But first, language nerdery!
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0:00 – Introduction
0:58 – RAMBLE: Mongolian Pronunciation Tips
4:57 – QUEST: “The Undying Ones”
13:35 – QUEST: “A Final Peace”
27:39 – QUEST: “As the Gods Will”
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Edited by Daniel Floyd
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I came to watch Durmin kick butt, but I stayed for Dan to teach me Mongolian: what a Chad 😎
A linguist would be more equipped to explain the rules of Mongolian pronunciation than a native speaker. Native speakers implicitly follow the rules without consciously understanding them. You probably don't know the correct order that adjectives must be used in for english (i forgot it) but there is a correct order. Silly fat brown cow sounds fine, but brown fat silly cow sounds weird.
Man, I really like the Steppe arc
I can very much picture my WoL giving Gosetsu a hearty slap after that initial scene. Respect other people's cultures, man!
Can I just say, I really appreciate the lessons you're giving us on other culture's languages! I love playthroughs anyway, but this is such a gem for me.
Do you guys believe the Dotharl are right in a fashion of their beliefs?
As someone with a layman's interest in linguistics, I appreciate the lesson, good sir. Thank you!
It's interesting to me that a lot of the stressed/unstressed pairings in mongolian are similar to japanese, but then the w/oo reminds me more of hebrew. Since we don't have a letter for "w", we use the letter "ו" twice. That letter can also make a "v" sound, or be used as any variation of "o/u" sounds. And if it is used as an "o/u" sound, if you wanna have a "v" sound right after that, you also use it twice. This not a great explanation, but I thought some people might find it interesting
Gosetsu does a Cultural Insensitivity
[Always Sunny in Philadelphia theme plays]
So the whole "the soul burns bright in death" thing… Anyone else thinking about Moenbryda?
That doofy looking and laughably pissy little sun tribe edgelord in the chair is in desperate need of a painful attitude adjustment. The guy oozes 'ick' and is a fine target for some laser guided karmic overkill and regular killing. Bring on the Nadaam.
A failed attempt to spy on the Dotharl leads to Durmin and Gosetsu encountering their village. So how about the Dotharl, who make their home around an oasis?
The title of the "undying ones" is not just a term to instill fear in the enemies of the Dotharl- it also indicates their beliefs. You see, the Dotharl are fervent believers in reincarnation, and believe that after death, they become born again within a year. While this is not a sustainable lifestyle, it's a traditional believe nonetheless, and they embrace battle more than any of the other tribes. The baby, in spite of any difference in gender or personality, is believed to be the reincarnation of a Dotharli warrior that died prior to its birth and is expected to become proficient in the talents of the person who had died before. Thus, these people do not fear death, but instead welcome it if they die in glorious combat.
These babies are usually named by the current Khan or Khatun- in this case, it's Sadu Heavensflame. Sadu, a woman of 27 years, is a fierce and proud warrior of the Dotharl who charges into each fight with disregard for her own well-being, making pragmatic decisions and guiding her warriors in battle. Out of battle however, Sadu cares about her people with a surprising amount of concern, and looks into the eyes of newborns to dictate whose soul has been reincarnated. She is additionally enigmatic and actually tends to play the moirin khuur at night. Regardless, she despises arrogant men… something a certain Sun is in droves.
Nearby is the Uyagir, who permanently reside in a decently-sized cave. People of this tribe believe that they were punished by the gods for their indolence and greed, and they were forced to hide within the caves their punishers- giant oliphant bettles- had dug out. They now refrain from any luxury, afraid that the gods would punish them again, thus live incredibly modest lives.
The Hotgo, mentioned in this episode, was once known for their vibrant face paint, which they changed regularly to express their current mood. However, the Dotharl massacred them but recently, with the remainder having left the Steppe prior to their tribe's destruction. Members of this tribe play a major role in the Alexander raids, though I won't mention their fates (go watch it if you haven't, I recommend it.)
The Kagon could be seen as the opposite of the Oronir- while the Oronir embraces their heritage as direct descendants of Azim, the Kagon are worshipers of Nhaama, the Dusk Mother. They believe that they were instructed that Azim is evil, and thus stepping into the sun is to succumb to his will. Thus, they spend the daylight in their tents, and only come out at night to hunt and migrate. Their skin is thought to be a ghostly pale, uncharacteristic of a fair-weather locale they hail from.
