terms
[edit] Adjectives
- Embleer – An adjective translated to stinking, specifically referring to the smell of a fox.
- Narn – An adjective denoting nice or pleasant, often in terms of food.
- Roo – Used as a suffix to denote a dimunitive, e.g. Hrairoo.
[edit] Animals
- Elil – a term that refers to the natural enemies of rabbits (foxes, stoats, badgers, etc) and also to humans, who are regarded as one of the Thousand Enemies. Its use is similar to use of the word "evil" in the English language. The rabbits also know their enemies as "u embleer hrair", Lapine for "the stinking thousand".
- Hlessi – A homeless rabbit without a hole to dwell in. (plural: hlessil)
- Homba – A fox. (plural: hombil)
- Lendri – A badger.
- Marli – A doe (female rabbit); also means "mother".
- Pfeffa – A cat.
- Yona – A hedgehog. (plural: yonil)
[edit] Nouns
- Flay – Food; particularly good food is called flayrah, using the suffix -rah, which literally means "food of princes".
- Frith – The sun, personified as a god by rabbits. Frithrah! is used as an exclamation and translates to "the lord Sun".
- Hlao – Any dimple or depression in the grass, such as that formed by a daisy plant or thistle, which can hold moisture.
- Hrair – Any number greater than four. It is translated to thousand and, less commonly, five. Hrair, combined with elil and the suffix -rah, forms the name Elil-Hrair-Rah, literally, "the prince with a thousand enemies", which is shortened to El-ahrairah, the rabbits' mythological champion and messiah.
- Hraka – Droppings, feces
- Hrududu – An onomatopoeic term that refers to any motor vehicle. (plural: hrududil)
- Inlé – The moon; also the idea of darkness, fear or death (as in the "Black Rabbit of Inlé"). Fu Inlé is used to refer to "after moonrise".
- Ni-Frith – Noon
- Rah – A prince or leader; usually used as a suffix, e.g. Threarah means "Lord Threar".
- Silf – Outside, outdoors
- Tharn – To be petrified with fear, i.e. "deer in headlights".
- Thlay – Fur
- Threar – A rowan tree, or mountain ash.
- Zorn – Destruction or murder; can also denote catastrophe.
[edit] Verbs
- Silflay – A term used for both grass used for grazing and the act of grazing itself.
- Vair – To excrete, to pass droppings.
[edit] Proverbs
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- "Hoi, hoi, u embleer Hrair,
- M'saion ulé hraka Vair."
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- "Hoi, hoi, the stinking Thousand. We meet them even when we stop to pass our droppings."
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