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Mixed Canonicity

This article refers to elements from both
Original Dune & Expanded Dune

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Chakobsa, also known as the magnetic language, was a hybrid language derived from various ancient Bhotani dialects, especially the Bhotani hunting language.

The language probably came into being after the first few Wars of Assassins. It became used to a lesser or greater extent by several groups, including the Bene Gesserit and the Fremen.

When House Corrino ruled the known universe, House Atreides used a form of Chakobsa as their Battle Language.

Vocabulary[]

Meaning[]

Enc2 This article or section refers to elements from The Dune Encyclopedia

The word chakobsa is found in the partially reconstructed language Bhotani and means "jargon" or "shop-talk".

Behind the Scenes[]

Chakobsa was a real-life secret language used by the medieval Circassian knights and princes. The name is derived from Bzhedukh (another Caucasian language) words šhə-k'oa-bza, meaning 'the language of hunters' [1]. Since the fictional Chakobsa is said to be a hunting language, it is probable that Frank Herbert, who was interested in Muslim cultures, knew about this fact.

The Chakobsa and Fremen language in the universe of Dune appears to be a fusion of several languages, including French, Romani, Arabic, Slavic, Greek, and heavily altered Sanskrit and Hebrew.

American linguist and constructed language supervisor David J. Peterson created a number of constructed languages for the 2021 film adaptation Dune, including a heavily expanded version of the fictional Chakobsa, based on the few samples known, and newly expanded and devised grammar. See the "Neo-Chakobsa" article for more information.

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