Bordurian
Encyclopedia
Bordurian is a fictional language
, the national language of Borduria
, a fictional Balkan dictatorship
created by Hergé
for the Tintin
comics
series. Little is known about Bordurian, as it is not extensively presented in the Tintin stories. The neighboring language Syldavian
, for example, has been proven to be a Germanic
language, but so few words of Bordurian are known that such an analysis for this language is more difficult. There are several words with an apparent Germanic origin, though, hôitgang, (cf. Dutch
uitgang), mänhir (cf. Dutch
mijnheer), ointhfan (cf. Dutch
ontvangst) sztôpp, tzhôl (cf. German
Zoll) and zsnôrr (cf. Dutch
snor). The ultimate source for these words are uncertain, though. Unlike Syldavian, which also uses Cyrillic, it is written only in the Latin alphabet
. Its orthography is apparently slightly different from Syldavian; the vowel ô, almost certainly ɔ, is quite common in the language, and sz seems to be used for [s] instead of ʃ, as in Hungarian
. Based on the Germanic vocabulary identified so far, it is suspected to be an intermediate language between the heavily Slavic-sounding Syldavian on one hand, and dialects of German
on the other.
As with other fictional languages and some personal and place names in the Tintin universe, Hergé modeled Bordurian on Marols
, a dialect of Dutch
spoken in and around Brussels
.
Almost the complete corpus
(except for Müsstler) is found in The Calculus Affair
.
Fictional language
Fictional languages are by far the largest group of artistic languages. Fictional languages are intended to be the languages of a fictional world and are often designed with the intent of giving more depth and an appearance of plausibility to the fictional worlds with which they are associated, and...
, the national language of Borduria
Borduria
Borduria is a fictional country in the comic strip series The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé. It is located in the Balkans and has a rivalry with the fictional neighbouring country of Syldavia. Borduria is depicted in King Ottokar's Sceptre and The Calculus Affair, and is referred to in Tintin and...
, a fictional Balkan dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
created by Hergé
Hergé
Georges Prosper Remi , better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist. His best known and most substantial work is the 23 completed comic books in The Adventures of Tintin series, which he wrote and illustrated from 1929 until his death in 1983, although he was also...
for the Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
series. Little is known about Bordurian, as it is not extensively presented in the Tintin stories. The neighboring language Syldavian
Syldavian
Syldavian is a fictional West Germanic language created by Hergé as the national language of Syldavia, a small fictional Balkan kingdom that serves as a major setting in some Tintin stories. Hergé modeled the language on Marols, a dialect of Dutch spoken in and around Brussels...
, for example, has been proven to be a Germanic
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
language, but so few words of Bordurian are known that such an analysis for this language is more difficult. There are several words with an apparent Germanic origin, though, hôitgang, (cf. Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
uitgang), mänhir (cf. Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
mijnheer), ointhfan (cf. Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
ontvangst) sztôpp, tzhôl (cf. German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
Zoll) and zsnôrr (cf. Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
snor). The ultimate source for these words are uncertain, though. Unlike Syldavian, which also uses Cyrillic, it is written only in the Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
. Its orthography is apparently slightly different from Syldavian; the vowel ô, almost certainly ɔ, is quite common in the language, and sz seems to be used for [s] instead of ʃ, as in Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
. Based on the Germanic vocabulary identified so far, it is suspected to be an intermediate language between the heavily Slavic-sounding Syldavian on one hand, and dialects of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
on the other.
As with other fictional languages and some personal and place names in the Tintin universe, Hergé modeled Bordurian on Marols
Marols
Marols or Marollien was a dialect spoken in Brussels. Essentially it is a Dutch dialect incorporating many words of French origin as well as a sprinkling of Spanish dating back to the rule of the Low Countries by the Habsburgs...
, a dialect of Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
spoken in and around Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.
Almost the complete corpus
Text corpus
In linguistics, a corpus or text corpus is a large and structured set of texts...
(except for Müsstler) is found in The Calculus Affair
The Calculus Affair
The Calculus Affair is the eighteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero....
.
Known words
- amaïh! - "hail!" (from the Flemish/Brussels word "amai" (meaning as much as "wow!")
- da - "of"
- hôitgang - "exit" (from Dutch "uitgang" and German "Ausgang")
- mänhir - "mister" (from German "mein Herr" and Dutch "mijnheer", literal translation of frz. "monsieur")
- ointhfan - "reception desk" (possibly from Dutch "ontvangst" or German "Empfang")
- opernska - "opera"
- platz - "square/plaza" (from German "Platz")
- Pristzy! - "Darn!" (from French "sapristi!")
- szonett - "bell" or "bell-push" (from French "sonnette")
- sztôpp - "Stop!"
- tzhôl - "customs" (from German "Zoll")
- zservis - "service"
- zsnôrr - "moustache" (From Dutch "snor")
- szplug! - "hey!" (Only in English edition)
Names of people
- Kardouk
- Kavitch
- Klûmsi - (Original FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Himmerszeck, akin to DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
immer ziek (always sick)) - Krônik
- Kûrvi-Tasch - (From EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
curvy (mous)tache, Original FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Pleksy-Gladz, based on Plexiglas) - Müsstler - (an obvious portmanteau of Benito MussoliniBenito MussoliniBenito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
and Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
) - Sponsz - From Dutch "spons", sponge