Trigedasleng



Trigedasleng (TRI-ge-da-sleng) is the language spoken by the earth-born people, the clans of mid Atlantic United States, known as Grounders. Trigedasleng translates to "forest language", it originated with Trikru clan and doesn't have its own writing system. Trigedasleng is the common tongue for the various Grounder clans/nations, but is not the only language they use.

Description
Trigedasleng is descended from a heavily-accented dialect of American English which has evolved rapidly over three generations. For example, "get knocked down" is "ge smak daun," which sounds like "get smacked down" and "stop" is "hod op," which sounds similar to "hold up."

Its development was also influenced by an early code-system that was developed shortly after the Nuclear Apocalypse. For instance, "mother" got changed to "number one" which later became "nomon".

At the time of the Ark's descent, it is believed that most Grounders speak only Trigedasleng; warriors (and certain other Grounders) speak both Trigedasleng and Modern English, a fact which they are careful to hide from their enemies. Some of the Sky People began to learn Trigedasleng, most notably Clarke Griffin, Octavia Blake, and Marcus Kane after repeated contact with the Grounders.

Notable Phrases

 * Your fight is over: Yu gonplei ste odon.
 * My fight is over: I gonplei ste odon
 * Our fight isn't over: Oso gonplei nou ste odon.
 * Blood must have blood: Jus drein jus daun.
 * May we meet again: Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim.
 * I'm Octavia of the Sky People, and I seek safe passage: Ai laik Okteivia kom Skaikru en ai gaf gouthru klir
 * The dead are gone; the living are hungry: Stedaunon don gon we; kikon ste enti.
 * Stay strong: Ste yuj
 * Get knocked down, get back up: Ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim.
 * We fight together: Oso throu daun ogeda.
 * Love is weakness: Hodnes laik kwelnes.
 * I love you. Goodbye: Ai hod yu in. Leidon.

Common Words

 * Commander: Heda
 * Commander of Death: Wanheda
 * Nightblood: Natblida
 * Flamekeeper: Fleimkepa
 * Sky People: Skaikru
 * Ice Nation: Azgeda
 * Woods Clan: Trikru
 * Boat People: Floukru
 * The First Commander: Pramheda
 * Fight: Gonplei
 * King: Haihefa
 * Mountain Men: Mounon
 * City of Light: Soncha Kapa

Throughout the Series
In The 48, Octavia Blake practices the phrase Lincoln told her in Trigedasleng. Octavia expresses that she doesn't understand why she needs to learn it. Lincoln explains that only the warriors, in his clan, speak English and in order to blend in she needs to speak his native language.
 * -|Season Two =

In Inclement Weather, Octavia uses Trigedasleng to negotiate for Lincoln's life. Indra also uses this language to speak with Octavia.

In Reapercussions, Indra and her people use Trigedasleng to discuss strategy for the assault on some Reapers to get Nyko and their people back.
 * 'Taim yu drag raun, taim yu ge ban au. Oso souda lok em veida tro op fou bilaik emo hon emo sobwe op. Pas daun, em bilaik—'
 * Translation : “If you fall behind, you get left behind. We must find the raiding party before they reach the tunnels. After that, it is—”.

Also in Reapercussions, Indra gives instructions:
 * Hod op. Den, oso na zog raun kom trikova. Yo tu: kamp raun emo tri. Artigas, yumi na ste stelt kom taim Ripa ge pul we kom emo honon. Den, oso na breik oso kru au.
 * Translation: "Stop. Then, we (will) strike from the shadows. You two: take the trees. Artigas, you and I will remain hidden until the Reapers are drawn away from their prisoners. Then, we free our people."
 * -|Season Three =

In Ye Who Enter Here, the Grounder Anthem is sung in Trigedasleng.

Notes and Trivia

 * The language was developed for Season Two of The 100 by the linguist David J. Peterson, who also made the Game of Thrones Dothraki and Valyrian languages. He claims that Trigedasleng is an a posteriori language based on English. He also says that he got his influences by studying pidgin and creole languages, "but [he] was probably more influenced by [his] recent read of Heine and Kuteva’s The World Lexicon of Grammaticalization more than anything else."
 * The official spelling in the script is phonetic, meant to reflect the pronunciation shifts which occurred in the Grounder language. However, Marie Avgeropoulos had difficulty at first, so language creator David J. Peterson made a transcription using more Modern English-like spelling, instead of the phonetic system: "I like Octavia come sky crew, an' I gaff go-through klin."
 * The writers write the scripts in English and then send them to David for translation. He also records audio files with the correct pronunciation of each sentence which are then forwarded to the actors.
 * Octavia was the first Sky Person to start learning Trigedasleng. Octavia was also the first Sky Person to trust Lincoln and the other Grounders.
 * The name of the language, Trigedasleng, has never been said on screen.