"Neo-Chakobsa" (2020s film series)

This article refers to elements that only appear in the cinematic universe established with Dune (2021).

"Neo-Chakobsa" is an expanded version of the Dune universe's fictional language Chakobsa. It was developed as a constructed language for the 2020s Dune film series by American linguist David J. Peterson, based on the relatively small amount of information on Chakobsa in the Dune novel series. (The name "Neo-Chakobsa" is hypothetical, purely descriptive and purely for the purposes of this wiki, to differentiate it from the novels' "canon" version of Chakobsa, since Peterson and others refer to the expanded version directly as Chakobsa.)

As an expansion of the original Chakobsa from the novels, "Neo-Chakobsa" follows the original language's pattern of incorporating phonetic, grammar and vocabulary elements from many different past Earth languages. "Neo-Chakobsa" is the most frequently heard fictional language in the 2021 Dune film adaptation, and has the most detailed linguistic notes and documentation of the languages developed for the film series.

David J. Peterson developed "Neo-Chakobsa" as a largelly new variation on the original fictional Chakobsa devised by Herbert. The decision was based on the notion that any real world languages of today (e.g. English, Arabic, Chinese, etc.) would be unrecognizable by the time of the first Dune novel, set some 20,000 years in the far future of humanity. Therefore, Peterson's take on Chakobsa is more than simply making up "future-sounding" or thinly-veiled versions of vocabulary with the mixture of Romani language, Serbo-Croatian language and Arabic language, as originally used by Frank Herbert to depict the form/dialect of Chakobsa spoken by the Fremen. Peterson instead reasoned that the presence of these languages in Herbert's original text is a "translation" of a fictional language via present day languages, to the benefit of the reader, much like Galach being presented in modern day English.

As a result, Peterson decided to develop a fully-fledged constructed language, which still features elements from the real world languages depicted in Herbert's original fictional Chakobsa, but portrays the language as a distant result of 20,000+ years of development and continued cross-polination with other human languages. This expanded variation on Chakobsa is thus a mostly a priori constructed language , though elements of its phonetics, grammar and vocabulary are influenced by the real world languages that were meant to inspire the form/dialect of Chakobsa used by the Fremen in the novels. Peterson's Chakobsa also doesn't feature any elements from the historical Northwest Caucasian "hunting language" Chakobsa , only borrowing the name, much like Frank Herbert and his fictional Fremen Chakobsa (which also doesn't feature any elements from the real world Chakobsa, beyond the basic concept of it being a secret language or "hunting language").

All of the following information in this article is taken from David J. Peterson's documentation for the 2021 film adaptation (see 'External links' and 'References' for sources). The only additions to the quoted sections of texts are occassional reference tags, and placeholder descriptions of overview tables. Please read Peterson's original notes (behind the relevant links) to see the full tables for ortography and other features.

Phonology

To quote David J. Peterson's notes:

"Chakobsa

Romanization and Pronunciation
This is the romanization system , which will be used to spell the language using the Roman alphabet. I'm going to describe the full system in detail below:

