Posted in: Movies | Tagged: David Peterson, Dothraki, entertainment, film, game of thrones, NYCC

Dothraki 101: Learn To Speak Like A Khal

Published Mon, 13 Oct 2014 11:30:49 -0500

Christine Marie Vinciquarra writes for Bleeding Cool:

M'ATHCHOMAROON!, which means Hello in Dothraki, or "With Respect." After attending the Dothraki 101: Learn to Speak Like a Khal with Language Creator David Peterson panel, I can confidently say that I am now fluent…NOT! However, writer of Living Language Dothraki, David Peterson did explain that's how you want to greet someone if you don't want to get killed…so there you go.

The panel began with a small presentation about who the Dothraki are. Although, I'm pretty sure everyone in the room already knew. There were a lot of Khal Drogo's in the audience. He explained that the Dothraki use a version of the Roman alphabet and don't have a written language. Then our "Dothraki in Roughly 15 Minutes" lesson began. With that, came tons of spit flying into the air as the audience tried to hack up the letters. The presentation became very interactive as Peterson exchanged words with a few of the audience members.

A detailed discussion about how to roll our R's better led to a hilarious symphony of the audience "RRRRR"-ing. Peterson shared that the "Q" is the hardest sound in Dothraki, in which you need to put the back of our tongue against your uvula and that results in the appropriate sound. The audience got to practice some words out loud. Peterson started us off with "Soaiso" which means "drunk." He continued with, "Fati" which means, "Insult," and "Fatti" which means "Kale." He then talked about how he doesn't like Kale, but he can accept it in soups. He's definitely proved to be a funny, easygoing guy.

Peterson then called some volunteers up to the stage to practice pronunciation. I give them a lot of credit, because it takes a lot of guts to speak this language in front of a crowd and the creator. The volunteers' facial expressions were hilarious as David revealed what they had to read on an index card. But each of them got pretty cool prizes, which included a t-shirt, an audio book of Game of Thrones, and a free copy of David's book.

When the Q&A session began someone asked which one of the Game of Thrones actors had to most trouble learning the language. Peterson joked, "That depends on who you ask." Apparently Iain Glen who plays Jorah had the most trouble, but because his character is non-native it makes sense. Overall, this was a really fun interactive panel. It was way better than I thought it would be. With that said, Dothras Chek! (Goodbye) and Hajas! (Be Strong.)

Christine Marie Vinciquarra is a writer and bibliomaniac with a love for all things creative. Some of her favorite things include: Batgirl, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Saga, Game of Thrones (the books and the show), Johnny Depp, and all things Disney. She spends her weekends feeding her competitive side while she plays tabletop and/or video games with her husband and friends. She is currently working on a series of young adult fantasy novels. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @AWritersWay or on her blog writerchristinemarie.wordpress.com.

Q & A

Which actors had the most trouble?

"That depends on who you ask." Apprently ian Glen had the most trouble, but because his character is non-native it makes sense.

M'ATHCHOMAROON!, which means Hello in Dothraki. The detailed translation is Ma "With" Athchomar "Respect" –oon – Grammer. "because that's how you want to greet someone if you don't want to get killed."

Dothras Chek! "Goodbye"

The most famous expression "it is known" me nem nesa

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