The Torgud are another desert tribe, who don't wear any clothes. Instead, they cover their bodies in a white paint created from mud, lime, and bone meal. This results in the paint reflecting the hot desert sun, thus being surprisingly effective as a ward against its heat radiation (and, in my opinion, a really effective censor.)
Other desert tribes are the Bairon (who drink their own body fluids to survive even the driest of climes), the Mierqud (who have multiple buried stashes which they go between annually), and the Urumet (who travel with their elders on their shoulders, thus allowing them to see farther.)
Finally, near the Uyagir is an abandoned Iloh known as… Dhoro Iloh. The original owners of the tribe, the Dhoro, are extremely elusive and very wary of other tribes, to the point where they post lookouts in their camp and are ordered to flee once an outsider is spotted by a member of the watch.
Love the people of the Steppe.
Both the Mol and the Dotharl have some unique and really interesting cultural ideas, and I hope we'll revisit this part of the game in a future expansion.
Gosetsu is giving me second-hand social anxiety in this episode. 😅
I know its an unfamiliar culture and Gosetsu isnt known for his charm but that outburst was pretty bad all around.
Edit: while Sadu says the same later I feel it was partially in response to Gosetsus outburst.
Playfriends, today we learn about some more of the competition out here on the Azim Steppe. This is your spoiler free lore comment!
Sadu, sometimes the first spies are people who just want to learn more about you. But let's talk a bit about the Dotharl belief system. The side quests here often touch upon some of the difficulties the Dotharl experience due to their views on reincarnation. For some, there is emotional baggage that comes with an inherited name. The bonds of a pervious life can sometimes strain the relationships of the living, be it lovers or family. Additionally, the capabilities of a past life create expectations for the living. One Dotharl is attempting to master the same weapon which his forbearer gained renown with. It is not until they throw aside the expectations of their past life and fight with bear fists to defend their friends do they learn the truth: that each of their reincarnations have demonstrated skill with different weapons. Thus, the expectations of their previous life were both a hindrance, and a misunderstanding. The final piece of concern in the Dotharl is that only great warriors may be reincarnated. Those who do not demonstrate proficiency in battle are doomed to die a final death.
19:30 – I love this character moment from Gosetsu. This demonstrate that he has a need to pay reverence to the dead, to assist their spirits. But moment also shows that Gosetsu finds an appeal to the idea that a great warrior might be reincarnated, cleansed of its wrongs, and given new life. A samurai who failed to prevent the annexation of his homeland, who took lives for those who subjugated his people, and encouraged a failed uprising that lead to the death of his liege. It makes sense that kind of man might want some peace at the end of his journey.
22:50 – I also love this interaction. So much of Lyse's character needs to be explored, and I like that she's pushing her boundaries, and understanding those who have lived and grown under occupation. She's not the punch only gal. She's growing, and I love it.
Magnai searches the Steppe for his Nhaama. And Sadu will not look him in his eyes, for he is her opposition. Azim and Nhaama quarreled in their legends, and the writers know what they're doing.
Comedy, that's what they're doing, expect comedy from this.
I'm a little light on lore today, so let's cover a piece of Steppe related lore and story that Durmin won't get to. Do you remember Custom Deliveries? Crafters and Gatherers can turn in special items to certain NPCs and gain scrip and massive XP, as well as expand a little story line. Heavensward had one, Zhloe, who runs an orphanage in Idyllshire, when she isn't serving as a waitress in the The Hard Place. Well, the proprietor of The Hard Place, Adkiragh, is one of three Custom Delivery NPCs for Stormblood (we'll get to the other two later)! Adkiragh is in an elaborate golden costume, complete with a massive porcine head, fully covering his whole body. Players can help drum up business for The Hard Place, which is in a slump since a lot of adventurers left to fight in Ala Mhigo (players went to Stormblood locations since it's the new hotness and Idyllshire is less popular now). As you progress his story, you learn that Adkiragh is well acquainted with Steppe cuisine. Really well acquainted, it's almost like he grew up there! Also, there are a series of Adarkim Xaela in town, who have taken a liking to The Hard Place, and looking for the brother of their khan. Yup, Adkiragh was next in line to be Khan of the Adarkim tribe, but in fighting resulted in multiple assassination attempts on his life. Adkiragh felt he was not suitable to be khan, and fled the Steppe in order to ensure a stronger leader would be chosen: his brother Bulugan. But while this scheme succeeded and gave Adkiragh a life of freedom, his brother still yerns to know his fate, to know that his brother is out there, somewhere, happy and free. And so, it's up to you to convince Adkiragh to breach his deception and give his brother some closure.