• A, a: Pronounced like the “a” in “father”, but further forward in the mouth.
• Aa, aa: Pronounced like the “a” in “father”, but further forward in the mouth, and held for a longer duration.
• B, b: Pronounced like the "b" in “bad". In certain circumstances (as before s), it will sound more like p, but the result will be quite natural.
• Ch, ch: Pronounced like the "ch" in "each". Unlike the sound "ch" in English "chair", there is no discernible puff of air that accompanies this sound. If one holds one's breath while pronouncing the "ch" in English "chair", one will pronounce this sound correctly.
• D, d: Pronounced like the "d" in "diet".
• Dh, dh: Pronounced like the "th" in “this" (never pronounced like the “th” in “think”).
• E, e: Pronounced like the "e" in "get".
• F, f: Pronounced like the "f" in "fog".
• G, g: Pronounced like the "g" in "goat" (never like the "g" in "genius").
• H, h: Pronounced like the "h" in "hop". This sound is always pronounced, even if it comes after another consonant, or at the end of a word.
• I, i: Pronounced like the "i" in “machine".
• Ii, ii: Pronounced like the "i" in “machine”, but held for. a longer duration
• J, j: Pronounced like the "j" in "jam".
• K, k: Pronounced like the "k" in "sky" (this sound features no aspiration. Aspiration is the puff of air that occurs in the "k" in "kite". Compare the "k" in "kite" and the "k" in "sky" [try holding your hand in front of your face when pronouncing both]. The Chakobsa k should always be pronounced like the "k" in "sky"; never like the "k" in "kite").
• L, l: Pronounced like the "l" in "love".
• M, m: Pronounced like the "m" in "matter".
• N, n: Pronounced like the "n" in "never".
• O, o: Pronounced like the "o" in "tote".
• Q, q: This is likely the most difficult sound in Chakobsa for an English speaker to master. The sound is produced by touching the back of the tongue to the uvula and making a constriction as one would for a k. One pronounces this sound like any other stop (p, t, k), it's just pronounced further back in the mouth than an English speaker is used to. Think about when the doctor asks you to go, "Ahhhhhhh..." Try doing that, and as you're doing it, take the back of your tongue, without moving it, and plug up the opening in the back of your mouth. That should put you in perfect position to pronounce q.
• R, r: Pronounced like the "r" in Spanish "pero". Nearly identical to the "t" or "d" sound in English "matador" (pronounced quickly).
• S, s: Pronounced like the "s" in "sad".
• Sh, sh: Pronounced like the "sh" in "shade".
• T, t: Pronounced like the "t" in "stake" (this sound features no aspiration. Aspiration is the puff of air that occurs in the "t" in "take". Compare the "t" in "take" and the "t" in "stake" [try holding your hand in front of your face when pronouncing both]. The Chakobsa t should always be pronounced like the "t" in "stake"; never like the "t" in "take").
• Th, th: Pronounced like the "th" in “think" (never pronounced like the “th” in “this”).
• U, u: Pronounced like the "u" in "ruminate".
• Uu, uu: Pronounced like the "u" in “ruminate”, but held for a longer duration.
• V, v: Pronounced like the "v" in "van".
• W, w: Pronounced like the "w" in "went".
• Y, y: Pronounced like the "y" in "yet".
• Z, z: Pronounced like the "z" in "zebra".
• ': This is referred to as a glottal stop, and is pronounced just like the catch in one's throat that occurs in between the "uh" and "oh" in English "uh-oh". This isn't a difficult sound to produce; it just requires a bit of practice to insert it into words. It will occur naturally in a string of vowels pronounced separately in English (e.g. if one were to say "A A A A A A A" [saying the actual name of the letter each time] over and over, a glottal stop will naturally occur before each instance of the vowel). If one simply stops pronouncing a word mid-vowel and starts again, it will naturally occur. (Note: It is important to remember that this apostrophe is not a stray mark, and not simply there for decoration. The apostrophe stands for a consonant which has the same status as g or k or any other consonant.)
• Double Consonants: Doubled consonants, or geminates, occur frequently in Chakobsa. To pronounce a doubled consonant, simply pronounce it twice. You might think of it as lingering over the consonant. Think of the "s" sound you pronounce in "Miss Sally". It's a longer "s" than if you pronounce the similar phrase "Miss Ally". The same goes for the doubled consonants of Chakobsa. One important note about the romanization: If a digraph (e.g. kh, gh, etc.) is doubled, only the first letter will be doubled (hence, kkh not khkh). The consonant is pronounced like a doubled consonant, though, as actual combinations such as k followed by kh are impossible."

That concludes Peterson's notes and observations on the phonology and pronunciation created for the film's version of Chakobsa (i.e. "Neo-Chakobsa"). In the following section, we will delve into the ortography of Peterson's expanded Chakobsa and into its writing script seen in the 2021 film adaptation.

Ortography

"Neo-Chakobsa" uses its own unique writing script, an abugida (or 'alphasyllabary', rather than an alphabet), where the individual glyphs (symbols) correspond to different short combinations of vowels and consonants, or consonants and consonants. This writing script is essentially the 2020s film series' version of a Fremen language writing script.

