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[mazhiv-zunlar]

Thank you for these additions—they actually made me realize an error in my thinking and I’m going to completely reverse my previous stance! I got caught up in the fact that humans might want to literally translate they/them pronouns from English, arriving at au in Vulcan. 

But that fails to take into consideration what you so correctly point out about ish-veh–it is a generic, all-purpose singular pronoun that can refer to all people. 

One clarification: while vel does mean “thing,” ish-veh is still what you would use to refer to a thing; it is indeed the literal translation for “it.” There is no  person-specific pronoun that I know of, and this usage of vel does not have a compound form. 

However, your post reminded me that although ish-veh can also refer to things, that does not equate people to things as it would in English. 

The gendered prefixes sa- and ko- are indeed from Mark Gardner’s Vulcan Language Institute and further prove that ish-veh itself is actually a great non-gendered pronoun. I actually wrote a whole post on gender in the Vulcan language where I was much more coherent about ish-veh and gender in general, which is here. Not sure where my brain was yesterday morning, lol.

I did archive the VLI by the way, and it can now be found here.  

And just so it doesn’t get lost in this post, the translation for nonbinary is still ri’dahik/ri’dah-!

Thanks for a cool discussion @any-shadow!

I wondered how to translate non-binary in Vulcan. Thought of Dah-Rai or something like that but I really would like your advice.

Hi @heylitllegirl, I hope this message isn’t too old—my notifications have been very screwy!

I think Ri’dahik would be the closest translation. Ri is “not” (as opposed to rai which is “no”). 

You’re not wrong about dah-, but it would only be used in the adjectival form. Ri’dahik is the noun form; the adjectival form would be ri’dah-. It must always include the hyphen and be followed by a noun. So “nonbinary person” would be ri’dah-su, but “they are non-binary” would be Nam-tor ish-veh ri’dahik.

On a similar subject, the (kind of absurdly long) word for “pronouns” is ulef-vel-zhitlar. “My pronouns are they/them/theirs” would would be Nam-tor ulef-vel-zhit t’nash-veh au/au/t’au.

Hope this helps!

[mazhiv-zunlar]

@heylitllegirl I'm so glad! I just went back and made a little edit—I think “they are non-binary” would actually be Nam-tor au ri’dahik (au instead of ish-veh).

Ish-veh is “he/she/it” and is a non-gendered pronoun, but given the obviously gross implication of “it,” I think it would be better to go with with literal translation au.

I wondered how to translate non-binary in Vulcan. Thought of Dah-Rai or something like that but I really would like your advice.

Hi @heylitllegirl, I hope this message isn’t too old—my notifications have been very screwy!

I think Ri’dahik would be the closest translation. Ri is “not” (as opposed to rai which is “no”). 

You’re not wrong about dah-, but it would only be used in the adjectival form. Ri’dahik is the noun form; the adjectival form would be ri’dah-. It must always include the hyphen and be followed by a noun. So “nonbinary person” would be ri’dah-su, but “they are non-binary” would be Nam-tor ish-veh ri’dahik.

On a similar subject, the (kind of absurdly long) word for “pronouns” is ulef-vel-zhitlar. “My pronouns are they/them/theirs” would would be Nam-tor ulef-vel-zhit t’nash-veh au/au/t’au.

Hope this helps!

[mazhiv-zunlar]

I wondered how to translate non-binary in Vulcan. Thought of Dah-Rai or something like that but I really would like your advice.

Hi @heylitllegirl, I hope this message isn’t too old—my notifications have been very screwy!

I think Ri’dahik would be the closest translation. Ri is “not” (as opposed to rai which is “no”). 

You’re not wrong about dah-, but it would only be used in the adjectival form. Ri’dahik is the noun form; the adjectival form would be ri’dah-. It must always include the hyphen and be followed by a noun. So “nonbinary person” would be ri’dah-su, but “they are non-binary” would be Nam-tor au ri’dahik.

On a similar subject, the (kind of absurdly long) word for “pronouns” is ulef-vel-zhitlar. “My pronouns are they/them/theirs” would would be Nam-tor ulef-vel-zhit t’nash-veh au/au/t’au.

Hope this helps!

