Doc Rat: Well, I was close.

[theoldwolf]

In my last post, I wondered what the ultimate lapine insult really sounded like. Using some basic linguistic principles of euphony, I came up with "Simbioth Gruata". As it turns out, the actual phrase is

"Bh'angh-hruront pwúl-plobba!"

As Dani described it, the "gh" is a pharyngeal fricative, probably voiced, and the ú indicates a rising tone.

And for lapine, a language full of light, smooth front vowels and sibilant consonants, a phrase like this which is chock-full of back vowels, aspirated consonants, harsh fricatives and long stops is just downright uncharacteristic and harsh.

Probably means "Your mother is a meat-eater and mates with badgers!" or some such...

Comments

[deckardcanine.livejournal.com]

My 11th-grade English teacher told me that he asked a Cambodian exchange student how to swear in his native language. The student was too respectful of authority to say it aloud, so he wrote the word and its pronunciation. With some hesitation, he gave the translation: "You are thunder and lightning."

It could be that the English translation of the lapine phrase barely even sounds like an insult.