Clan Contractions?

[Vonshroom]

I have always been more of a Periphery Savage, or at the least an Inner Sphere Barbarian, but the Clans have always confused me.

One particular point of interest that always made me scratch my head and go huh?, is the proliferation of words in the clan dictionary if you will that have been shortened. Words like batchall, short for battle-challenge, or Ristar, short for rising star. Even the every day common use words, Quiaff, Quineg, Neg, etc. I just never understood how a society that so abhorred contractions that they completely cut them out of their speech would so flippantly fling terms like Quiaff around, which, when you think about it is just a contraction....

Not looking to pick a fight, just looking for some thoughts on this, and maybe an explanation.I suppose that a "new" expansion to the game and an almost alien civilization had to have some kind of special lingo along with it.

[JadeHellbringer]

One thing you find quickly when you start delving into the Clans is that there may be no more hypocritical society in Battletech. Their rules are concrete and absolute except for all the times they're not. Contractions are the sign of a lazy mind, right? Yeah, we'll invent a whole bunch of new words instead, that's fine. Individual combat is life, and relying on a team- like the crew of an armored vehicle!- is dishonorable... well, except for the five-man Elemental point, then it's okay for THEM to work as a team. On and on.

It's kind of fun, actually. Find a concrete rule to how the Clans work, and there's probably a crazy exception to that rule to be found somewhere.  ;)

[Kitsune413]

Clan Contractions?

You want to go 30 contractions and then two breaths. Unless they're a child. Then you want to go 15 and 2 because it's less likely they're having heart problems and more likely they're having some form of respiratory issue. So breath is important.. Make sure you try and crack their sternum because there is only a 10% chance of a successful-

Hmm? Language? Ah.

The thing to remember about those other clans is that by the time your brain is fully formed, at the age of 25, you're worthless to them. The fact that they can speak at all is pretty surprising.

Anyways, before I say anything about the speaking skills of the Periphery lets talk about buying some harjel.

[Vition2]

To me, much of the shortened and/or compound words the clans use are a carry-over from SLDF battle language.  Your example, batchal, could have easily started as a pair of shorthand words for battle and challenge, respectively.  It would not surprise me if the SLDF (or even just the clans) started with bat and chall.  As the clans began teaching the battle language to children, as they and the clans matured, batchall becomes almost expected, particularly with the society the clans are built around.

I'll also note that the idea a full on battle language did not originate in the BattleTech universe and likely took inspiration from Dune (which also likely took inspiration from other sources).   Dune emphasized the use of a battle language to get ideas and orders across quickly in the fastish-paced combat of the setting.

[JadedFalcon]

I've always been curious if any of the Clan-specific terms (ristar, batchall, etc.) came into existence after the death of Nicky Kerensky, or if they endure purely because they were already considered acceptable before he died.

[roosterboy]

One particular point of interest that always made me scratch my head and go huh?, is the proliferation of words in the clan dictionary if you will that have been shortened. Words like batchall, short for battle-challenge, or Ristar, short for rising star. Even the every day common use words, Quiaff, Quineg, Neg, etc. I just never understood how a society that so abhorred contractions that they completely cut them out of their speech would so flippantly fling terms like Quiaff around, which, when you think about it is just a contraction....

A portmanteau is not the same thing as a contraction. The difference between words like quiaff, batchall, etc and contractions like can't, I'll, etc is that the former are new words formed from mashing together two existing words and giving them a (sometimes slightly) different meaning from their originals whereas the latter are just shortened forms of two words with no change in meaning.

IOW, a batchall is not exactly the same thing as a battle challenge but rather a specific Clan ritual that follows its own rules and customs. Anybody can issue a battle challenge just by saying "Hey, let's you and me fight" but a batchall is something different.

Conversely, there is no difference in meaning between cannot and can't or I will and I'll, only in register (i.e., more versus less formal).

The Clans object to the latter as being lazy but the former—since it's a process of word formation rather than merely shortening—is okay. It's neither a contradiction nor hypocrisy.

[Ruger]

One thing you find quickly when you start delving into the Clans is that there may be no more hypocritical society in Battletech. Their rules are concrete and absolute except for all the times they're not. Contractions are the sign of a lazy mind, right? Yeah, we'll invent a whole bunch of new words instead, that's fine. Individual combat is life, and relying on a team- like the crew of an armored vehicle!- is dishonorable... well, except for the five-man Elemental point, then it's okay for THEM to work as a team. On and on.

It's kind of fun, actually. Find a concrete rule to how the Clans work, and there's probably a crazy exception to that rule to be found somewhere.  ;)

"ONLY a Sith deals in absolutes..." - Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

(funny...I thought the word "only" indicates an absolute?  ??? )

Ruger

[Bren]

The Clans object to the latter as being lazy ...

To be more precise on this point - the Clans revere 'Star League Standard English' along with everything else from the Star League, and so they view contractions as a corruption of their venerated language.

[Robroy]

To be more precise on this point - the Clans revere 'Star League Standard English' along with everything else from the Star League, and so they view contractions as a corruption of their venerated language.

