#cybertronian languages

There are two categories of languages on Cybertron as dictated by the Iacon Records: SOPHISTICATED and TONAL

SOPHISTICATED LANGUAGES

Extremely structured

Meaning doesn't tend to change with situation

Large vocabulary

Language is spoken through vocalizer, and easy to write.

EXAMPLES: Classical Cybertronian, Polyhexian, Praxian, etc. (Pattern tends to most city-states on the north side of the Rust Sea)

TONAL LANGUAGES

Less structured

More situational

Vocabulary is ever-changing. Some words may exist one day, others may not exist the next.

Harder to write because of unclear situation.

Language spoken through vocalizer, body movements, EM-field pulses.

EXAMPLES: Old Cybertronian, All variations of Seekercant, Kaoni, Tarnian

Most tonal languages, as a result of their situational complexity, tend to have either a specific writing system with glyphs attributed to each word and an overly-descriptive writing style to accommodate the situational nature of the word itself (read: Seekercant) or they just use the classical Cybertronian system of writing (read: Basically everything else). The most tonal language is Seekercant.

!!ORIGINALLY, THE IACON RECORDS CALLED TONAL LANGUAGES UNSOPHISTICATED BECAUSE OF THEIR INABILITY TO BE PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD!!

Optimus can probably figure out what passes for a cow’s “language” in a few days. It might not make for much sense to him but Cybertronians are very adaptive when it comes to language. He probably lows back at them, sometimes.

A Cybertronian pre-war would generally know about five, six different “languages” normally, all being more accurately regional dialects and cultural dialects of various Cybertronian languages- the trick is that they usually wouldn’t speak other languages unless necessary. When everybody has inherent onboard translation programs there’s really no incentive to use someone else’s language unless they expressly can’t understand yours.

During the war and afterwards, language both became more simplified as most mechanisms wound up using sort of “common” or “clinical” versions of language just to ensure that everybody could understand each other- coupled with the fact that suddenly bots from everywhere across cybertron were starting to meet and get together in new ways, everybody kept learning new ways to say the same things, so the cybertronian language in it’s modern form is kind of a hodgepodge, but at least everybody can understand each other without having to stop and parse through what’s been said.

Most earth languages are kind of frustratingly simple or “chunky” compared to Cybertronian (which is a very dense language- a human can’t speak it because it just sounds like computer noise. Lots of computer noise) and as a result translations often get kind of odd- and often times?

That means things become puns, because the translators are trying to fold multiple meanings into as little words as possible. Wordplay in Earth languages is a big hit for Cybertronians.

Humans everywhere groan and beg them to stop with the terrible puns. Please.

Skywarp and Soundwave both get very good at communicating with birds (Skywarp keeps bringing crows home) and lots of cybertronians can understand dogs and cats very intently, if they want to.

Most Decepticons generally try to avoid using human languages unless necessary, Megatron in particular can understand a handful of earthly languages (more, if Soundwave or The Nemesis upload files to him with translation programs) but both doesn’t speak them- and pretends he can’t understand them during rare dealings with humans.

It’s a big production, really- Soundwave translating everything back and forth, Starscream deliberately selecting chunks of broken english to use- this way they can listen in on humans who are under two common mistakes-

The first is assuming that cybertronians can’t hear softer sounds. The fact is that cybertronians are noisy, so they automatically filter out a lot of sound- they’re quite a bit louder than humans are no matter their size and as a result a cybertronian might not think to react to something as soft as a human whispering or human footsteps.

The second is talking shit where Megatron can hear you, even if you don’t think he knows what you’re saying. Megatron’s great at playing stupid. He survived for a long time by downplaying his capabilities and intelligence, and as much as he hates it, he knows it’s a very useful tactic.

Tanmi. It comes from thranmiz, which is the honorific for mentors and teachers.

Cybertronians using their alt-mode’s headlights/tail-lights to silently communicate with each other. In extension, using their biolights in much the same manner as deep-sea animals use their bioluminescence, or cuttlefish use their skin patterns.

To elaborate:

Grounders flickering their headlights at each other in a Cybertronian version of Morse Code (something like the way Knock Out signalled Breakdown in TFP)

Bots flashing their biolights when they are agitated, the rate growing faster and faster as they become more upset/annoyed

Biolights ‘rippling’ when a bot is happy

Seekers signalling each other with the lights on the tips of their wings, even while in bot-mode, and adding that as another layer to their wingspeech

Bots dimming/brightening their biolights according to their mood

Bots having a slim spectrum of biolight colours, almost undetectable, but the variation in hues is enough to convey emotion or even serve as a warning to observant bots

Grounder bots turning off one headlight in a ‘wink’

Bots’ biolights flickering or dulling when they’re hurt or sick

Bots with service vehicle alt-modes getting so startled/surprised that their emergency lights turn on and they turn the place into a discotheque

Bots flashing and flickering and twinkling their lights just to pester each other