Learning to read Minbari

[B5_Obsessed]

If you've seen Sci-Fi's new look for the Rangers page, you might have noticed that all of the links and headings on the site contain translations to the new Minbari alphabet characters alongside.

So learn 'em now, then you can decipher those joke messages scattered around the Liandra. It's certainly easier than trying to SPEAK Minbari.

Flok'Sha! Ah Hell!



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"When something we value is destroyed, we rebuild it. If it's destroyed again we rebuild it again. And again, and again, and again. Until it stays. "
~Jeffrey Sinclair

 

[drakh]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by B5_Obsessed:
If you've seen Sci-Fi's new look for the Rangers page, you might have noticed that all of the links and headings on the site contain translations to the new Minbari alphabet characters alongside.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>The question is - which of the three caste languages are they in...?

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You are not entitled to your own opinion. You are only entitled to your own informed opinion.
-- Harlan Ellison qouting Gustave Flaubert

 

[B5_Obsessed]

Well, they look Grey to me. >

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"When something we value is destroyed, we rebuild it. If it's destroyed again we rebuild it again. And again, and again, and again. Until it stays. "
~Jeffrey Sinclair

 

[coldsoup753]

ha ha ha,

very funny

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Faith Manages

 

[Ivanova]

Woohoo!!

Thanks for the tidbit of info, B5_Obsessed!! I really wanted to find out what was written about TNT!

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Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova. I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God. And if this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out.

[This message has been edited by Ivanova (edited October 09, 2001).]

 

[Shaal Mayan]

Whoohoo I'll be studying

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[**DONOTDELETE**]

I put together a chart, based on the letters I could find on Sci-Fi's site, and their English equivilents. I'm going to try and stick it at the bottom of this message...

What struck me was how similar it is to the letters on the Great Machine. (The guy who created the font said he based it on something from A Voice in the Wilderness...) I'm guessing it's Lennan - the language of the Worker Caste. The squiggly stuff we've seen before seems like it would go with the Religious Caste, and I can't see the Warrior Caste getting too involved with the Rangers.
What I really want to know is why Minbari letters are on the Great Machine - or why Great Machine-ese letters are on the Liandra.
Something to think about, anyway...

Here's the pic. address, in case the direct link didn't work: http://www.geocities.com/b5_mark/epsilon3draal.jpg

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[drakh]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Apprentice:
and I can't see the Warrior Caste getting too involved with the Rangers.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>The Warrior Caste have a central part in the Rangers (remeber Neroon's attempt at becomming Ranger One in Grey 17 is Missing?). In fact, I seem to recall To Dream the in the City of Sorrows mentioning that the Rangers were soley Warrior Caste Minbari at the time Sinclair came to Minbar.


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You are not entitled to your own opinion. You are only entitled to your own informed opinion.
-- Harlan Ellison qouting Gustave Flaubert

 

[Galahad]

You could alternatively download the font from somewhere and type two lines of the alphabet.

Highlight the upper set and transform the font into Minbari... hey presto one instant alphabet translation!

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"We Live for the One. We die for the One!"

 

[bakana]

Here's a couple sites that advertise Babylon 5 Fonts:

Babylon 5 Fonts 1 http://www.glorianon.com/sci-fi/bab5fonts.html

Babylon 5 Fonts 2 http://members.aol.com/mikehleeb/b5f.htm

No Warranties Expressed or Implied.

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Yes, I like cats too.
Shall we exchange Recipes?

 

[Lord_Refuh]

apprentice,
I went to your minbari language site.. only it was not there

did the shadows wipe it ot? LOL

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[Kribu]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Lord_Refuh:
apprentice,
I went to your minbari language site.. only it was not there
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It's the silly GeoCities thing... no direct links to pics allowed.
I've found now that the easiest solution is to either cut'n'paste the link, or if that doesn't work, click on the link and then delete the .jpg (or.gif) part of the URL, then hit Enter or Go again - and it should come up.

Oh, and thanks for the link, it's good to have the letters all in one place.

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- G'Kar, A Tragedy of Telepaths
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[**DONOTDELETE**]

Grr. Peice of dren Geocities!
If you do that deleting the .jpg thing that someone mentioned above, you can see the picture. And simply using the existing Great Machine or Minbari fonts won't work. Even though some of the symbols from the Great Machine are the same, they don't match the new letter arrangement.

The reason I think it's Worker Caste (If it even really is Minbari...) is this:
Before the Shadow War, the Rangers were pretty much nothing but a joke. Remember the head of the Rangers from In the Beginning, and how no one would listen to him - especially the Warrior Caste. Once the Shadows returned, the Rangers became important again, just like they had been in the time of Valen. The Warrior Caste, naturally wanted to be in charge of this new fighting force, but after Neroon's failed attempt to take control, the Rangers became more and more tied to the Religious Caste.

So, I'm thinking - the Liandra is 20 years old - built before the Shadow War, when no one cared about the Rangers. What other Minbari group doesn't anyone care about? That's right - the Worker Caste. Also, after the Minbari civil war (When "Rangers" takes place) the Worker Caste has dominance in the Grey Council.

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What do you want? -Morden
A shrubbery! -Knight who says Ni!
And then what? -Morden
Another shrubbery!!! -Knight who says Ni!