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Doc Rat: Well, I was close.
Sep. 22nd, 2010 01:07 pmIn 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...
"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...
Doc Rat: The Ultimate Insult
Sep. 21st, 2010 12:05 pmWhat would be the ultimate Lapine insult?
We all know Dani has a fierce temper when she's riled - six bogans found that out the hard way. However, even though Dani was romantically involved with a rabbit and learned more about their culture than the council of elders would ever have approved of, she's not a rabbit - she's a rat. This particular turn of phrase is probably so offensive that a rabbit would never have said it to a loved one, no matter how egregious the screw-up.
So never, never say "Simbioth Gruata!" in public.
We all know Dani has a fierce temper when she's riled - six bogans found that out the hard way. However, even though Dani was romantically involved with a rabbit and learned more about their culture than the council of elders would ever have approved of, she's not a rabbit - she's a rat. This particular turn of phrase is probably so offensive that a rabbit would never have said it to a loved one, no matter how egregious the screw-up.
So never, never say "Simbioth Gruata!" in public.
