Language in the Twelve Colonies

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So, what links lead here?

There are too many to bother wasting our time listing. So here's a list of pages that link here. English, or some language that is universally translated into it (à la Tolkien) is standard. Loanwords from foreign languages ("fascist", "karma", "esprit de corps" etc.) occur with normal frequency, as do chronologically enigmatic borrowings such as the battlestar Columbia. Most religious terms are explicitly shared with ancient greek beliefs (either antecedent to or descendent from them).

Vocabulary

Anachronisms

Battlestar Galactica uses many terms from modern day naval aviation, which appear somewhat anachronistic but also lend the show a flavor of realistic jargon. These include:

Adama: You keep my planes flying. I need my planes to fly. (Litmus)

Ersatz

In contrast to its predecessor, the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica employs relatively little in the way of ersatz vocabulary. It does employ a few terms outside of a normal american english vocabulary, mostly military jargon. These are mixed in haphazardly with the real-life naval aviation terms above.

Invented Terminology

As all science fiction shows must, Battlestar Galactica has a set of vocabulary referring to technologies and other items not shared with the real world.

Enigmas

Language in Battlestar Galactica have terms whose origins are a curiosity due to chronology or uniqueness to the real-world Earth that likely wouldn't have a parallel of the same name in the Twelve Colonies. See an interpretation of the origin of humanity on Kobol that could support the derivation of these terms.

  • Columbia: This battlestar name's origin is strange since its popular Earth derivation comes from Christopher Columbus, a man unlikely to have existed in the Twelve Colonies.

Honorifics

Although civilians use the honorific "Madam" or it's shortened form "ma'am", in the Colonial military all superior officers are referred to as "Sir", regardless of gender. According to RDM's blog on January 20th, 2006, the series follows the system established in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan", where the term "sir" has become gender-neutral in military usage. Thus, Laura Roslin is refered to as "Madam President" or "ma'am" in a civilian context, but in her capacity as Commander-in-Chief, she is always addressed as "sir".

Names

Many characters have names that are a composite of an ordinary English name and a name of Biblical or Classical significance, while some few have names that are both references, and some have names part of which are simply made up. Again, it remains an enigma whether these should be thought of as translations for the audience's benefit; whether we are expected to believe that our Earth-bound names derive from a common root with Colonial names, both originating on Kobol; or whether Earth is intended to be the true origin, and if legend is correct, eventual point of return for the thirteenth "tribe".

No attempt is made to speculate as the intended meanings of the references cited below. It is even quite possible that none of these are intended by the producers as anything other than interesting sounding names based on words they found in the dictionary!

  • William and Lee Adama: "Adama" is Hebrew for "earth" in its literal meaning—ground, dirt—from which "Adam", the Biblical First Man, derives his name. It is also the name of a large city in Ethiopia. Lee's callsign "Apollo" is of course a reference to the Greek (and apparently, Kobolan) god.
  • Saul Tigh: "Saul" is a Hebrew name, which means "borrowed". Biblical references include both the first king of Judah and Israel, and the birth-name of Paul of Tarsus. "Tigh" appears to have been made up by Glen A. Larson. Originally the character was named "Paul Tigh", but when it was discovered that this could not be used for legal reasons, it was shifted to "Saul Tigh", a reverse of the name switch that Saul of Tarsus/St. Paul made.
  • Richard Adar: "Adar" is a month in the Jewish lunar calendar still in use today. It coincides roughly with the Gregorian month of March.
  • Kara Thrace: "Thrace" was a Greek city.
  • Galen Tyrol: "Galen" was a famous Greek healer, the source of much Mediaeval medical knowledge (and misinformation). "Tyrol" is a region that spans the border of Austria and Italy.
  • Gaius Baltar: "Gaius" was the praenomen of the man we commonly call Julius Caesar. "Baltar" was made up by Glen A. Larson.
  • Sharon Valerii: "Sharon" is Hebrew for forest, although it may have been chosen solely for the fact that it's a normal-sounding English woman's name. The gens Valeria is one of the longest-running families in the history of the Roman Empire. Curiously, "valerii" is the masculine plural form.
  • Karl Agathon: "Agathon" was an Athenian poet, a friend of Eurpides and Plato.
  • Hera/Isis: "Hera" was a Greek goddess, the wife of Zeus. "Isis" an Egyptian goddess, the wife of Horus in early mythology; the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus later. This is one of the few Egyptian references in the new series.
  • Helena Cain: "Helena" is a common enough name, but is also a possible reference to Helen of Troy. "Cain" in the Old Testament is the first murderer.
  • Aaron Doral: "Aaron" is a Biblical Hebrew name, the older brother of Moses.

