Last week, we checked out the in-universe languages, from Chakobsa to Islamiyat.

This week, we’ll be focusing on the real-world languages and words that appear in the fictional ones, whether it’s Arabic, Turkish, or German in Fremen, or the Slavic and Romance influences on Galach.

But before we get into the details, I’d like to share with you the result of my research. My latest project: the Dictionary of Dune. (click to browse and play around with it)

It’s a database containing non-English terms used in Dune, including their language of origin and original meaning.

So far, I have 138 entries, but I’m sure it’s not complete → so if you find anything missing, please add it through this form.

If you’re not ready to subscribe but would like to support the databases I build, please consider buying me a (spice) coffee. Previous projects include the one with all the quotes from the Princess Irulan and the one with all the epigraphs from the core canon.

Arabic

I know it won't come as a surprise: Arabic is, by a considerable margin, the most significant and pervasive real-world linguistic influence.

I've found over 100 terms of Arabic origin and, of course, most of them are showing up in the Fremen language.

You know plenty of these by heart: Naib, Mahdi, (eyes of the) Ibad, Muad'Dib, Usul, Shai-Hulud, and Fedaykin, and the list goes on.

Herbert said he utilized "colloquial Arabic" to signal to the reader that "something of here and now has been carried to that faraway place and time."

While the idea might seem dated to some, the use of Arabic is intended to ground the Fremen in a recognizable desert-dwelling cultural mix, lending authenticity to their struggle and traditions.

But we find Arabic words (or variations of them) in Galach (Caid, Jihad, and Shaitan), and also in Chakobsa (Shadout). It's used by the Bene Gesserit (gom jabbar) and the Bene Tleilaxu (ghola, ghufran).

Languages of Empire: Persian and Turkish

It was interesting to find most of the Persian sources in and around the Imperial Court.

These choice seems intended to evoke Eurasian empires like the Ottoman or Safavid, lending an air of ancient autocracy to the ruler of the Known Universe and distinguishing the Empire from typical Western-inspired fantasy and sci-fi.

Padishah gets us going, but then the imperial audience chamber is called a Selamlik, and it doesn't stop at Galach. Even the Fremen have a bit of Persian with their Shah-Nama, the first book of Zensunni wanderers - or as it's known on Earth, the Book of Kings.

And speaking of Fremen, the use of Yali (a waterside mansion) for a Fremen's humble sietch dwelling is an ironic touch - or maybe a linguistic remnant of a past aspiration.

• Hebrew for the mystical
• Slavic and Germanic in Fremen
• Latin and Greek for tradition
• Other notable mentions: Finnish, Sanskrit, and Aztec Nahuatl

Hebrew for the mystical

Whether it's the long-awaited Kwisatz Haderach or arafel, the cloud-darkness at the end of the universe, Hebrew seems to be the choice of language for prophecy and mysticism.

"Do not fear the Ixians. They can make the machines, but they can no longer make arafel. I know. I was there."
— Leto II, God Emperor of Dune [1981]

The name of the Sisterhood itself has a dual etymology. It's either Hebrew (B'nai Gesher - children of the bridge) or comes from the Latin phrase quamdiu se bene gesserit - for as long as he/she shall behave well.

Slavic and Germanic in Fremen

While the Fremen language might have a lot of Arabic, Jamis' funeral featured a very Slavic-sounding chant.

Deep within the cave, someone began chanting:
"Ima trava okolo!
I korenja okolo!"
Jessica translated silently: "These are ashes! And these are roots!"
— Dune [1965]

The literal Serbo-Croatian means "There is grass around, and roots around," evoking the cycle of life and death.

And while you wouldn't expect it, the Fremen also seem to have had some Germanic influences.

Arrakis's graben (as in "the folk of pan and graben") refers to a sunken area, but means ditch - both in-universe and in real life.

But the best German word Herbert included, and the thing my ADHD mind most envies is… Spannungsbogen.

The Fremen were supreme in that quality the ancients called "spannungsbogen" —which is the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing.
— from "The Wisdom of Muad'Dib" by the Princess Irulan, Dune [1965]

Latin and Greek for tradition

As mentioned above, "Bene Gesserit" might be Hebrew, but I'd bet on the Latin origin. And what makes this even more probable is their most famous initiative: the Missinaria Protectiva. And speaking of, the Panoplia Propheticus is Greek, and can be interpreted as full armor provided by prophecy.

In imperial Galach, you find the Latin roots in words like "Mentat" and the name of the official currency, the Solari.

When it comes to Greek, you, of course, have the Atreides who claim to be the descendants of Atreus.

And while that might be debatable, the origins of the ornithopter are not: it's literally the Greek words for bird and wing smushed together. Ornis for bird and pteros for wing. (Yes, it's the same for helicopter - helico meaning spiral.)

Other notable mentions: Finnish, Sanskrit, and Aztec Nahuatl

The most obvious of these might be Aztec: the Tleilaxu and their Axlotl tanks, with the x and l sounds close together, are a dead giveaway.

For Sanskrit, you might have guessed (correctly) prana-bindu, but it's actually used at least two more times. The more surprising of the two is the Fremen word "Sadus" for (holy) judges. Less surprising is the term prajna - similar to prana-bindu, it's a Bene Gesserit thing, a type of heightened consciousness.

And last but not least: Finnish. I did not know this before starting my research into this topic, but the family name Harkonnen has Finnish roots. Herbert reportedly found the Finnish surname Härkönen (possibly related to härkä – bull/ox) in a phone book. And while he chose it for its harsh sound, the meaning of bull is just a perfect fit, considering how the Old Duke died.

I'll admit to having cherry-picked the languages I showcased in this edition of the newsletter.

There are quite a few I have not mentioned, but you can check them all out in the Dictionary of Dune.

Hope you enjoy it.