To quote David J. Peterson's notes:

"The Chakobsa writing system is an abugida that comprises more than 1,000 glyphs. It looks like this when typed out:

(example)

The system is complex, but learnable: a point of pride for a once-great people. It’s used for Chakobsa proper, but could profitably be used for Fremen as well. Thanks to the ligatures built into the system, it's possible to take any string rendered in the Chakobsa romanization system and have it displayed correctly in the font itself. The system is described below.

The Glyphs
Chakobsa glyphs stand for syllabic sequences of a consonant (C) followed by a vowel (V), though in certain circumstances CV sequences can stand for a plain consonant. Though Chakobsa words can begin with a vowel in speech, they are written as if they begin with a consonant (more or less silent at this stage). In between vowels, that consonant is romanized ‘, and is pronounced like a catch in the throat (similar to the sound between the two words that comprise “uh-oh”), called a glottal stop. To give you a sense of what the vowels look like, here they are following the glottal stop consonant:

(table depicting glyphs, their phonetics and romanized forms)

The first fourteen forms are vowel forms. The very first form can be read as a consonant if it comes before another consonant and is unstressed. The final form is used when a word ends with a consonant (this will happen automatically when you type the font).

Here is a full list of all the forms that occur in the Chakobsa font. Since there are so many vowel combinations, I’ve broken them up into two different tables. Here’s the first (-# stands for when a consonant appears at the end of a word. Also note that f and p are the same):

(table depicting all variations of the glyphs - part 1)

Here's the second:

(table depicting all variations of the glyphs - part 2)

Many of the forms shown above are predictable; some are not. To type each form, though, simply start with a consonant on the left and use the vowel sequence on the right, and the glyph in the corresponding cell will be automatically produced. (Note: The y form has specialized uses, and is generally only used at the beginning of a word.)

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the Chakobsa system is the many, many conjunct characters that occur. These conjuncts are used when two non-like consonants occur next to one another. Not all consonants combine; only some of them do. These combinations will occur naturally when typing the font, so one doesn’t need to think about it; one just types. Here are all the conjunct forms (again spread across two tables to accommodate all the terminations. Note that the first two are not errors. Rather, in conjunction, the b in the forms bs and bsh loses its dot):

(table depicting all conjunct form variations of the glyphs - part 1)

That’s the first set, as large as it is. Here’s the second:

(table depicting all conjunct form variations of the glyphs - part 2)

There is one last wrinkle to the system that involves doubled consonants. Just as Chakobsa distinguishes between long and short vowels, so does it distinguish between long and short consonants. If = is ba (with a single ba), then "V is bba (a doubled b followed by a). A couple examples are shown below:

(brief table depicting glyphs that denote doubled consonants)

That is the bulk of the system. Now we’ll move on to other nonlinguistic elements.

The Chakobsa Number System
Like many languages, Chakobsa uses a base-10 number system. Here's a summary of the system:

(table depicting the basics of numerals in "Neo-Chakobsa"'s writing script)

To indicate a number, there’s a special number symbol used before numerals. The monetary symbol for local currency is derived from this symbol. They both are shown below:

(table with more detail on the writing of numerals in "Neo-Chakobsa"'s writing script)

The Chakobsa Punctuation System
Chakobsa has a few punctuation marks. Like English, punctuation marks appear after the word, rather than before. Here's a list of the marks in use in Chakobsa:

(table with the punctuation marks used in "Neo-Chakobsa"'s writing script)

The quotation mark has broader usage than simple quotation. It can be used to set off any text (e.g. for emphasis or as a parenthetical comment)

How to Use This Font
This font is designed in such a way that all one should have to do is type using the ordinary romanization system and Chakobsa comes out. The only trick is the chameleon character z, so if precise wording is required, I'll be sure to include that in the spelling I give you. To show a full example, if we have the romanized sentence:

Ekkeri-akairi, fillissin-follas!

