Chakobsa (Dune)
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Chakobsa is a fictional language spoken by the Fremen in Frank Herbert's novel Dune (1965). The language was further developed by David and Jessie Peterson for the films Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024).[1][2][3]
Development
[edit]David Peterson worked on the Chakobsa language alone for the first film, but for the second film he collaborated with his wife, Jessie (née Sims).[2]
The original Chakobsa language created by Herbert was strongly influenced by Arabic. However, for the films the Petersons created a language that eschewed Arabic influence.[1][2][4][5][6]
Phonology
[edit]Chokobsa has five short vowels, three long vowels, and twenty-three consonants.[7]
- Short vowels:
- Long vowels:
- Consonants:
The consonants /t/, /tʃ/, and /k/ are unaspirated.[7]
In some environments, such as before /s/, /b/ is devoiced to [p].[7]
Chakobsa has consonant gemination. This is indicated in the romanization by the doubling of the consonant. For the digraphs ⟨ch⟩, ⟨th⟩, ⟨dh⟩, and ⟨sh⟩, only the first letter is doubled.[7]
Samples
[edit]oma
ˈoma
on-us
hiila
ˈhiːla
to-collect
ekker
ekˈker
water
is-thanaha
isˈθanaha
from-body-his
'We must get his body's water.'[8]: 8
References
[edit]- ^ a b Tracy, Marc (23 March 2024). "The Invention of a Desert Tongue for 'Dune'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024.
- ^ a b c Singh, Manvir (28 February 2024). ""Dune" and the Delicate Art of Making Fictional Languages". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024.
- ^ Shachat, Sarah (1 March 2024). "Constructed Languages Don't Always Make It Into a Finished Film — but 'Dune: Part Two' Shows Why They Should". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025.
- ^ Drury, Sharareh (26 March 2024). "'Dune 2' Criticized for Lack of Middle Eastern and North African Inclusion and Influences: 'A Missed Opportunity'". Variety. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024.
- ^ Durrani, Haris A. (28 October 2021). "The novel 'Dune' had deep Islamic influences. The movie erases them". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023.
- ^ Karjoo-Ravary, Ali (11 October 2020). "In Dune, Paul Atreides led a jihad, not a crusade". Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d Peterson, David J. "Chakobsa Pronunciation and Romanization" (PDF). Dedalvs.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 October 2021.
- ^ Peterson, David J. (27 September 2020). "Dune: Language Translations" (PDF). Dedalvs.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2021.
- ^ Peterson, David J.; Sams, Jessie (20 November 2022). "Dune 2: Language Translations" (PDF). Dedalvs.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 May 2024.
