Cardăsda

Cardăsda is the sole official language of the Cardassian Union. Its status within the Union is comparable to that of Mandarin Chinese under Communist rule: While minority languages continue to exist, they have no official status and are referred to as mere "dialects" even though they are linguistically divergent enough to be considered languages in their own right. 

By and large, Cardăsda words and sentences tend to run longer than their Federation Standard counterparts, in part due to a certain degree of grammatical redundancy. Perhaps because Cardassian hearing is slightly weaker than that of many other humanoid races, grammatical information has a tendency to be repeated and emphasized multiple times in a word or sentence. Given this relative deficiency (in the minds of other species), however, foreigners are often taken aback by the rapid clip of Cardăsda speech, which in some accents even seems to slur the very same vowels used to convey grammatical information.

Written Cardăsda
A tool employed by a people well steeped in the rhetorical arts, written Cardăsda conveys more than simply the type of sentence and the way it should be pronounced--it also gives the reader an idea of the writer's intonation and pacing, were the text to be read aloud. There are three elements to Cardăsda script: the root symbol, the transcription, and orientation.

The root symbol is the elliptical sign at the beginning of each Cardăsda sentence. Similar to the period, exclamation mark, and question mark, the root symbol denotes the type of sentence that is to follow. However, the ornate root symbol serves to convey further detail about the writer's intent: a premise or conclusion in a logical argument, clarification or negation of a previous statement, even whether what follows is an official state decree are examples of what the root symbol might convey.

The actual transcription is the part users of writing systems such as Federation Standard, Hindi, or Arabic are most likely to find familiar. While it is not yet common knowledge whether Cardăsda uses an alphabet, abjad, or abugida, this part of the system could easily be learned with a knowledge of how Earth writing systems function.

The orientation (a.k.a. diagrammation) of the text serves a dual purpose. To some extent, it functions rather like sentence diagramming. While some grammatical information is conveyed by the branching and orientation, the main purpose is to serve as a guide to the reader as to how the text should be delivered if spoken aloud. Similar to musical notation, the diagrammation contains information on tone, pacing, and in a few cases, even the relative volume of one phrase versus another.


 * The author of has no intention of actually deriving an exact transcription system for the Cardăsda language, only of providing this basic conceptual overview.

In older Cardassian traditions, Cardăsda script was often written with a pen tipped with a thăv’os bone.

Phonology and transliteration
Native speakers of Federation Standard will find themselves at an advantage when it comes to the vowels of Cardăsda, which differ little from those they are familiar with. The consonants, however, often prove more troublesome--particularly the contrast between aspirated and non-aspirated consonants, many of which have no exact Federation Standard equivalents.


 * Please see the article on Ilojan transliteration for a detailed phonology and explanation of the two transliteration systems seen in the continuity.

Native Cardăsda-speakers are also likely to encounter difficulties with certain Federation Standard consonants, such as "f," "th," and "w," for which there are no Cardăsda equivalents. The other major difficulty tends to be with a number of vowel diphthongs (such as in words like "I," "out," or "toy"), which do not exist in Cardăsda.

Greetings and courtesies

 * Kiba'avzayn.: "Good tidings." (Generic greeting acceptable for most situations)
 * Sosot mekot-ra edikouv-ra çadav edek.: "I welcome you to my table." (Formal welcome to a person of higher status.)
 * Lorhoc çadav-ra edek.: "I honor you." (Very formal greeting used for high officials.  Observed in ; prevalence and exact use unknown in the main  universe.)
 * Pokor malin çad.: "You do a service." (Expression of thanks, to an equal.)
 * Brocol lerayt edek?: "Did I hear correctly?" (It is considered more polite in Cardassian society to ask for a repeat than to make assumptions about possibly misheard statements.)

Affirmation/negation

 * tho: "no." Used to negate a positive statement.
 * ve': "yes." Used to affirm a positive statement.

Ve' and tho are the "simple" yes and no. A second set of words is used when dealing with negative statements, similar to the use of German "doch."

Common words

 * çada: you (singular, respectful subordinate-to-superior address)
 * căputziyno-kofiy: Earth capuccino. Usually pronounced "koviy" despite the spelling.
 * getil: a small, timid diurnal animal native to Cardassia Prime
 * ghenorev: the "under-red"--a color perceived by Cardassian eyes just below "red" on the EM spectrum, coming from the upper part of the infrared band.
 * kănar: alcoholic beverage--comes in many varieties that all fall under the name kănar even though they're made of different plants
 * Hăzăkda kănar: the blue variety of kănar, comes from the region of Hăzăk.
 * krilătbre-yezul: the spoon-shaped protrusion on the Cardassian forehead used to sense bioelectric fields. (Literally, "hunter-eye.")
 * lek: Cardassian unit of currency. Can be subdivided into thirtieths.
 * lect: orange
 * Mătz Irhiy’iylakou: Day of Sorrows. Oralian religious concept similar to Terran Armageddon.
 * o'çad: you (singular, superior-to-subordinate address)
 * ousighukum: "Execute!" (carry out an order, superior-to-subordinate)
 * sesoghoke: "Execute!" (polite version, equal-to-equal)
 * ouvrisupum: "Energize!" (superior-to-subordinate)
 * nou: a verb-aspect marker, conveys a sense of timelessness to the action in question. Also used to indicate an act of kindness.
 * rasgălor: Outworld. One of the more remote or recently-settled colonies of the Cardassian Union.
 * rhipăsbre-ciy’iyas: Sleeping-socks
 * rhirzum: an animal native to Cardassia Prime known for hissing and spraying acid.
 * ruviyal: Traditional Nevotda robe worn by men.
 * ta’cardăst: un-Cardassian. Can carry an insulting connotation depending on context, but is also acceptable neutral terminology.
 * tăspar: an edible egg, usually eaten cooked, but sometimes consumed raw by the destitute
 * thăv’os: an animal whose bones were sometimes used in writing implements
 * vompăt: a small animal kept as a pet. (Often rendered "wompat" in Federation Standard)
 * zay'oul: future