[mazhiv-zunlar]

It seems that what few online resources we have to learn vuhlkansu are slowly dying. I remember there used to be the stogeek site (VLI reclaimatiom project), and now I hear VLI may dissapear (is it even being updated anymore, or is the site abandoned?). What can people do to save these online resources?

I’m terribly sorry for my late reply (and my general inactivity).

I archived the entirety of the VLI here.

Mark Gardner has actually made a few posts on the VLI Facebook group which had been inactive for some time, so we may see something from him in the future. 

My long-term goal is to create a centralized site with all remaining variations of the language with sources, a searchable dictionary, and a history of the language’s evolution through fandom. That’s a far-off prospect, I’m afraid, but I’m hoping we can keep the language alive. 

[mazhiv-zunlar]

T’HY’LA

Perhaps the most controversial vulcan word, T’hy’la is a term created by Gene Roddenberry that roughly translates as “friend/brother/lover.”

It was introduced in Roddenberry’s novelization for The Motion Picture, in which he addressed Kirk/Spock slash in a now-notorious footnote. The meandering footnote attempts to deny the homosexual relationship, but never actually gives a  definitive answer. It has been hotly debated by fans since the novel’s release in December 1979. [1]

Whatever its connotation, t’hy’la is probably the most well-known Vulcan word and so deserves a linguistic exploration.

Roddenberry’s definition is: “The human concept of friend is most nearly duplicated in Vulcan thought by the term t'hy'la, which can also mean brother and lover.”

But because of its comparison to romantic and familial bonds, t’hy’la implies a deeper relationship than casual Earth friendship. In fact, even Roddenberry describes Kirk and Spock’s friendship as “unusually close” in the footnote. Most fans have reserved this term for either incredibly deep platonic friendships or, more often, romantic relationships.

The Vulcan Language Institute draws a distinction between t’hyl’a, which is there defined as “friend (close/intimate)” and thrah, defined as “friend (general).” [2]

General consensus on pronunciation is “tuh-HIGH-la,” supposedly confirmed by Roddenberry himself shortly after the film’s release. [3]

Mark Gardener does not use y as a vowel in his Vulcan Language and so suggests that “t’hai’la” is the accurate spelling, [4] [5] but we retain Roddenberry’s original spelling.

Calligraphy of Gardner’s spelling, “t’hai’la,” looks like this. [6]  

Calligraphy of Roddenberry’s original spelling, “t’hy’la,” looks like this:

Note: The Vulcan Language Dictionary incorrectly cites “t’hai’lu” as the VLI’s plurilzation of the world. It also includes “t’hy’lara,” defined as “2 – 5 friends; plural of t'hy'la,” and “t'hyle,” defined as “more than 5 friends.” [7] We have never seen these terms anywhere else, nor do they follow a pluralizing structure we are familiar with, so take them with a grain of salt. The correct plural would be “t’hy’lalar.”

[mazhiv-zunlar]

Vulcan Verbs

There are three types of Vulcan verbs: Weak, Regular Strong, and Irregular Strong.

Weak verbs always start with a root word and end with the suffix “-tor.” Examples: fai-tor (to know), vinem-tor (to assimilate), tchas-tor (to warp)

Regular strong verbs always end in “∼au.” Examples: ashau (to love), uralau (to sing), markau (to float)

Irregular strong verbs are any verbs that don’t fit into the two categories above. Examples: aitlu (to want), fnu-vei (to hate), paglayaret (to explore)

Simple Past Tense

It’s very easy to form the simple past tense in Vulcan.

Weak and irregular strong verbs are simply preceded by the word vesht.

Regular strong verbs are not preceded by vesht. The “u” which ends every regular strong verb is simply changed to an “l.”

Examples:

WEAK I know: Fai-tor nash-veh. I knew: Vesht fai-tor nash-veh.

IRREGULAR STRONG I want tea: Aitlu nash-veh theris-masu. I wanted tea: Vesht aitlu nash-veh theris-masu.

REGULAR STRONG I love him: Ashau nash-veh ish-veh. I loved him: Ashal nash-veh ish-veh.

Simple Future Tense

The future tense is also very simple, and is also formed by preceding the verb with a helper word. For the future tense, this word is dungi[-].