Next time: It's time for a free for all!
>foreign-language phonetics lessons in a PlayFrame video
BRB, putting on my 'Sickos' shirt.
As someone who lectures phonetics, I just want to say I think you did that little breakdown really nicely and accessibly, Dan! Would love to join the ranks of the on-hand linguists for the channel. I've been loving the increasing presence of my discipline ever since you cracking the tunic language!
Gosetsu might be a bit callous, but he thinking and actually taking time to ponder and understand the Dotharl's ways while by the corpse is one of my favorite parts of the game.
💙
Gotesu really didn’t do badly on the cultural exchange front, especially in contrast with our journeys with Lyse.
YOu know what is really nice about Gosetsu? He is an old man set in his ways but he can learn and grow still and has the capacity to accept another cultures practices after an explanation even if he does not completely understand them. Like he obviously does not really get or understand the Dotharl's customs but he can accept that they are important to them and respect them in that context.
I'm, at best, a casual fan of language and linguistics (being a filthy monolingual myself) so the ramble about Mongolian pronunciation was super cool! Thank you for that diatribe Dan and Matt.
the more i see that throne, the more i expect Dan to accidentally throw a Drpunir Spear at it
6:36 Step one of learning any level of a new language. Even after 8+ years speaking German (restarting in difficulty twice, once for Uni, and once on Duolingo, but I've made it to Plusperfekt at least once), and I still am convinced I'm ruining it horribly.
8:24 I love this bit.
12:06 Neat, but I can't help but wonder about the… exceptions. People who get marked as having the soul of some previous warrior, but whose body cannot perform like it.
13:07 What about the rest? They're just lost and forgotten, I take it?
17:10 I'm sensing a theme with all these other tribes…
I love Sadu's subtle sass at Gosetsu. When he heard about their beliefs, he very loudly shouted that they were "madness" so when he later mentions his own funerary rites, she casually calls them madness right back but still tells him where to go to practice them out respect for his beliefs.
Glad my comment helped! You’re very welcome. While I’m glad you mentioned that I’m no fluent speaker of Mongolian, just a fellow linguistics nerd who also loves ffxiv, I do love how much effort the devs have put into giving each area their own linguistic flavor! And all of the names you tried were all great guesses, though we won’t know for sure if you’re correct unless we hear them.
Here’s another fun fact: in the language of the Steppe, it seems like “-tu-“ or “-tun” may be a gender marker for titles. That’s why Magnai is a Khan, but Temulun (of the Mol) is a Khatun. In addition, this is marked by the bearer’s gender, not the name’s, as Sadu (which we infer is a male name as her previous incarnations were male) is Khatun. Of course, it could also be that Khan is the title for the overall leader, and Khatun is for the individual tribes.
Sadu and Magnai are two of my personal favorite characters in this game, and I love how we get this chance to experience the cultures of the Steppe, even if Gosetsu…struggles, at times.
7:03 First time I hear this character I had to pause and place her voice. Carina Reeves- Fiora in Xenoblade Chronicles. She has also voiced Tataru since Heavensward.
8:14 Tact, Gosetsu! Do you have any?!
8:42 It is a very good thing Sadu decides not to burn him to a crisp here…
29:40 Magnai is such a romantic. Here's an excellent place to recommend that you all read Tales from the Storm: O Naahma, Where Art Thou
Goesetsu just comes to realise that their faiths aren't too different from each other, fighting for what you believe in… or the role you think you're destined for.
Hein is probably the most realised leader out of all we've seen… he knows he's got a lot but he's not going to shirk away from his responsibilities… We've seen the leaders of Ul'Dah, Gridania and Limsa and even bregrudgingly Ishguard (Ayermic wasn't but he was convinced into that role) have their own issues. Hien will have but he's wiser going into the role.
Gosetsu isn't the best diplomat, but he's still willing to admit his mistakes and change his behaviors. That's important for anyone.
For me it would be easier to read mongolian in the cyrillic script, though I think they might have some extra letters I am not familiar with.
But I guess it would still be easier that an english transliteration of all things. 😀
French, Nordic, Japanese, Mongolian… before long, Dan is gonna be a linguist himself 😃