26 replies to this topic

[Alistair Steiner]

Okay, let's put this into context. For the most part, the Inner Sphere is made up of hilariously stereotypical ethnic and national groups. I would assume this translates to accents (as it has been stated within numerous novels).

House Steiner, of course, would be mostly German (with the notable exception of the Skye Federation with Scots and Irish), I'd assume Davion would have a lot of French accents, Kurita is obviously mostly Japanese, etc. There are, of course, many different exceptions within each faction, and I acknowledge that, but I'm looking at overall stuff here.

Anyhoo, what are the thoughts on the Clans? Kerensky was obviously of Russian descent, and even the first names of Clan Wolf warriors is typically quite Russian (Natasha, Vlad, etc). Would they still have accents? I would assume since each clan is very self-contained, that this would be the case. So, what are the thoughts on the other clans? What accents would be found within clans like Jade Falcon, Steel Viper, Ghost Bear, etc?

Since their customs were basically reset after the Exodus, perhaps the Bloodnames would give us some clue, though I have to say that finding the nationality of certain names isn't my strong suite. Anyway, just a thought to discuss among the more Clan-oriented folks out there.

[Pariah Devalis]

Their ethnicity seems to be a grab bag mix at this point. That aside, what they were originally may not have much of a bearing on how they speak now, accent wise. While I would hazard an Eastern European style accent, it is hard to tell as racial background does not dictate accents. The way those around you speak, however, does.

[Oy of MidWorld]

Clans take great care as they do not like "sloppy" speech like contractions and such. So they probably developed some kind of standard english pronunciation? I like to think that they sound like this:



Furthermore I think collisions must be back in the game.

[Wolf Ender]

this is a very interesting question that I have never really considered before. Will be really curious to see what people think of this

[qultar]

The Clans speak Star League Standard English, disdaining and avoiding the use of contractions and similar practices in speech. As part of the SLDF's legacy, the language is seen as very nearly sacred, though some Clansmen are capable of reading and speaking other languages, typically Russian.

[CoffiNail]

The Clans have no real accent. I am trying to locate the reference (iirc it is in a sidebar in some sourcebook). The Clans actually sound very strange to the Inner Sphere as the Clans have no different dialects. It is all Star League English. Sphereoids actually comment that it is like hearing a Star League era holo recording.

[Strum Wealh]

There is a section on page 47 of the Warriors of Kerensky sourcebook that covers Clan language.

Written from the viewpoint of Phelan Kell (circa February 3062), it states that the root of Clan language is Star League English, the speaks at length about the tradition of not using contractions, and closing with a mention of buzzwords (e.g. "ristar", "bondsref") and revived archaic terms (e.g. "rede", "troth").

There is also a sidebar (written from the viewpoint of Anastasius Focht, circa December 3052) on page 13 of the Clan Wolf sourcebook (which makes the statement that, "Talking to a Clansman is like talking to a holo from those bygone days; it is an amazing and sometimes eerie experience.") that says much the same thing, but makes no mention of any accents.

So, my guess would be that Clan accents probably "default" to stereotype - Wolves probably sound like stereotypical Russians, Ghost Bears probably sound like stereotypical Scandinavians, Nova Cats probably sound like stereotypical Native Americans, and so on.

[Alistair Steiner]

Wow, interesting ideas and theories. Thanks for responding, folks! The Star League Standard does indeed make sense, and (I assume) since the Clans split among ideological rather than geographic (or ethnic) lines, they are all fairly mixed. Though as Strum said, there may still be that "old" level of accents present. Again, since Clan Wolf continues to use rather Russian first names, I imagine there is some amount of accent in there, just maybe not as strong as someone from a mostly Kuritan world, for example.

Anyway, thanks again for the input. Of course, any further discussion is encouraged for folks who think this is an interesting topic.

[dal10]

Alistair Steiner, on 26 November 2012 - 02:57 PM, said:

Wow, interesting ideas and theories. Thanks for responding, folks! The Star League Standard does indeed make sense, and (I assume) since the Clans split among ideological rather than geographic (or ethnic) lines, they are all fairly mixed. Though as Strum said, there may still be that "old" level of accents present. Again, since Clan Wolf continues to use rather Russian first names, I imagine there is some amount of accent in there, just maybe not as strong as someone from a mostly Kuritan world, for example.

