Chapter Text
When do I verb?
Not sure when to put a word into its verb form? Here's a handy guide, the format of which is stolen shamelessly from the verb posters in my old French classroom.
| Nuhoyir | to sleep |
|---|---|
| Ni nuhoyi | I sleep |
| Gar nuhoyi | You sleep |
| Mhi nuhoyi | We sleep |
| Kaysh nuhoyi | He/she/they (sing.) sleeps |
| Val nuhoyi | They (pl.) sleep |
-ike and -ikase
The suffix 'ika is well known to be an affectionate diminutive for people (e.g. Bob'ika, little Boba).
Equally well known are the suffixes -e (after consonants) and -se (after vowels) to make a word plural.
In theory, this means that if you're talking about multiple little things, you'd use the suffix -ikase. For example, the word for Mandalorian tapas is skraan'ikase (little eats).
But!
When talking about children (ade), the affectionate term is ad'ika. The plural, however? Adike. This has led to the (possibly fanon) interpretation that 'little brothers (affectionate)' is vod'ike.
Honestly, I agree with the above interpretation, and here's why. Mando'a is a language that a. is meant for the battlefield, so the shorter the better, and b. is modular enough that you can stick words together to make new ones. Taking adike or ad'ike apart to form vod'ike is an entirely logical step, which leads me to this theory:
-ike is for people, and -ikase is for things.
Granted, this is only a theory and not a definite rule, but I like the idea enough to make it one of my personal guidelines.
The suffix -ii
I've seen theories about what -ii means, and I got curious enough to do my own digging.
There are definitely cases where -ii is used in conjunction with a negative word (dinii, auretii, wayii), but equally, there are some very positive ones (kandosii, parjii) and several neutral ones.
Keeping in mind that there isn't a great deal of material for comparison, my personal theory is that -ii is generally used for things Mandalorians feel strongly about (outsiders, victors, Jedi, etc). It doesn't have to be positive or negative, it just has to invoke a strong reaction.
Alternately, Mandalorians just really like their double vowels.
If you have a different theory, though, go for it!
Hold on, that word sounds familiar?
A fair few historic (or existing) slang words from our own planet have made their way into Mando'a. The ones I've spotted are either Olde English or British military slang, but I'm betting there are plenty more I haven't noticed.
Here's a few of the ones I've seen:
| Mando'a | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Besom | Ill-mannered lout, someone with no manners | In Olde English, 'besom' was another word for 'broom', and it was also mildly rude slang for a woman. "You daft old besom!" |
| Birgaan | Backpack | From the word 'bergen' for backpack, WWII military origin. |
| Skraan | Food | From the Navy slang 'scran', also meaning food. |
Got any more? Let me know!