I will give you this code to type:

Ekkeri-akairi, fillissin-follas! (different font)

And it will produce the following in the Chakobsa font:

(the sentence in the font based on "Neo-Chakobsa"'s writing script)

This way we can make sure everything works, and the script appears correctly on screen."

That concludes Peterson's notes and observations on the writing script (and derived font) created for the film's version of Chakobsa (i.e. "Neo-Chakobsa"). In the following section, we will delve into the vocabulary of Peterson's expanded Chakobsa and some of the expressions heard in the 2021 film adaptation.

Vocabulary

Nouns

• akshahii - pron. AK-sha-hii - "friend"
• dim - pron. DIM - "blade" (e.g. Sa-dim !, "For the-blade !")
• dimbi - pron. DIM-bi - "the knife", "a knife"
• eddem - pron. ed-DEM - "life"
• fadla - pron. FAD-la - "peace"
• Fremin - pron. FRE-min - "Fremen" (unclear if only singular or also plural, like in English)
• oggori - pron. OG-go-ri - "coffee"
• qumih - pron. QU-mih - "night"
• raudhi - pron. RAU-dhi - "hands"
• raudhiha - pron. RAU-dhi-ha - "his hands" (possessive form)
• resham - pron. RE-sham - "desert"
• sich - pron. SICH - "sietch"
• vaanar - pron. VAA-nar - "fates" (plural of "fate", singular unknown)
• uzzul - pron. uz-ZUL - "death"

Verbs

• bela - pron. be-la - "to hold"
• dindhakho - pron. DIN-dha-kho - "remove" (implied to be in imperative form, i.e. a command)
• hadha - pron. HA-dha - "to stop" ("to halt", "to cease")
• jila - pron. JI-la - "go" (implied to be in imperative form, i.e. a command)
• jiladha - pron. JI-la-dha - "to-reach"
• kaah - pron. kaah - "they are" / "they're" (the pronoun kaah can double as a "to be" for third person plural)
• khadha - pron. KHA-dha - "Stop. / Stop !" ("Halt. / Halt !", imperative form, i.e. a command, of hadha)
• khura - pron. KHU-ra - "come" (e.g Khura zikh., "Come here.")
• mursha - pron. MUR-sha - "kneel" (implied to be in imperative form, i.e. a command)
• she - pron. she - "you are" / "you're" (the pronoun she can double as a "to be" for the second person singular)
• vizala - pron. VI-za-la - "to hunt"
• zaikha - pron. ZAI-kha - "drink" (implied to be in imperative form, i.e. a command)

An interesting verb-related feature of "Neo-Chakobsa" is the frequent absence of "to be" in spoken and written sentences, though their functional presence within the sentence is still implied. This feature is reminescent of some real world languages, where the "be" auxilliary verb element can be left out, resulting in the absence of an explicitly spoken "am", "are" or "is".

Adjectives

• cheshii - pron. che-SHII - "good"

Adverbs

TBA

Pronouns, prepositions, etc.

• a- - pron. a - "to" (in the sense of "towards", "to a destination", e.g. a-Sich Tabra, "to-Sietch Tabr", A-gef, "To-the-path")
• chaiya - pron. CHAI-ya - "what"
• ed- - pron. ed - "to" (especially in the sense of "to do")
• hi - pron. hi - "and"
• ho - pron. HO - "he" (masculine pronoun, male person)
• kaah - pron. kaah - "they" (also doubles as "they are" when making a statement about a group)
• ru - pron. ru - "for"
• sa - pron. sa - "in", "with"
• she - pron. she - "you" (also doubles as "you are" when making a statement about a person)
• so - pron. SO - "not"
• vadzikh - pron. VAD-zikh - "now"
• zikh - pron. ZIKH - "here"

Expressions and sentences

Examples of spoken "Neo-Chakobsa", heard in the finished film or present in the draft notes for the language.

Monologues and asides by characters

This subsection showcases brief monologues, asides and greetings by characters using "Neo-Chakobsa".

Duncan Idaho's greeting

In the scene where Duncan Idaho returns from a Fremen sietch to the rest of the Atreides, he does a parting farewell to his Fremen friends.