Anyway, thanks again for the input. Of course, any further discussion is encouraged for folks who think this is an interesting topic.

Nicholas decided who went where, though did change his mind in the case of Ghost bear.

[qultar]

the cartoon i do not think had any did any books hint at any?

also names do not tell you look at the US

[Red Faction]

The Clans wouldn't necessarily develop and accent, and since they are all SLDF troops, all coming from various backgrounds but sharing the same language, often traditions, and then leadership with the Clan victory over the break away factions, then they would probably keep up their Star League English, not develop different accents.

[Vanguard319]

In my understanding, the clans have a standard language based on formal english, with some loan words taken from Russian, as well as original shortened phrases like quiaff/quineg, (query affirmative/negative) sibko, (sibling company) and Stravag (an even nastier epithet for freebirth, so I'll let you figure that one out) without the use of contractions.

I always though the clanners in MW 3 were a good example of clan speech. (around 4:50 in the video)

[Ice Naga]

Vanguard319, on 27 November 2012 - 12:55 PM, said:

Stravag (an even nastier epithet for freebirth, so I'll let you figure that one out) without the use of contractions.

How can someone put that together if they don't know Russian?

Stran Vagon

Independent Birthing.

[ValdnadHartagga]

One also has to consider the hundreds of years of cultural blending that happened before the Exodus. Consider the Germanic roots of the English language - I once listened to Chaucer in Ye Originale Olde English and it wasn't easy to follow, and that's a little over six hundred years old. We probably might not be able to understand spoke Star League English either.

I always envisioned Clanners speaking as if they were in a perpetual high school Shakespeare play, with a lot of dramatic flair and not a lot of emoting. I actually kinda liked MW4Merc's take on a Clan accent, at least with the Jade Falcons - clipped, arrogant, a little British, and a little cheesy.

[Strum Wealh]

ValdnadHartagga, on 27 November 2012 - 03:39 PM, said:

I always envisioned Clanners speaking as if they were in a perpetual high school Shakespeare play, with a lot of dramatic flair and not a lot of emoting. I actually kinda liked MW4Merc's take on a Clan accent, at least with the Jade Falcons - clipped, arrogant, a little British, and a little cheesy.

Well, there is also the old BattleTech cartoon - mainly Jade Falcons, with some Wolves in episode 09...

[Solis Obscuri]

I always imagined a little bit of a lisp...

[Solis Obscuri]

[CoffiNail]

Vanguard319, on 27 November 2012 - 12:55 PM, said:

In my understanding, the clans have a standard language based on formal english, with some loan words taken from Russian, as well as original shortened phrases like quiaff/quineg, (query affirmative/negative) sibko, (sibling company) and Stravag (an even nastier epithet for freebirth, so I'll let you figure that one out) without the use of contractions.

I always though the clanners in MW 3 were a good example of clan speech. (around 4:50 in the video)

Yep you have it how I perceive it too. There is really no stray accents, Clan Wolf, Clan Ghost Bear, Jade Falcon and the Jaguars all sound more or less the same, no different accent.

Edited by CoffiNail, 01 December 2012 - 06:21 AM.

[Spazamataz]

I would suggest they have no discernible accent!!.. much like the military or international pilots much of their accents are washed away through intense training so that they are clearer over two-way radios etc... could you imagine someone BORN!! to this training regime? I think all clans would sound the same through strict and clear training but get more 'coloured' as they grow older and experience conversations with IS citizens etc.

[Gremlich Johns]

CoffiNail, on 26 November 2012 - 08:14 AM, said:

The Clans have no real accent. I am trying to locate the reference (iirc it is in a sidebar in some sourcebook). The Clans actually sound very strange to the Inner Sphere as the Clans have no different dialects. It is all Star League English. Sphereoids actually comment that it is like hearing a Star League era holo recording.

Think un-accented mid-western American English. I have been in Denmark and that's kinda what they sound like when they speak English, vice British-sytle accents. I've met Canadian Military that were hard pressed to pinpoint my USA "region" of origin (No, not Lunacy), most times, they can spot where someone is from regionally.