# High Gothic



## Dagmire (Oct 9, 2008)

I hear alot of talk in the BL books about the language High Gothic that the imperium uses. Is there an example of it anywhere? is it like olde world english or latin or is it more like runes and symbols?
The reason i ask is for writting on baners ect should i just use english or is there some format?
any help would be great


----------



## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

I suspect it was chosen to be a language adaptable to all nationalities, so that no fluffy warhammer fan misses out. But, again, that is just a feeling.


----------



## Red Orc (Jun 14, 2007)

OK; think of the Roman Empire - there was a "common language", Latin. That's 'like' High Gothic at the foundation of the Imperium, when the Emperor was still alive.

Now fast forward to the Middle Ages, for that's what 40k is, and Latin has become French, Spanish, Portugese, Catalan, Occetan, Italian, Romansch, Romanian etc - loads of languages descended from Latin ("Low Gothic dialects" in 40k) and the Church (Ecclesiarchy) preserves Latin (High Gothic), but after so long can't speak it properly, hence "Church" or "Dog(matic)" Latin - "pat-shay" for "par-kay" (peace), "vee-nee vee-dee vee-tshee" for "wen-ee wid-ee wik-ee" etc.

So; High Gothic is the original Imperial Common, and the root of a lot of languages in the Imperium, and _as an analogue_ GW uses Latin; so the easiest thing to do is follow them and use Latin-inspired stuff.

But you don't have to. I just think it's easiest.

:linguistic cyclops:


----------



## Dagmire (Oct 9, 2008)

My word you are Encyclopaedic in your wisdom.
Great stuff


----------



## lawrence96 (Sep 1, 2008)

or perhaps the "high" in high gothic means you are meant to smoke 15lbs of pot and then try to speak latin?


----------



## Exitus_10 (Jul 14, 2008)

Weed is expesive nowa days.....20 bux for a blunt dwn here.


----------



## arhain (May 6, 2008)

where are you getting yours?!


----------



## Peetus (Oct 21, 2008)

In the most recent Gaunts Ghost novels (I bevieve it was 'Traitor General'), Gaunt comes across a civilisation of humans hidden within a planets dense forest. A long story short they dated back to the foundations of the Imperium and have lived undisturbed ever since.

There you will find alot of High Gothic script.


----------



## surreal-mind (Oct 11, 2008)

all the proper names for things thta have been around for ages are in high gothic (adeptus sorticus[i cant remember properly, adeptus mechanicus etc)


----------



## revenant13 (Feb 15, 2008)

Peetus said:


> In the most recent Gaunts Ghost novels (I bevieve it was 'Traitor General'), Gaunt comes across a civilisation of humans hidden within a planets dense forest. A long story short they dated back to the foundations of the Imperium and have lived undisturbed ever since.
> 
> There you will find alot of High Gothic script.


they spoke protogothic, not high gothic.

just to make it really simple high gothic is pretty much latin, low gothic is normal english, and protogothic is oooooooold english.

Edit: nvm, i thought you implied they spoke high gothic. sorry.


----------



## Dagmire (Oct 9, 2008)

This has been most helpful
thank'ee


----------



## Camaris (Aug 4, 2008)

To be more precise High Gothic is pidgin latin.
Not real latin.
So as long as you say stuff that SOUND latin-ish then you're ok.


----------



## Captain Galus (Jan 2, 2008)

Most of what we know of the Imperium is Dog Latin; that is to say, all you have to do is take a word, add -us to the end of it, and you have a pseudo latin word!


----------



## Red Orc (Jun 14, 2007)

I think that's what Camaris is getting at.

But actually, "Dog Latin" is Catholic church ("Dogmatic") Latin (with a dodgy Italian accent) as opposed to Classical Latin. Hence the different pronunciation of "v", "c", "g" and a few other letters (probably, I can't think of any more off hand). By extension, it's also used (somewhat incorrectly I feel) for Latin with mistakes.

It might be better to call GW's Latin inspired language _faux_-Latin. Or "Latinesque" or something. 

:cyclopsus:

EDIT: just checked the link, Captain Galus, and finds it uses both _faux_-Latin and Latinesque. Unfortunately, it's just wrong about Dog Latin.


----------