• Jila hiyak sa fadla. - pron. JI-la hi-yak sa FAD-la. - "Go with them in peace." (more lit. "Go with-them in peace.")

Stilgar's aside

Stilgar' aside to Paul during the meeting with duke Leto and Atreides leadership at the Arrakeen Residency.

• Heshiigiishii. - pron. he-shii-GII-shii. - "I recognize you." (more lit. "I-recognize-you.")

Dr. Kynes' aside

Dr. Liet Kynes' aside at the ornithopter aircraft hangar, after Paul's explanation on knowing how to fit his stillsuit footwear slip-fashion.

• Ruha leda gefthek sahiimbit qullaha hiyak. - pron. RU-ha le-da GEF-thek sa-HIIM-bit QUL-la-ha hi-yak. - "He shall know your ways as though born to them." (more lit. "(It is) to-him to-know ways-your as-one-who was-born with-them.")

Stilgar's commands to his troop

Before Jamis challenges Paul to a duel, Stilgar commands the members of his troop (including Jamis) to follow him and travel to Sietch Tabr, as they're running out of daylight.

• Zeyaashaha qumih. Oma jiladha a-Sich Tabra. Ru vaanar liikasat ziha dimadhagas chos. A-vannat belilii hiyak! Ukairibii unak. - pron. ze-YAA-sha-ha QU-mih. o-ma JI-la-dha a-SICH TAB-ra. ru VAA-nar LII-ka-sat zi-ha DI-ma-dha-gas CHOS. a-VAN-nat BE-li-lii hi-yak! u-KAI-ri-bii u-nak. - "The night is fading. We must reach Sietch Tabr. The fates of these strangers will be decided there. Until then they have my countenance! My word is on them." (more lit. "Is-fading night. (It is) on-us to-reach to-Sietch Tabr. (It is) for fates of-strangers these to-be-decided there. Until-then countenance-my (is) with-them! Promise-my (is) upon-them."

Dialogue between characters

This subsection showcases dialogue between characters in "Neo-Chakobsa".

Conversation between Jessica and shadout Mapes

The conversation that occurs between Jessica Atreides and the shadout Mapes while Jessica is hiring knew maidservants for the governorial household. Mapes presents a hidden crysknife and asks Jessica whether she knows what it is, in hopes of fulfilling a supposed Fremen prophecy. Most of the conversation is presented in English (presumably meant to represent Galach), but there are also some brief exchanges in Chakobsa ("Neo-Chakobsa").

• Jessica: She Fremin. - pron. she FRE-min. - "You’re Fremen." (more lit. "You (are) Fremen.")
• Mapes: Ruha bela eddem hi uzzul un-raudhiha. - pron. RU-ha be-la ed-DEM hi uz-ZUL un-RAU-dhi-ha. - "He shall hold life and death in his hands." (more lit. "(It is) to-him to-hold life and death in-hands-his.")

Fremen Walla

Fremen discussing the rumours surrounding Paul while at the old research station, preparing coffee.

• Vii minaazashaho vejii ho Chausij ? - "Do you really think he is the One ?"
• Yazaalahao Liiyet. - "Liet favors him."
• Azaagahayi ho ludhii. - "He looks young to me."
• Oggori cheshii, e akshahii. - "Good coffee, friend."
• Is-kiftha chaiya ho Chausij ? - "How can he be the One ?"

Miscellaneous examples

Note that, though these examples were used to test or showcase the features of "Neo-Chakobsa" and their development, not all of these examples appear in the finished film.

• E kaah ledaabibet dhauvaalalam, so shiira isim un-rauqizak. - "You who know what we suffer here, do not forget us in your prayers."
• Onii so jaha. Jahi vizdhik ruzam. Jahi uzzulich anzaadhabit vashtha. Qiraashii wa jahayi. Sahaathiiho aahathanii vannat isathanii. Sish isthaha, vannat heshyaaha uuthigii gifha. Isthaha jahi chem, unaaraha so biin nat. Atmaarii ne hissait. - "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing! Only I will remain." (The Litany Against Fear)
• O veyz shiidhaga. - "The spice must flow."