Numbers

 * çec: one
 * bret: two
 * dovay: three
 * kreth: four
 * ghăt: five
 * thet: six
 * rhakam: seven
 * ekou: eight
 * riloç: nine
 * căz: ten

Months

 * Aymăcur
 * Hedorăk
 * Zroumayn
 * Ma'avoun

Phrases

 * Bocot kiba’avzayn edek.: "I bring good tidings."
 * Bocot kiba’avzayn çad nou.: "You bring good tidings indeed."
 * Gorhoç edek, Gul.: "I obey, Gul."
 * Mriytic Cardăsa!: "Cardassia will rise!"
 * Serhokt’oçekse sot’oçeks bizad oste ghengu’ulouç nou: "Let the unit that shares a drink together band together."
 * Veçok çadou...: Your name is...

Letter names

 * Cardăsda letters have names, much as the Norse or Hebrew alphabets of Earth. Federation Standard alphabetical order is used for convenience. (, ))


 * loubăk
 * maçliyd
 * rhăçim

Military ranks

 * Due to the constraints of the Cardăsda language, the continuity uses its own ranking system for the Cardassian Guard.  Please see the Cardassian ranks article for a detailed explanation.''

Cardăsda place-names and other proper nouns

 * Cardăsa Terăm: Cardassia Prime
 * Cardăsa: Cardassia--may refer to Cardassia Prime or the Cardassian solar system, or to the entire Cardassian Union.


 * Gălor (pl. Gă’ălour): Galor class cruiser
 * Hăzăk: Region of Cardassia Prime, home to the ethnic minority to which Speros, Macet, and Daro belong.
 * Hăzăkda: Person or object hailing from Hăzăk


 * Hidekiy: Hideki class fighter
 * Laghur: Laghur-class fast-attack vessel
 * Lakariy'ane: Lakarian City
 * Nevot: Region of Cardassia Prime known for having some of the only remaining arable farmland, home to the ethnic minority to which Va'Kust, Istep, and Broca belong.

Other races (and related words)

 * terhăn (pl. terhăn-çăs): Human
 * Kardiy (pl. Kardiy-çăs): Cardăsda rendering of the terhăn insult "Cardie."
 * Maciy: Maquis
 * Star’hvliyt (pl. Star’hvliyt-çăs): Starfleet
 * Terhăn Terăm: Earth (literally "Terran Prime")
 * Vedrayçda: Federation Standard
 * rhamoulda: Romulan (When transliterated capitalized, refers to the language.)

Interjections and curses

 * Curses are ranked mild, moderate, or severe in obscenity. Mild curses are commonly used in public, whereas moderate ones should not be used in the presence of children, elders, or others given great deference.  Severe curses should be reserved only for extreme situations, as their effect approaches or equals the Federation Standard "F-bomb."  As a rough guide, foreigners should keep their language at least one level of severity below what a native speaker would use.


 * ghencardăst (pl.: ghencardă'ăsca): Sub-Cardassian (controversial status--some bandy this term about with no compunctions whatsoever, but others like Tayben Berat consider it a curse so severe it should never be spoken. Those like Gul Berat prefer the more neutral ta'cardăst.)
 * ghentregămst (pl.: ghentregă’ămsthe): Illegitimate son (moderate)
 * skrăgh: excrement (moderate. From Hăzăkda dialect rather than official Cardăsda.)

DMZ borderworld speech
Longtime residents on the Federation side of the Cardassian border, as well as those in the DMZ itself, often exhibit patterns and figures of speech with a heavy Cardăsda influence. This occurs in part due to the age restrictions on universal translator use: during their formative years, children receive heavy exposure to written and spoken Cardăsda in addition to Federation Standard, and over the years this has evolved into a unique vernacular dialect.

Especially on worlds settled a long time ago, the syntax of Federation residents now favors (though does not exclusively require) the verb-first construction of Cardăsda. Cardăsda-based figures of speech are also common in these dialects. In many cases, however, DMZ and borderworld residents take any mention of the obvious similarities as a grave insult.

Crewman Mehmet Burakgazi is one example of a Federation citizen who speaks in a very pronounced borderworld dialect.

It is unknown whether this effect has occurred to a similar extent on the Cardassian side of the border, though given the standardizing effect of the rigorous Cardassian educational system, this is doubtful.

Background
The Cardăsda language was born out of the author's desire to disassociate her work from those using the widespread "Kardasi" language. The phonology was projected from canon names and vocabulary, with slight modifications.