Dungi is NOT affixed to weak verbs (ending in -tor), but IS affixed to both types of strong verbs. For weak verbs, dungi is still used, but as a separate word before the verb.

Examples:

WEAK They warp: Tchas-tor au. They will warp: Dungi tchas-tor au.

IRREGULAR STRONG We explore: Peglayaret etek. We will explore: Dungi-peglayaret etek.

REGULAR STRONG She sings: Uralau ish-veh. She will sing: Dungi-uralau ish-veh.

[mazhiv-zunlar]

Hi. I was wondering if you could help me with a translation. I want to say "Write it on my bones" (it's for a fic). My preliminary translation is Kitau ish-veh fi'hinek t'nash-veh. Any good?

Hi there!

The translation is, “Kita’uh ish-veh fi’hineklar t’nash-veh.”

"Write” needs to be in the imperative form, and “bones” needs to be plural.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Mod Anna

[mazhiv-zunlar]

welcome back! i was actually wondering, the VLI says that simple verbs(like nam-tor) are dropped when unnecessary, but are there any good definite guidelines for what to drop and when?

Thank you! Oddly enough, we were just giving that a good hard squint the other day! The short answer is no, there are no definitive guides, and it drives me up a wall. For others who are interested, the VLI note mentioned (found here, number 4 under “Notes”) states: “Simple Verbs, especially ‘nam-tor’ (to be), are often dropped when understood or unnecessary, e.g. >Nam-tor sehlat laSehlat laThe sehlat is here.”

There is also a note on this in the Grammar Intro (here, under “Sentence Order”): “The language tends to be ‘contextual’ in that understood or previously mentioned things are seldom repeated, unless needed for emphasis. Non-Vulcans sometimes have a tough time understanding a conversation when pronouns, subjects, and objects are dropped out. Vulcans usually find it wasteful to use more words than are truly necessary to get a point across. Normally full word usage is only done in teaching situations or formal literature.”There are actually a few examples of this in canon. Canon Vulcan is sometimes (but not always) reflected by the Vulcan Language Institute, but in the next two examples, the VLI’s alignment with canon is perfect. 

In The Wrath of Khan, Saavik and Spock have a conversation about Kirk, and Saavik comments that “he is so human.” The Vulcan dialogue is Ish-veh ni… komihn, which translates literally as “He so… human.” With full word usage, the correct translation would be, Nam-tor ish-veh ni… komihn, or, literally, “Is he so… human.” Nam-tor has been dropped, presumably because the simple verb is inferred.  

In The Search for Spock, Saavik remarks “So—it has come,” when she realizes that Spock has gone into pon farr during his rapid ageing process. The dialogue, Dom—ki'sarlah, translates literally as “So—has come.” Full word usage would give us Dom—ki’sarlah ish-veh or “So, has come it.” Here the subject, ish-veh, has been dropped. The verb (sarlah) is too essential to the meaning of the sentence to be dropped, but the subject, “it,” is presumably considered superfluous. 

There are also Earth precedents for this kind of word dropping. Both Arabic and Chinese, for example, are considered “pro-drop” languages because they omit pronouns when the subject is inferable. [1] We know that both an Arabic and a Chinese linguist worked on the VLI’s version of Vulcan [2], so it’s not a stretch to imagine there were real-world influences on this aspect of the language. 

This is a very finite subject, so I really wish there was more direction. Without it, I personally err on the side of full word usage because at this point very few people—if any—are fluent in the language anyway, so I don’t think it does any harm to be overly exact.

I’d say it’s safe to use our judgement and decide what is essential to a sentence and what can be dropped, but unfortunately there isn’t a way to check if the dropping has been done correctly. I know that’s not a very helpful answer, my apologies!

—Mods Anna (and Al, a little, screaming in the distance)

[mazhiv-zunlar]

Heya, so I’m literally just getting into this and it’s a tad overwhelming. Do you have any recommendations/sources for beginners? I also have a question about all the different versions there seem to be, as it gets confusing. And lastly, if you have any other helpful tips it would be very appreciated!

Hi there! Thrilled to hear you’re getting into the Vulcan language!

It’s definitely overwhelming at first, and there are unfortunately no real beginners’ sources, but I’ll try to break down the basics.

There are two main sources you need to worry about right now: the Vulcan Language Institute (VLI) and the Vulcan Language Dictionary (VLD).

