HIGH VALYRIAN: LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT AND FUN FACTS - DUDAS - 2024

The high valyrio is a fictional language that appears in the play A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin and the HBO series Game of Thrones. In the plot, High Valyrian is considered a dead language originating from Valyria, the capital of the Essos Empire, which would later be called the Freehold of Valyria.

Despite its disuse, several languages ​​arose from dialects in High Valyrian, so accents and pronunciations are preserved. It is generally known by some citizens of Essos and Poniente. When the Frankish Feud of Valyria fell, another language called Lower Valyrian or simply Valyrian emerged, which also varies according to the use in the Free Cities.

In RR Martin's work there are only a few words created by the author. Therefore, before the production of the series HBO hired the linguist David J. Peterson, who was in charge of giving meaning and structure to this language.

Presence in the plot

According to RR Martin, High Valyrian is a language inspired by Latin. During the Roman Empire, Latin became the most widely spoken language in antiquity.

In the work not only this language stands out, but also other variations such as Valyrian or Lower Valyrian, which seems to have its own system in terms of grammar and lexicon.

Tyrion Lannister is one of the characters who has knowledge of High Valyrian thanks to the education he received in childhood. Even Samwell Tarlly and Arya Stark (according to the books), have been in contact with this language thanks to the teachers of their respective houses.

Fun facts

-While Tyrion Lannister is one of the few characters who know about High Valyrian, he is also familiar with Lower Valyrian. The work suggests that they are two different dialects.

-The pronunciation is "liquid", while the writing is done by means of glyphs.

-It is presumed that the Targaryens - one of the families with Valyrian descent - had knowledge of the language, although it is unknown if they promoted its teaching to subsequent generations.

-Daenerys Targaryen knows the language, having learned it during her exile. However, this fact is not explained further. This character also dominates other variations thanks to the different stays and relationships that he established over time.

-Other characters who also dominate the High Valyrian are Missandei, Melisandre, Varys and Thoros.

Language development

Before the production of the series, the help of a specialist was requested who was capable of developing the Dothraki language for the first season. This was essential to create a sense of realism during dialogue.

In light of this, the linguist David J. Petersen worked for two months to create a language that had a logical structure, not only from a grammatical point of view but also from intonation.

The presentation of this work was enough to adhere and develop the Dothraki language in the dialogues of the series.

For the third season, Petersen again concentrated on working on Upper Valyrian and Lower Valyrian, taking into account that they were important languages, as they would be used longer during the plot.

Thanks to Petersen's input, both Dothraki and High Valyrian are two of the many elements loved and respected by fans of the books and the series.

Lexicon

The knowledge of the language is given through some words, the most outstanding ones are detailed below:

Valar Morghulis

It means "All men must die." This is answered with the traditional greeting "Valar Dohaeris", which refers to "All men must serve."

Daor

It is a kind of negation and is used at the end of a sentence.

Drakarys

Its meaning is "dragon fire" (or dragonfire in English). It is a word that Daenerys Targaryen uses as a command voice for her dragons to attack.

Keli

Refers to cat. This word is also the name of Petersen's cat.

Kirimvose

It means "thank you" or some kind of gratitude.

Skorī dēmalȳti tymptir tymis, ērinis iā morghūlis

According to Game of Thrones Wiki the translation is: "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die."

Sesīr kipi!

Another command voice that means "Let's ride!"

Valonqar

It means "younger brother."

Maegi

It refers to "wise", although some often confuse it with "witch".

Other names and geographic locations

Beyond certain expressions, it is also worth mentioning some names and localities that originate in High Valyrian:

-Some names of the Free Cities: Volantis, Lyz, Myr, Norvos, Pentos, Qohor, Volon Therys, Oros, Valysar, Elyria, Tyria, Rhyos, Mantarys, Draconyz, Mhysa Faer and Velos.

-The House of Targaryen originates from the Valyrian culture that is expressed through the following names: Aegon, Aerys, Aemon, Rhaegar, Jaehaerys, Visenya, Aenys, Daeron, Maegor, Rhaenyra, Naerys, Baelor, Viserys, Daenerys, Maekar and Alysanne. The names of the dragons are also included: Balerion, Meraxes, Vhagar, and Syrax.

-There are other houses that also have this ancestry, such as Celtigar, Baratheon, Qoherys and Velaryon, so it is possible to meet some names such as: Aethan, Alyn, Corlys, Daenaera, Jocelyn, Laenor, Laena, Lucerys, Mondord, Monterys and Valaena.

Variants

There is a variety of High Valyrian called Low Valyrian (or simply Valyrian). This arises as a result of the different uses in the nine Free Cities (previously belonging to the Freehold of Valyria).

In addition, each city adapts the language by creating its own. In fact, David J. Petersen had to create a new language (Low Valyrian) for it to be used during the series. It is believed to be spoken primarily in Astapor, Yunkay, and Meereen.

Duolingo and High Valyrian

Due to the popularity of this language, the Duolingo company - one of the most popular applications for language learning - created a platform where it is possible to learn this language: from basic words to the most popular expressions in the series.

With the help of Petersen, the app's creators developed a course with over 4,000 words, ideal for fans and the curious.

References

1. High Valyrian. (sf). On a Wiki of Ice and Fire. Retrieved: April 12, 2018. In Hielo y Fuego de iceyfuego.wikia.com.
2. David J. Petersen. (sf). On Game of Thrones Wiki. Retrieved: April 12, 2018. On Game of Thrones Wiki at gameofthrones.wikia.com.
3. Duolingo teaches High Valyrian, one of the languages ​​of Game of Thrones. (2017). In week. Retrieved: April 12, 2018. In Semana de semana.com.
4. Glyph. (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: April 12, 2018. In Wikipedia at es.wikipedia.org.
5. High Valyrian. (sf). On Game of Thrones Wiki. Recovered. April 12, 2018. On the Game of Thrones Wiki at gameofthrones.wikia.com.
6. Valyria. (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: April 12, 2018. In Wikipedia at es.wikipedia.org.