Pravic
Encyclopedia
Pravic is a fictional language
used and referred to in the science-fiction
book The Dispossessed
, by Ursula K. Le Guin
. Pravic is a fictional constructed language
: in the book, it is said to have been constructed by a person named Farigv. Pravic is spoken on the planet Anarres, where followers of the philosopher Laia Asieo Odo chose to be exiled in order to achieve the goal of a functioning anarchic
society. Anarres is actually the semi-desertic moon of Odo's homeworld Urras. As far as we know, the only language spoken widely in Anarres is Pravic, though the few people that have contact with Urras (mostly trade officials and scientists) also speak Iotic
, the language of Urras's dominant nation A-Io.
does not exist, the possessives ("my", "your", etc) are usually avoided and replaced by the more general definite article ("the").
Equality of the sexes follows automatically from Odo's principles, and thus there is no word in Pravic for what a man does to a woman (or viceversa) during mutually consented sex: there is just an intransitive verb
("copulate") that must have a plural subject. For sex understood as imposition or as a gain of dominion, the only alternative is the use of a transitive verb
meaning "rape
". Shevek, the main character in the book, ponders about the institutions of "marriage
" and "prostitution
", which appear in quotes in the text because he is thinking in Iotic, not in Pravic.
Pravic apparently has no word for "forest
", probably because Anarres has no real forests, being mostly dry, with small sparse trees and bushes, if anything. It also has no words for many common animals found in Urras, such as horses; for institutions like prison
s; for gambling
(since there is no money or property to be gambled); for religious
terms like "hell
"; or, apparently, for verbs like buy.
is also played down, and descent becomes (sociologically) unimportant. Accordingly, the words for biological "mother" and "father" are specialized terms, clearly separated from those referring to the people who raise a child (mamme, tadde), which in turn do not mean just "mom" or "dad" but cover the whole set of parents, relatives and others involved directly in physical and emotional contact with the child. The word ammar is used for "brother" (or "sister" -- the language is completely neutral as to gender), not in the genetic sense but as a general expression of fraternity
, for fellow human beings ("brethren").
Although not stated explicitly in the text, Pravic is implied to lack pronoun
s that show different degrees of politeness
or deference, as well as titles and other terms of address that do not refer to an actual function of the person.
This is somewhat expounded upon by Shevek, in conversation with the ship's doctor, whilst en route to Urras:
does not follow the usual mold; sex
is not considered obscene
and the Deity
is not referenced within the language in such a way that could even be used in a curse; as it had never been the language of religious believers, Pravic has no such expressions as "damned" or "go to Hell".
The author mentions that "bastard" as an insult is used in Iotic, but it remains a foreign untranslated word during a conversation in Pravic, since it has no meaning in Anarres, where marriage
does not exist.
In Pravic, there is no need of using euphemisms with regard to excrement. Instead of such terms as "toilet", "water closet/WC", "going to the bathroom" and the like, Pravic speakers feel no hesitation in forthrightly calling the place "the shittery".
To the contrary, certain words pertaining to the capitalist
system rejected and demonized on Anarres, such as "propertarian", are often used as generic insults or epithets. On one occasion a character with too-small shoes complains "Rotten profiteering boots!"
Though Anarres in fact does have its own brand of politics (which play an important role in the book's plot), the term "politician" is highly derogatory and anyone accused of being one would hotly deny it.
information about Pravic in the book. Nothing is said about syntax
, morphology
or phonology
. Most Pravic words in the book are proper names (said to be generated randomly by a computer
), and they are two-syllable
words with five or six phoneme
s (of the form CVCVC, where C = consonant
, V = vowel
), if one counts the groups sh, gv and kv as single consonants, which they probably are. Gv appears several times word-finally (Kadagv, Farigv) and word-initially (Gvarab), and kv at least once word-initially (Kvetur), and once medially (Takver); they are suggestive of labiovelar consonants. Other than that, consonant clusters seem rare; there is a person named Trepil and another named Skovan. Word-final clusters, if they exist, are not found in our limited sample.
Words like ammar and tadde, as well as the place-name Abbenay, would seem to indicate the presence of long/geminate consonants, unless LeGuin uses double consonants as pronunciation aids as in English. We do not know whether Anarres and Urras are actually proper Pravic words. They of course must have existed before the invention of Pravic, so they could have been borrowed from Iotic or other language, but maybe they are indeed Pravic adaptations, or simply approximated English spellings.
Fictional language
Fictional languages are by far the largest group of artistic languages. Fictional languages are intended to be the languages of a fictional world and are often designed with the intent of giving more depth and an appearance of plausibility to the fictional worlds with which they are associated, and...
used and referred to in the science-fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
book The Dispossessed
The Dispossessed
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia is a 1974 utopian science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, set in the same fictional universe as that of The Left Hand of Darkness . The book won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1974, both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1975, and received a nomination for...
, by Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...
. Pravic is a fictional constructed language
Constructed language
A planned or constructed language—known colloquially as a conlang—is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary has been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally...
: in the book, it is said to have been constructed by a person named Farigv. Pravic is spoken on the planet Anarres, where followers of the philosopher Laia Asieo Odo chose to be exiled in order to achieve the goal of a functioning anarchic
Anarchy
Anarchy , has more than one colloquial definition. In the United States, the term "anarchy" typically is meant to refer to a society which lacks publicly recognized government or violently enforced political authority...
society. Anarres is actually the semi-desertic moon of Odo's homeworld Urras. As far as we know, the only language spoken widely in Anarres is Pravic, though the few people that have contact with Urras (mostly trade officials and scientists) also speak Iotic
Iotic
Iotic is also a fictional language in the Saga of the Skolian Empire books by Catherine Asaro.Iotic is one of the fictional languages used and referred to in the science-fiction book The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Le Guin...