The Vulcan Language Institute is a self-contained version and is the only currently available version with complete grammar. It also has huge dictionaries where you can find vocab from both English to Vulcan and Vulcan to English.

The Vulcan Language Dictionary is a lexicon that pulls mainly from The VLI as well a separate version of the language which the VLD labels “Marketa” (after its creator Marketa Zvelebil). A lot of Marketa’s vocab is still popular in fandom so it’s helpful to be aware of both her lexicon and the VLI’s. (More on Marketa and the VLI here).

The VLD is helpful for vocabulary and has a great search function and well-organized vocab categories. But for grammar, you will need to go to the VLI. Here is how I recommend you start.

First, read the grammar overview on the VLI, found here.

Second, dig into the VLI’s language lessons, found here. I recommend you skip straight to lessons 7 and 8, The Simple Sentence Part 1 and The Simple Sentence Part 2. These will give you the most basic idea of word order and how to build a phrase.

From there, I think it’s helpful to just try your hand at translating basic sentences, and then review the other language lessons to build a fuller understanding of the grammar. The good news is that the VLI’s grammar is actually quite simple and (lol) logical.

I’m always available to check and correct translations or answer any specific questions—when I was first learning I found it helpful to have another person explain something instead of wading through confusing online explanations. Message us here or email me at starshiplesbian@gmail.com anytime!

Good luck and enjoy—this is a fun language to learn!

Mod Anna

[mazhiv-zunlar]

A Short History of the Vulcan Language in Fandom

In studying Vulcan for nearly two years, we’ve come to understand more clearly the origins of the language as well as its various iterations and the people behind them. In the interest of both preservation and giving due credit, we’re going to outline some of that information.

Today’s Vulcan

The most commonly sourced Vulcan language is Mark Gardner’s, found at the Vulcan Language Institute. It is the language this blog most commonly refers to. It has an elegant grammar and robust lexicon and is the best-preserved Vulcan language currently available online. It’s probably the Vulcan language you’ve seen in fanfiction, calligraphy, and elsewhere.

Mark Gardner credits himself for the creation of this language, but does not give the names of the “two Army women—one an Arabic linguist, the other a Chinese linguist” [1] with whom he formed the VLI’s predecessor organization in 1980. The expertise of those women must have contributed heavily to the language, and if anyone is able to locate or identify them—they were stationed in California in 1980, perhaps around the Presidio of Monterrey—please drop us a line. We’ll pay bounty in latinum.

There is also an influential Vulcan language created by Doctor Marketa J Zvelebil [2] [3] in the 1990s. Although this language no longer exists in complete form online, many words survive in fan culture, such as adun (husband) and adun’a (wife). Much of the language can be found at the Vulcan Language Dictionary, which pulls from both Zvelebil’s Vulcan and the Vulcan language Institute, as well as a few other sources.

Korsaya.org mainly sources from the Vulcan Language Institute, and is the most complete resource for Vulcan calligraphy, which they beautifully expanded from canon visuals.

Language Origins

The Vulcan language originated, of course, in the Original Series episode Amok Time, written by legendary sci-fi author Theodore Sturgeon. We have him to thank for the earliest Vulcan words, including pon farr, plak tow, kal-if-fee, etc. Vulcan is the first alien language to appear in Star Trek. [4]

Vulcan dialogue was first portrayed in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The Kolinahr scene with Spock and the Vulcan masters was originally filmed in English, with Vulcan dialogue later dubbed in. Roddenberry reached out to a linguistics professor, Hartmut Scharfe, [5] to create Vulcan words that matched up with the actors’ mouth movements in that scene. The Vulcan translation of “live long and prosper”—dif tor heh smusma—was part of Scharfe’s original Vulcan, along with other vocabulary and some preliminary grammar.

The Vulcan language was also used in The Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock, as well as later movies and series. [6] [7] Star Trek: Enterprise notably featured spoken Vulcan, although fan languages were already well-established by then and did not always incorporate these new linguistics.

