What David actually said to the Engineer. Mystery Revealed.

I was not impressed by that reason, though. It sounded like back-peddling somehow. There was another reason when the scenes were originally filmed, but clearly it didn't survive the editing process so another reason had to be concocted. It's fine. It's plausible. It just didn't excite me.

Dear fans of the 'Engineer' language: We have been preparing a new section of our [url=http://dnghu.org/en/indo-european-language-grammar/]Indo-European grammar[/url] since June, when we learnt that some sort of PIE was spoken in Prometheus. Thanks to prof. Biltoo's texts and comments, and also to sukkal (thank you very much!), we could know a lot about the language that Engineers spoke in the original script. We had also prepared a section on the Last Engineer's speech - as it is heard in the deleted scenes -, treating it as a different 'Engineer' dialect. However, when we read here that it could be ARD, and possibly not a real language to be shown in future films, we left just a few comments about it, concentrating our efforts on the initially planed language. Nevertheless, the Last Engineer's speech can also have a [b]clear Indo-European nature[/b], near to the 'standard Engineer', and we have left the possible meaning of his sentences. Even though we would have liked to have more information, what we know is fairly enough to learn this language - or, more exactly, what differentiates this recreated Late Proto-Indo-European dialect from the standard reconstruction. Our grammar was intended to learn Indo-European as a [b]living language[/b], instead of a cold discussion on potential phonetics and morphology, as most manuals do. Therefore, we think that the inclusion of a section on 'Engineer' or Mala'kak is sufficient to adapt the grammar for the student of the 'Engineer' language. At least it was enough for us to understand most of it... Whilst only prof. Biltoo had the ultimate clues on what each word meant for him (and why), [b]Late Proto-Indo-European[/b] is actually richer than what a man (or a group of them) could recreate. So for example some word-by-word meanings leaked do not correspond exactly to what we know about PIE. Thus the only thing that we have for sure for the next years, while we wait for Prometheus 2 and its official language is that, if 'Engineer' is going to be based on Late PIE, then the best we can do is learn standard Late PIE, and later - if necessary - discuss prof. Biltoo's (or any other's) recreations. Feel free to download a copy of the special Prometheus Edition of our [b]free[/b] ebook "A Grammar of Modern Indo-European, Prometheus Edition" at [url=http://dnghu.org/en/prometheus-engineer-proto-indo-european/]http://dnghu.org/en/prometheus-engineer-proto-indo-european/[/url], or request a copy at Amazon (at printing cost) if you prefer the paper version. We hope this will help you enjoy Prometheus' universe more than before. Happy DVD / Blu-ray day!! PS- if you experience a slooow download, you can try the direct dropbox link in the meantime: http://dl.dropbox.comhttps://scified.com/u/66898980/a-grammar-of-modern-indo-european-prometheus-edition.pdf

@indoeuropean, I'm familiar with your work in PIE from the past and find it fascinating that you would incorporate the use of Dr. Biltoo's work for this film into it. However, I've just read some things in your [i]Prometheus Edition[/i] .PDF that are factually incorrect regarding me and some 'relationship to this film as a consultant' which seems to have been inferred. I do not have any consulting relationship to this franchise at this time, nor have I had in the past. I have communicated with Dr. Biltoo directly, but that is the extent of my 'involvement.' It is quite possible that additional aspects of the film and production as revealed by the new, upcoming bonus features and documentary materials on the Blu-Ray may clarify some of the meanings of the 'Engineer' language used in the film. I am not aware of this production's ever having thought of or having called the language [i]Mala'kak[/i], for example. I welcome your messaging me privately (PMming me via this forum's native mechanism) regarding the points that I feel are potentially misleading (and counterfactual). Your motivation to increase awareness of your work into PIE via leveraging the connection in this film makes perfect sense to me, but as a scholarly publication with noble motives for the proliferation of awareness of and interest in (spoken) PIE, I would like to assist you to the extent that I am able in making it as factually accurate as possible. I don't feel that either your work or the 'constructed language' (the Engineer 'reconstruction' of PIE featured in the film) as produced by Dr. Biltoo is well served by any inferences that are not accurate, especially when hard, factual 'answers' are available. I remain very hopeful that the language will play an increasingly important role in the future of both the franchise (in a future film or film(s)) and that it will be embraced by the linguaphile subset of the fan base. The more the information out on the web regarding Dr. Biltoo's language for the film is correct, the better chance I believe that that will become a possibility. I have pre-ordered the Blu-Ray and will see its contents for the first time on Tuesday, 9 October (likely in the evening California time). I think it very *likely* that your text will need to undergo at least some revision or addition after that material comes to light. Please don't hesitate to PM me at your earliest convenience. I've only commented publicly here to this extent so that other members of this community understand that I have no special relationship to [i]Prometheus[/i] the film. I am a fan in this case, and nothing more. Most sincerely, Sukkal

does anyone know what the engineer says to david in the deleted scene?? david says that he asked "why" but im pretty sure about 10 words in the language he used doesnt just translate to "why"