, the language of Urras's dominant nation A-Io.
Characteristics
The anarchist philosophical premise produces some interesting linguistic phenomena, mentioned in passing by the author. For example, since private propertyPrivate property
Private property is the right of persons and firms to obtain, own, control, employ, dispose of, and bequeath land, capital, and other forms of property. Private property is distinguishable from public property, which refers to assets owned by a state, community or government rather than by...
does not exist, the possessives ("my", "your", etc) are usually avoided and replaced by the more general definite article ("the").
Equality of the sexes follows automatically from Odo's principles, and thus there is no word in Pravic for what a man does to a woman (or viceversa) during mutually consented sex: there is just an intransitive verb
Intransitive verb
In grammar, an intransitive verb is a verb that has no object. This differs from a transitive verb, which takes one or more objects. Both classes of verb are related to the concept of the transitivity of a verb....
("copulate") that must have a plural subject. For sex understood as imposition or as a gain of dominion, the only alternative is the use of a transitive verb
Transitive verb
In syntax, a transitive verb is a verb that requires both a direct subject and one or more objects. The term is used to contrast intransitive verbs, which do not have objects.-Examples:Some examples of sentences with transitive verbs:...
meaning "rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
". Shevek, the main character in the book, ponders about the institutions of "marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
" and "prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
", which appear in quotes in the text because he is thinking in Iotic, not in Pravic.
Pravic apparently has no word for "forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
", probably because Anarres has no real forests, being mostly dry, with small sparse trees and bushes, if anything. It also has no words for many common animals found in Urras, such as horses; for institutions like prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s; for gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
(since there is no money or property to be gambled); for religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
terms like "hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
"; or, apparently, for verbs like buy.
Parenthood
In the Odonian society, the authority associated with parenthoodParenting
Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood...
is also played down, and descent becomes (sociologically) unimportant. Accordingly, the words for biological "mother" and "father" are specialized terms, clearly separated from those referring to the people who raise a child (mamme, tadde), which in turn do not mean just "mom" or "dad" but cover the whole set of parents, relatives and others involved directly in physical and emotional contact with the child. The word ammar is used for "brother" (or "sister" -- the language is completely neutral as to gender), not in the genetic sense but as a general expression of fraternity
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
, for fellow human beings ("brethren").
Although not stated explicitly in the text, Pravic is implied to lack pronoun
Pronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...
s that show different degrees of politeness
Politeness
Politeness is best expressed as the practical application of good manners or etiquette. It is a culturally-defined phenomenon, and therefore what is considered polite in one culture can sometimes be quite rude or simply eccentric in another cultural context....
or deference, as well as titles and other terms of address that do not refer to an actual function of the person.
Modes
At several points in the novel the usage of "modes" in Pravic are mentioned ("ethical mode", "analogic mode" [referring to Odo's book Analogy], "experiential mode", "technological mode", "economic mode" etc.). And throughout the book this concept seem to be central to Shevek's way of thinking.This is somewhat expounded upon by Shevek, in conversation with the ship's doctor, whilst en route to Urras:
Insults
Pravic cursingInsult
An insult is an expression, statement which is considered degrading and offensive. Insults may be intentional or accidental...
does not follow the usual mold; sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
is not considered obscene
Obscenity
An obscenity is any statement or act which strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time, is a profanity, or is otherwise taboo, indecent, abhorrent, or disgusting, or is especially inauspicious...
and the Deity
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
is not referenced within the language in such a way that could even be used in a curse; as it had never been the language of religious believers, Pravic has no such expressions as "damned" or "go to Hell".
The author mentions that "bastard" as an insult is used in Iotic, but it remains a foreign untranslated word during a conversation in Pravic, since it has no meaning in Anarres, where marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
does not exist.
In Pravic, there is no need of using euphemisms with regard to excrement. Instead of such terms as "toilet", "water closet/WC", "going to the bathroom" and the like, Pravic speakers feel no hesitation in forthrightly calling the place "the shittery".
To the contrary, certain words pertaining to the capitalist
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
system rejected and demonized on Anarres, such as "propertarian", are often used as generic insults or epithets. On one occasion a character with too-small shoes complains "Rotten profiteering boots!"
Though Anarres in fact does have its own brand of politics (which play an important role in the book's plot), the term "politician" is highly derogatory and anyone accused of being one would hotly deny it.
Linguistic description
There is very scarce actual linguisticLinguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
information about Pravic in the book. Nothing is said about syntax
Syntax
In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
, morphology
Morphology (linguistics)
In linguistics, morphology is the identification, analysis and description, in a language, of the structure of morphemes and other linguistic units, such as words, affixes, parts of speech, intonation/stress, or implied context...
or phonology
Phonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
. Most Pravic words in the book are proper names (said to be generated randomly by a computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
), and they are two-syllable
Syllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
words with five or six phoneme
Phoneme
In a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....
s (of the form CVCVC, where C = consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
, V = vowel
Vowel
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
), if one counts the groups sh, gv and kv as single consonants, which they probably are. Gv appears several times word-finally (Kadagv, Farigv) and word-initially (Gvarab), and kv at least once word-initially (Kvetur), and once medially (Takver); they are suggestive of labiovelar consonants. Other than that, consonant clusters seem rare; there is a person named Trepil and another named Skovan. Word-final clusters, if they exist, are not found in our limited sample.
Words like ammar and tadde, as well as the place-name Abbenay, would seem to indicate the presence of long/geminate consonants, unless LeGuin uses double consonants as pronunciation aids as in English. We do not know whether Anarres and Urras are actually proper Pravic words. They of course must have existed before the invention of Pravic, so they could have been borrowed from Iotic or other language, but maybe they are indeed Pravic adaptations, or simply approximated English spellings.