Early Influential Sources

Perhaps the earliest fan-created Vulcan language is Dorothy Jones Heydt’s, appearing in the zine Spockanalia 2, published in 1968 [8] [9] (the first all-Trek zine ever printed!). Heydt’s most significant contribution the the Vulcan language is the concept of ni var, an art motif meaning “two form.” Ni var became a popular fan term, [10] and was later used as the title of a novella by author Claire Gabriel, an edited version of which appeared in the official anthology Star Trek: The New Voyages. Leonard Nimoy himself wrote an introduction to the story and discussed ni var (although he misunderstood its meaning.) A ship called the Ni’Var appeared in Enterprise, a nod to Heydt’s famous word.

Diane Duane’s Vulcan language appeared in her novel Spock’s World in 1988. As it is featured in a licensed novel, this language is semi-canonical. Influential words created in Spock’s World include T’Khasi (the Vulcans’ name for their planet), T'Khut (“The Watcher,” the sister planet of T’Khasi), and cthia, a complex concept of “reality-truth,” usually translated simply as “logic.” Commonly seen in fanfiction, the personal title Spock cha’ Sarek (son of Sarek) was also created by Diane for Spock’s World. 

Diane Duane is also responsible for the look, feel, and the majority of the lexicon for the Romulan language found in the licensed novels. This language, called Rihan, debuted in the first two books of Duane’s Rihannsu series, My Enemy, My Ally in 1984 and The Romulan Way in 1987. Subsequent fan development for the Romulan language has not shared the same trajectory as any of the Vulcan languages, and so they are not currently related from an etymology standpoint. We’re working on fixing that.

(Diane is an extremely influential figure in Trek history and is currently struggling financially—if you have money to spare please consider purchasing some of her work here.)

Individual explorations of the Vulcan language also appeared in various zines throughout the seventies and eighties. Vulcan language and culture has always been a fan fascination, and will hopefully continue to be indefinitely!

[mazhiv-zunlar]

As I get this blog back on track, I’m very excited to announce that the absolutely brilliant @cohobbitation has offered to co-admin with me! They have actually been with me through most of my Vulcan Language journey, and are the best collaborator I could ask for. They are also much more organized than I am and will be a huge help in keeping the blog up to date!

[mazhiv-zunlar]

Hi all, I'm so sorry this blog has been inactive—some health problems have interrupted my study of the Vulcan language. But I’m still here and always available for translations, and I hope to get this blog active again very soon!

[mazhiv-zunlar]

Hello, Can you tell me -- what is the difference in meaning between adun'a and ko"telsu

Hi there! 

The difference is in the source. Ko’telsu and sa’telsu are from Mark Gardner’s Vulcan Language. Adun and adun’a are from the Zvelebil Vulcan langauge, which is referred to as “Marketa” (after one of the developers) on the Vulcan Language Dictionary. Zvelebil Vulcan is no longer online, but much of survives on the VLD and in popular fanon use (adun/adun’a, for example).

The VLI is on track to go offline and undergo a similar fate, but I don’t intend on letting the language die and am in the process of doing what I can to save it. 

[mazhiv-zunlar]

Thanks so much for the translation of "You have always been dear to me." I finished the story I needed it for and just wanted to say thanks and that it definitely upped the impact of that moment. If you want to see how I used it, it's on AO3, titled "And All For Love" by Gimmemore.

OOH you’re so welcome! I didn’t realize it was you (I’m annaknitsspock)!! I’m going to have to read ASAP. I hope it’s ok to respond publicly so others can read it too!!

[mazhiv-zunlar]

Here’s a chart and list of Vulcan words for basic body parts! 

Body Vukhut Head Patam Hair (multiple strands) Isachya Ear Kaluk Eye Bezhun Nose Han Mouth Ru’lut Back Pla’dor Buttocks Pla’kruslar Arm Kar Hand El’ru Finger Ozh Leg Mal Foot Ash’ya Toe Gof

[mazhiv-zunlar]

I can help!

You are dear to me is Nam-tor du ashtaluhk na'nash-veh.

You have always been dear to me is Ki'nam-tor kwon-sum ashtaluhk na'nash-veh.

Here are the grammar pages at the Vulcan Language Institute, and feel free to drop me an ask any time if you need help!