Fremen battlecries

Various random battlecries of the Fremen, for scenes of fighting in a battle or in a crysknife duel. Not all of these battlecries were necessarily heard in the finished film.

• Agef ! - pron. a-GEF ! - "Let’s go !"
• Sah-ifir ! - pron. sa-hi-FIR ! - "By power !"
• Sa-garga ! - pron. sa-GAR-ga ! - "By might !"
• Vizakaa ! - pron. VI-za-kaa ! - "Kill them !"
• Nichii ! - pron. NI-chii ! - "Quickly !"
• Vadzih ! - pron. VAD-zih ! - "Now !"
• Sa-dim ! - pron. sa-DIM ! - "By the blade !"
• Dimashakaa ! - pron. di-MA-sha-kaa ! - "Cut into them!"
• Dhiishaga jiyak ! - pron. DHII-sha-ga ji-yak ! - "Charge into them !"
• Ru-resham ! - pron. ru-RE-sham! - "For the desert !"
• Sa-laak ! - pron. sa-LAAK ! - "By the sands !"
• Viza leksaat ! - pron. VI-za lek-SAAT ! - "Kill the strangers !"
• Sa-lish ! - pron. sa-LISH ! - "By fire !"
• Jila ! - pron. JI-la ! - "Go !"
• Jila sahiim bii ! - pron. JI-la sa-hiim BII ! - "Go as one !"
• Mem sahiim bii ! - pron. MEM sa-hiim BII ! - "We are as one !"
• So rum uzzulatha ! - pron. SO rum uz-ZU-la-tha ! - "We are not fated to die !"

Videos on "Neo-Chakobsa" and its development

"Neo-Chakobsa" development videos by David J. Peterson

David J. Peterson offering a look behind the scenes on his process of gradually developing and editing "Neo-Chakobsa", to serve as a fairly functional constructed language in the 2020s film series.

Work Stream 6- Translating into Chakobsa, Part 1

Translating into Chakobsa, Part 1

Work Stream 7- Translating into Chakobsa, Part 2

Translating into Chakobsa, Part 2

Work Stream 10- Translating into Chakobsa, Part 3

Translating into Chakobsa, Part 3

Work Stream 11- Translating into Chakobsa, Part 4

Translating into Chakobsa, Part 4

Work Stream 26- Recording ADR for Dune

ADR for Dune

See also

Dune series source material

• Chakobsa - Herbert's fictional language from the original Dune novels (inspired by but wholly distinct from historical Chakobsa), used mostly by the Fremen, and serving as a starting point for the version developed for the 2020s film series.
• Fremen language - General article on languages and vocabulary used by the Fremen. This article is based heavily on the semi-canon The Dune Encyclopedia, which doesn't necessarily always align with the canon linguistics of Herbert's novels. The Islamic-derived terms are also presented in a form intelligible to present day readers, rather than a fictional future form.

Other languages of the 2020s Dune film series

• Sardaukar language (2020s film series) - The language (or two language variations) used by the imperial Sardaukar troops in the 2020s Dune film series.
• Atreides battle language (2020s film series) - Secret sign language used by House Atreides for stealthy communication in espionage, security and combat situations.

External links

• An overview of dialogue in Chakobsa ("Neo-Chakobsa") and other constructed languages in the 2021 Dune film adaptation
• Overview of David J. Peterson's constructed language work for the 2020s Dune film series
• David J. Peterson's official website - Focused primarily on Peterson's linguistics work, including work on constructed languages.
• The Art of Language Invention - A website founded by David J. Peterson to provide the public with detailed courses on the process and various aspects of developing constructed languages.
• David J. Peterson's official Youtube channel - Includes information on Peterson's constructed language works and detailed courses on developing constructed languages (the latter affiliated with the Art of Language Invention Website).
• Constructed Languages Don’t Always Make It Into a Finished Film — but ‘Dune: Part Two’ Shows Why They Should - IndieWire article and interview with David J. Peterson (1 March 2024) on developing the constructed languages for Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024).