Except standard tactics like the Star League used to use and the IS still use.

[Weirdo]

As Hellbie said, Clan culture can be best described as hypocrisy raised to an art form.

For me, the trick to playing Clan is to have reasons that amuse all the players at the table for ignoring the rules...and to actually stick to the rules when I can't think of any. Simply saying "You're not as Falcon as me! RAWK!" is insufficient.

[Robroy]

I know. Were they always supposed to be like that? When the clans were first introduced I really liked them, and still like Hell' s Horse and Nova Cat, but after the Bloodright scenario, their appeal faded.

[Natasha Kerensky]

I think RB has the right of it.  Contractions and portmanteaus are not the same thing.  This is not about the abundant contradictions and hypocrisy in the BT universe.

I would also add that a lot of Clan vocabulary is reminiscent of two-way radio communications protocols or "voice procedure" (which you can wiki).  I think whoever wrote up the Clan "dictionary" had two-way military radio protocols in mind and used that to infuse Clan culture with a more military feel.

For example, we don't usually use the "n't" contraction to denote "not" in two-way radio communications because both are too easily missed.  Instead, we use words like "negative" that are harder to miss and easily heard and understood.  The Clans use "quineg".

We also invent short, clear words like "Mayday! Mayday!" to convey longer, complex concepts quickly and efficiently over radio.  "Mayday" conveys the longer French phrase "venez m'aider", which roughly means "come and help me".  Similarly, "sitrep" means "give me a report on your situation".  Etc.

I would imagine words like "batchall" come out of this tradition.  An early Wolf Galaxy Commander may have announced from orbit "I declare a _battle challenge_ for this world and all Falcon personnel and material on it".  But the Falcons onworld were internally broadcasting "Batchall!  Batchall!  All units scramble!  Wolf has declared batchall!  Batchall!  Batchall!"

"Dezgra" is probably another one.  Instead of saying "Wolf units have been declared disgraced and you may fire at will," the Falcon commander would have radioed "Dezgra!  Dezgra!  Fire at will!  Fire at will!  Wolf is dezgra!  Dezgra! Dezgra!"

And maybe "hegira" too, which I think is a word unto itself borrowed from Arabic.  Instead of saying "Falcon units have been given the right of retreat.  Cease fire and stand down weapons," the Wolf commander would have radioed "Hegira!  Hegira!  Cease fire!  Cease fire!  Falcon has hegira!  Hegira!  Hegira!".

And so forth...

Clan vocabulary was created to add flavor to the BT universe, not as an exposition of the contradictions and hypocrisy in that universe.

Hope this helps.

[Frabby]

In the second book of the Founding of the Clans trilogy by Randall Bills (unpublished in English, but published in its German translation as Clangründer: Traum) it is explicitly narrated how Nicholas Kerensky sets about to create a new or at least recognizably different language for his artificial utopia society. To wit, those portmanteau words didn't evolve so much as they were created. "Aff" was unwittingly contributed by Andrey Kerensky when he was made a rifleman instructor for children who adore him and adopt his language pattern to the point of adopting this casually abbreviated phrase.

[Legion]

I think Moonsword has the right of it.  Contractions and portmanteaus are not the same thing.  This is not about the abundant contradictions and hypocrisy in the BT universe.

I would also add that a lot of Clan vocabulary is reminiscent of two-way radio communications protocols or "voice procedure" (which you can wiki).  I think whoever wrote up the Clan "dictionary" had two-way military radio protocols in mind and used that to infuse Clan culture with a more military feel.

Excellent point, and I think you're exactly right.  Clan language definitely feels like the acronyms-pronounced-as-words and shorthand that abound in the military today, which as you say was surely intentional.

[marauder648]

IIRC didn't Kerensky's kids star the use of Aff/Neg and it caught on from them? I'm sure I read that somewhere that they used it whilst Daddy K was still alive and they were training on Mech's etc and because they were the sons of Kerensky folks started emulating some of the things they did and Aff/Neg came from those two.

I know it was because of Andrey's death that Nicky introduced the Clan duelling system when Andrey was assassinated KILLED IN DISHONOURABLE COMBAT BY COWARDS.

Also I totally agree with Natasha K, the way the Clan's speak makes a lot of sense from a military view point, its very clear and concise and easy to understand, and eliminating contractions and the like makes it easy to understand over the chaos of a battle where there could be interference on the radios, jamming and LOTS of background noise from gunfire. 

I actually like the way the Clan's speak, its so very formal and courtly for a people who are anything but courtly when push comes to shove, its just another aspect of the Clan's very alien culture. 

[JadeHellbringer]

As Hellbie said, Clan culture can be best described as hypocrisy raised to an art form.

For me, the trick to playing Clan is to have reasons that amuse all the players at the table for ignoring the rules...and to actually stick to the rules when I can't think of any. Simply saying "You're not as Falcon as me! RAWK!" is insufficient.

However, shouting 'RAWK!' in the middle of a game store at your opponent is not only considered reasonable, it's encouraged. Even if you're not a Falcon player.

[Weirdo]

If you do it in front of the minis shelf, it constitutes a batchall. :)