Uncertain references:

  • Leoben Conoy: "Leoben" is an Austrian town where a preliminary peace in the Napoleonic wars was signed. "Conoy" is a Native American tribe, also known as the Piscataway. Both are pretty obscure.
  • Laura Roslin: "Roslin Institute" is where Dolly the Sheep was cloned! Roslin is a town in Scotland.
  • Anastasia Dualla: The Greek word anastasia translates to "resurrection". It's also not an uncommon Greek and Russian name. Dualla is the name of a region and people in sub-saharan Africa.
  • Tom Zarek: "Thomas" may be a biblical reference, although strictly speaking it isn't a biblical name (the word we translate as "Thomas" is actually an epithet meaning "twin"). It's certainly a common enough English name. "Zarek" appears to be made up.
  • Billy Keikeya: "Keikeya" appears to be made up.

Accents

Most characters speak with a Standard American accent, with some exceptions.

English Accent

Two characters speak with the Received Pronunciation, Dr. Gaius Baltar of Caprica and ship's medic Layne Ishay. Other characters from Caprica do not share this accent.

Canadian Accent

Occassionally when Col. Saul Tigh is shouting or barking out orders, he exhibits a faint canadian accent. Michael Hogan is a noted Canadian actor, and on the show his speech is usually indistinguishable from Standard American English, but observant fans can occassionally detect a trace of an accent.

Spanish Accent

Giana, a woman rescued from Caprica by Sharon Valerii, spoke with a Spanish accent, and inquired after the whereabouts of her husband, who she stated was "stationed on Gemenon". Her place of origin is unclear, but no other characters from either Caprica, Gemenon, or anywhere else have shared this accent. The actress, Lymari Nadal, is from Puerto Rico.

Aerelon Accent

In the episode "Flesh and Bone", Baltar noted that Sharon Valerii spoke with a trace of an Aerelon accent. The actress who portrays her, Grace Park, is fluent in both English and Korean, but speaks Standard American English without a foreign accent.

Kiwi Accent

The reporter D'anna Biers speaks with a Kiwi/New Zealand accent (this is actually the accent that actress Lucy Lawless speaks with when off screen, because she is from New Zealand). However, the same episode revealed that D'anna is actually a Cylon agent, and another copy of D'anna on Cylon-occupied Caprica does not speak with this accent, but a Standard American one. This seems to imply that D'anna's entire personality was for show, and that the Cylons seem to use more standardized pronunciation when amongst themselves (Final Cut; this subtle hint made by not using her Kiwi accent is also mentioned in David Eick's video blog). However, in her subsequent appearance in "Downloaded", D'anna/Number Three continues to speak with a Kiwi accent on Caprica (probably because Lawless wanted to keep using her normal Kiwi accent, after her character was turned into a recurring role).

Liturgy

During the funeral service at the end of the Mini-series, Priest Elosha chants a prayer in a foreign language. It is recognizable as a common Sanskrit prayer, found in Part I, Chapter III, Verse 28 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.

Devanāgarī Transliteration Translation
अस्तो मा सद् गमय ásato ma sád gamaya Lead me from unreal to Real
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय támaso ma jyótir gamaya Lead me from darkness to Light
मृत्योन् मा अमृतं गमय् mrtyór mamrtam gamaya Lead me from death to Immortality

Although the lyrics are identifiable, it should be noted that the actress's performance is closer to the chanting of biblical Hebrew, and does not resemble the traditional melody.

Footnotes

  1. Template:Note This usage is not entirely unknown in Earth-bound English. As a synonym for radio or radiotelegraphy, it's more common in Britsh usage, according to Merriam-Webster. It's also the source of the prefix 'Wi' in 'WiFi' and other similar wireless data standards now common.
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