I am trying to translate "You are dear to me" or "You have always been dear to me" into Vulcan, but I am having no luck getting the structure/conjugation correct. Can you help? Or know where/who I can go to for help? Thanks so much!!

sorry, i’m useless with this. check out some of these resources:

// vulcanlanguage // Pronunciation Guide// History of the word ashayam

[mazhiv-zunlar]

@tlhingan-tlhup, tumblr won’t let me tag you for some reason, but this brings up an interesting point!

This phrase, which is very popular in fic, actually breaks two linguistic rules—not only is dular plural, but k’ means “with,” making the literal translation, “cherish I with you (plural).”

So if you wanted an accurate Modern Golic Vulcan translation of “I cherish you,” it would actually be Taluhk nash-veh tu. 

I’ve always assumed that these anomalies could be explained by the fact that it is a Traditional Golic (not Modern Golic) phrase, and the use of “thee” as opposed to “you.” 

But I did a little digging a while back and couldn’t find the origin of this phrase, so if anyone out there knows who created it, I’d love to hear the history! In the meantime, I would stick with k’dular unless you want to fully modernize it and drop the k’ altogether. If you do that, though, don’t forget to switch to tu since the proceeding sound is now a vowel sound!

Fanfiction Vocab

As anyone who follows my main blog knows, I have a definite shipper bias. I actually became interested in the language while searching for endearments I could have Spock say to Jim in my fanfiction. Whoever you ship, if a Vulcan is included and you create fanworks, it can be really interesting to include some Vuhlkansu.

So for a fun post on this early-summer Friday (at least in my part of the world), I’ve compiled a list of vocabulary and phrases that might be relevant to shippers and fanfiction writers.

Also, if anyone knows of writers using the language in their fics, let me know! I’d eventually like to compile a Vulcan language-specific fic rec list to share on this blog.

Relationship Status

Bondmate/Spouse Telsu Husband Sa-telsu; adun Fiancé Sa-kugalsu Fiancée Ko-kugalsu Lover Ashausu Wife Ko-telsu; adun'a

Sexual Orientation

Asexual (adj.) Riguv-, riguvik Bisexual (adj.) Dah-guv-, dah-guvik Bisexuality Dah-guv'es Homosexuality Ka-ashau'es Homosexual man Sa-ka-ashausu Homosexual woman/lesbian Ko-ka-ashausu Heterosexuality Vath-ashau'es Heterosexual man Ba-vath-ashausu Heterosexual woman Ko-vath-ashausu

Endearments

Beautiful Vaksurik Beloved (n.) Ashayam Beloved, darling, sweetheart (n.) Ashal-veh Beloved, darling (adj.) Ashal-, Ashalik Cute Petakov(-) Love (n.) Ashaya

Romantic Vocabulary

Embrace Nartaya (n.), nartau (v.) Finger embrace (n.) Ozh’esta Honeymoon (n.) Wuhr-sa'le Kiss Shok (n.), Shok-tor (v.) Love Ashaya (n.), ashau (v.) Loving (adj.) Ashaun-, ashaunik Love potion Ashau-krel-masu Love story Ashaya-var

Sexual and Anatomical Vocabulary

Anal Pekh-razh-, pekh-razhik* Anus Pekh-razh* Body Vukhut Breast Thak Clitoris Ko-Lok Copulate Az’ir’kh’ar Ejaculate (v.) Khrasau Ejaculation Khrasaya Erect Abul-, abulik (adj.) Erection Abun Erotic Guv-dau-, guv-dauk Penis Lok Mate (v.) Katelau Nipple Thasek-gonaf Sexual Guvik Sexual favors Dihrf Vagina Keshtan-ur* Vaginal Keshtan-urik* Vulva Kotik si-guv-kruslar/b

*Thanks to the ultra-logical Vulcans, these aren’t exactly the sexiest terms, so use them with caution in your fics: keshtan-ur literally means “birth tunnel” and pekh-razh literally means “feces hole.” I humbly suggest that razh, literally “hole,” could serve for any sexy orifice.

Phrases

I cherish thee Taluhk nash-veh k’dular (traditional Vulcan) I love you Ashau nash-veh tu Feeling “head-over-heels” for someone Shon-ha-lock/shan’hal’lak (literally the engulfment)

Note: T’hy’la, the word created by Gene Roddenberry meaning “friend/brother/lover,” will eventually have its own post, as there’s too much to cover here.