Lapine language
Encyclopedia
Lapine is a fictional language
created by author Richard Adams
for his 1972 novel Watership Down
, where it is spoken by fictional rabbit characters. The fragments of language presented by Adams consist of a few dozen distinct words, and are chiefly used for the naming of rabbit
s, their mythological characters, and objects in their world. The name "Lapine" comes from the French
word for rabbit, lapin, and can also be used to describe rabbit society. It seems to be influenced by the Welsh
, Irish
, Scottish Gaelic, and Arabic language
s.
Adams commented that the motivation for the sound of Lapine was that it should sound "wuffy, fluffy" as in the word "Efrafa".
Fans of the book, including authors and academics, have attempted to expand on the few words and phrases extant in the corpus of "Watership Down" and develop it into a fuller language.
Within the book, only the rabbits speak Lapine; other animals communicate in a lingua franca
known as "hedgerow."
Fictional language
Fictional languages are by far the largest group of artistic languages. Fictional languages are intended to be the languages of a fictional world and are often designed with the intent of giving more depth and an appearance of plausibility to the fictional worlds with which they are associated, and...
created by author Richard Adams
Richard Adams
Richard Adams was a non-conforming English Presbyterian divine, known as author of sermons and other theological writings.-Life:...
for his 1972 novel Watership Down
Watership Down
Watership Down is a classic heroic fantasy novel, written by English author Richard Adams, about a small group of rabbits. Although the animals in the story live in their natural environment, they are anthropomorphised, possessing their own culture, language , proverbs, poetry, and mythology...
, where it is spoken by fictional rabbit characters. The fragments of language presented by Adams consist of a few dozen distinct words, and are chiefly used for the naming of rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s, their mythological characters, and objects in their world. The name "Lapine" comes from the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word for rabbit, lapin, and can also be used to describe rabbit society. It seems to be influenced by the Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
, Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
, Scottish Gaelic, and Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
s.
Adams commented that the motivation for the sound of Lapine was that it should sound "wuffy, fluffy" as in the word "Efrafa".
Fans of the book, including authors and academics, have attempted to expand on the few words and phrases extant in the corpus of "Watership Down" and develop it into a fuller language.
Within the book, only the rabbits speak Lapine; other animals communicate in a lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
known as "hedgerow."
Selected vocabulary
- Bob-Stones: A traditional game played by rabbits. It Uses small stones and/or fragments of sticks. It is a very simple game of gambling on the lines of odds or evens. A "cast" of stones on the ground is covered with the players front paw. The opponent must then sumerise about what lays under that paw. EXAMPLE: one or two, light or dark, ruff or smooth.
- Crixa: The center of Efrafa, at the crossing of two paths.
- elil: Enemies of rabbits, including fox, stoat, weasel, cat, owl, man, etc.
- embleer: Stinking, the word for the smell of a fox.
- flay: Food, specifically grass or other greens.
- flayrah: Unusually good food, such as lettuce, carrots, etc.
- Frith: The Sun, viewed by the rabbits as God.
- Frithrah: "Lord Sun", used as an exclamation. Analogous to "My God!"
- fu-Inlé: After moonrise.
- hain: A song.
- hlao: A depression in the ground formed by a daisy or a thistle, specifically one that can hold moisture. Also used as a rabbit's name.
- hlessi: A rabbit who lives aboveground or otherwise out of a warren; a wandering rabbit. Plural hlessil.
- homba: A fox. Plural hombil.
- hrair: Many, uncountable, any number above four. It also means thousand, a big, uncountable number.
- hraka: Droppings, excreta. Used as a curse.
- hrududu: Any type of motor vehicle, such as a tractor, car or train. Plural hrududil
- Inlé: The moon, moonrise. Also means fear, darkness or death (as in the Black Rabbit of Inlé)
- lendri: A badger.
- li: Head.
- marli: A doe,a mother.
- m'saion: "We meet them"
- narn: Nice, tasty.
- ni-Frith: Noon.
- nildro: A blackbird.
- Owsla: A group of strong rabbits second year or older surrounding the chief rabbit.
- pfeffa: A cat.
- -rah: A suffix denoting meaning prince, lord or Chief Rabbit (as in Threarah, Hazel-rah)
- -roo: A diminutive suffix meaning "little" (as in Hlao-roo or Hrairoo).
- silf: Outside.
- silflay: To eat above ground; to graze.
- tharn: A state of paralyzed fear or confusion. Can also be used to mean "looking foolish", "forlorn", "heartbroken".
- thlay: Fur.
- threar: A Rowan or Mountain Ash tree.
- u: The.
- U hrair: "The Thousand". The term used by rabbits which refers to all their collective enemies.
- vair: To excrete, to pass droppings.
- yona: A hedgehog. Plural yonil.
- zorn: Destroyed, murdered. A catastrophe.
Selected names
- El-ahrairah: The rabbits' folk hero. The literal translation of the full name(Elil-hrair-rah) is "Enemies-thousand-prince"; "Prince with a thousand enemies".
- Hlao-roo: "Little Hlao", Pipkin's name in Lapine.
- Hrairoo: "Little thousand". Fiver's name in Lapine.
- Hyzenthlay: The literal translation is "shine-dew-fur"; "Fur shining like the dew". The name of a doe.
- Nildro-hain: "The Blackbird's song". The name of a doe.
- Sayn: Groundsel.
- Thlayli: "Fur-head"; Bigwig's name in Lapine.
- Thethuthinnang: "Movement of leaves". The name of a doe.
- Threarah: "Lord Threar", "Lord of the Rowan tree". The Chief Rabbit of the Sandleford warren.