To the best of my knowledge, it is gibberish. I answered as best I know back one page on Page 6 of this discussion.

wow! thank you sukkal! truly nice work

The Making Of on Disc 3 (“Furious Gods”) explains towards the very end where the Engineer ‘gibberish’ came from. I'll try to explain in detail if people care. I have to say, that while still disappointed, I have to give the audio guy *some* credit for trying to at least get it in the correct phonological ballpark.

Could the miss pronunciation by David as translated by Dr. Biltoo and then spoken by David in the presence of the Engineer be the reason for the Engineers anger and attacking them? It seemed like the Engineer was drawn more towards Dr. Shaw's questions. Did the Engineer sense that Weyland was only interested in his own life being saved? Or did the Engineer attack the group because it was scared and confused?

@Dryson, I don't think so. David spoke pretty well. He didn't majorly butcher the pronunciation. The Engineer understood everything David said (and originally responded coherently, before the film was edited). He killed them due to Weyland's [i]magham kert[/i], his audacity at asking for more life because he equated his own status as that of a god. Again, I think Ridley and/or Fox changed their minds about the original reasoning behind the slaughter beginning with David's decapitation, so that reason will never be explained. At least not until some future point in time, if ever...

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W have already observed and heard David manipulate situations and say word/phrases that haver a double meaning. I suspect that David could have done the same thing when talking to the Last Engineer..and send him into a rage. Though possibly speaking in a double tongue David didn't expect the Engineer to rip his head off and come this close to losing his robotic life.

My first time here and I wanted to contribute a bit to the thread. Given that it's around PIE i have a screenshot from the enhancement pods extra. [img]http://imageshack.us/a/img688/5554/vlc2012102700503252.png[/img] Dr. Biltoo also reads a bit, i believe it's something the engineer could have said. (sorry if someone already mentioned this) the first two sentences are on the screenshot eghom vivizat hjae nahman veragnan mekjahu-bhoruktaj agne-ghwrnaj ghunakt' orjon' i've seen things you people wouldn't believe attack ships on fire off the should of orion i watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the tannhauser gate all those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain time to die for the interested based on this screenshot i was able to create a font of the engineer's writings. It can help someone translate the writings on something :P [img]http://imageshack.us/a/img87/3702/engineerprev.png[/img] you can download it [url=http://fav.me/d5kpd4p]here[/url]

I would have loved to learn this language!!!

I would have loved to learn this language!!!

you and me both, i actually downloaded a pdf book on proto-indo-europpean it was a "prometheus" version but it's hard knowing a language that everyone seems to have a different theory about. google the book it has some interesting things ;) the best thing i did was hear all the PIE dialects in the movie and try to match them phonemically did was able to mimic shcleigers fable first sentence xD and the screenshot i posted above. it would be a lot easier if it would be more commonly spoken or if we had a tutor xD i like the language because it's uncommon and the sounds really seem interesting.

In looking over the Engineer Font I didn't see any reference to numbers. Is this consisteant with ancient Earth languages? Would the Engineers being some sort of numerical reference?

thanks dear i like this post.

@Indy John, i didn't either, i only made the visible characters on the screenshot. i believe not, i think they said it was completely made up

Really nice and eventful.

Well maybe their was even more Dialog than the Deleted Scene Showed. As their was a rumor of how many pages of Dialog David had to learn for that scene and well he hardly spoke so many pages worth in that scene. But going from the scene here is roughly what was said... not word for what but the purpose and intent is all the same. First... Weyland tells David to speak to him and tell him we came just like he asked. David tells this and he must have informed the Engineer that they came to find him because of the clues and star maps left behind from them in the past. The Engineer speaks, and David tells Weyland he wants to know why have them come and what do they want. David then tells the Engineer why Weyland wanted to come, and that he was dying and wanted more life and to be immortal. The engineer at this point seemed to be a little upset at that demand, and David said that he asked why.... now i can assume that the Engineer must have also said or meant something similar to "how dare you come here and demand immortality, why should you have that. Weyland then talks to the Engineer and we dont know if he understands or not or he interpreted it like i roughly did with the Engineer, or maybe there was more dialog after Weyland where David maybe told the Engineer Weyland created him. As all of a sudden the Engineer then noticed that maybe David was not Human and he confirmed this once he touched his head.