Unas language

The Unas Language from Stargate SG-1 is, although simplistic, a beautiful language that lends itself to quick, sharp sentences.

Unas Syntax
The syntax of the Unas language is the same as that of English, subject-verb-object. There are no known tenses in the Unas Language.

Pronouns
The Unas language possess only one pronoun, KO, we. In all other instances, one either uses the proper noun, or excludes it entirely. For instance the sentence AKANA KEKA CHAKA (Akana kills Chaka) uses the proper nouns Akana and Chaka, with the verb KEKA (to kill).

Use of KO
The pronoun KO (we) is used very differently than its English counterpart. Ko acts as a suffix, much like the suffix -men in chinese. The above sentence AKANA KEKA CHAKA (Akana kills Chaka) has an entirely different meaning when KO is added; AKANA KO KEKA CHAKA (All the Unas named AKANA kill Chaka). However, KO can be eliminated entirely in some instances of extreme emphasis; KO CHA (we will stay).

Unas Dictionary
To date only a very small portion of the Unas language has been translated.

A
A: and A: particle, all (see KO(2)) AKANA: a name A KA NAY: as one tribe A CHA'KA: general greeting/hello/etc. A KA: thank you ASEK: shirt

B
BERNAR: retreat BERNAR KA CHA: break off attack and retreat

C
CHA: harm CHO'EE'CHE: I trust you CHO'EE'CHE: come sit with me

K
KA: no KA CHA: only (me, him KA CHA/me and him only) KA KEKA: don't kill KA KEKA: unarmed/disarm KA KEKA ONAC: disarm the goa'uld (without weapons, they would be an easy enemy to kill)/fight the goa'uld KA KO KEKA: we were attacked/we fought in self defense KA NAK: friend (or "not enemy") KA NAN: don't (KA NAN TOK/do not resist) KA NAY: friend, clan member KA NAYA: separate clans, opposing families (i.e. Capulet & Montague) KADA: Naquadah KAY GOL: what is that KEKA: to kill KEKA: danger KEKATA: staff weapon KEL: why KEL: how KEL KO TAR: who is he/can we trust him KEL KA: how many KEL KA NAYA: how many tribes KETA: retaliate KO: we/us KO: all together (UNAS KO KEKA/all the unas fight) KO: give (KO) CHA: to stay KO KA CHA: relocate, move (KO) NO NAY: away from your home KOR: iron KOR ASEK: refers to the alpha male - his name, actually (iron shirt)

L
LOTA: wait LOTA: wait here

M
MAK TAL: a sacrifice MAKA: sorry, apologies MA KAN NOK: stop fighting immediately MOO TA: marked for death/going to die

N
NAK: enemy NAN: feed/eat NAY A: tribe NO NA: home

O
ONAC: the Goa'uld

S
SESEKA: a large number, 20 (two tens) SHA: yes/I agree SHA NAT: to free (from a prison/danger) SHESH: I don't know, I don't understand SHEISH: an exclamation for alarm SHO: this SKA NAT: stop fighting SKA NAT: save lives SKA NAT TE: alliance, to preserve life.

T
TA: speak, negotiate TA: say, how do I say ("TA relocate?") TAR: who TAK: trick, deception TAR MAN KAN KO: do you wish to help us TE: particle used for introduction (TE KOR ASEK/I am Iron Shirt) TE: particle (Chinese "a") TOK: against/resistance TONOK: that (referring to the most recent object) TONOK SHESH: that is unclear TONOK TOK ONAC: to fight the Goa'uld

U
'UMAN: humans/Tauri 'UMAN TA TOK: will the humans attack UNAS NAY A TOK: all the tribes will fight

Z
ZO: particle (Chinese "a") ZO: will

Useful Phrases
KEL KO KEKA: why did you attack us? DAN'AL CHO'EE'CHE, 'UMAN KO KEKA UNAS: while you (Dan'al) spoke peace, the humans killed unas. A TOK 'UMAN: a human that is different than the rest, a better human KA CHA: away from harm SHA NAT KA KEKA: to help one escape from impending doom (i.e., "I was helping you escape the executioner.") KA KEK: you don't have to kill KA NAN TOK: Get out of my way! SHO EYAY JAY: this thing is good (as in moral)

Notes on Translation
All of my data is from the Stargate SG-1 episodes "The First Ones"(4.08) "Beast of Burden"(5.07) and "Enemy Mine"(7.07) thanks also to Mafdet

KA KEKA ONAC
From "Enemy Mine", although literally translated "not kill the Goa'uld", context suggests it should be understood "take the weapons of the goa'uld", or "disarm the goa'uld".

KEKATA
Mafdet theorizes that KEKATA simply means weapon, and applies to all weapons of any description, whereas I have translated it to mean solely the Jaffa Staff Weapon; If we break it apart, we see KA TA or don't speak; thus it can be assumed that something that silences someone for good kills them, a weapon. This debate will remain open however, for there is yet no translation for KE.

SESEKA
A large number or twenty. Although the second translation is never given, it can be assumed to mean approximately that number, as the size of the army in Enemy Mine is approximately 300 Unas, which is twenty times KOR ASEK's tribe of between seven and fifteen. Elsewhere it has been speculated that SESEKA means "forty-four" or "four and four tens". This is still a plausible number with the lower end of the estimated tribe size.

BERNAR KA CHA
This can be translated both "retreat only" and "retreat, and don't hurt". In this case, the multiple meanings of KA CHA lead to the same meaning; however, in some other cases, they do not. I assume that KA CHA means "only", because if it is only a couple of people, then they must trust each other, and therefore KA CHA "not hurt" each other.

Translation Exercises
Answers Below

1) UNAS KO TOK ONAC 2) MAK TAL KO KAKEKA 'UMAN ONAC NAYA, ONAC KEKATA KEKA MAKTAL 3) A CHA'KA AKANA, CHO'EE'CHE 4) Akana and Chaka don't kill the human sacrifices.

Answers
1) The Unas fight the Goa'uld 2) The sacrifices fight the human hosts, but the goa'uld's staff weapons kill the sacrifices. 3) Hello, Akana. Please, sit. 4) AKANA, CHAKA KA CHA KA KEKA 'UMAN MAKTAL.