Bleach: Terminology
Nov. 3rd, 2005 03:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
branchandrootTwo things help delineate what group characters belong to: habitual clothing and language. This is where I talk about language. The source for this page is quality time with my collection of searchable dictionaries.
The terminology for this world is drawn from Japanese with a sprinkling of English.
Chuuouyonjurokushitsu. Chuuou: central. Yonjuroku: forty-six. Shitsu: room.
The interesting part, here, is that this shitsu does commonly means room. But in all cases where it forms a word relating to rulers, it seems to refer equally to place and people. Kyuushitsu, for example: palace/imperial family. While the most reasonable translation is probably "chamber of the central forty-six", this elision of place with people makes me think it could also be given as "the central forty-six rulers".
Goteijuusantai. Go: guard. Tei: court. Juusan: thirteen. Tai: company.
The simplest part, here is the tai, which indicates a company or group in a military or paramilitary context. This go is used to write guard in the compounds for bodyguard, personal guard or military escort, while this tei is used to write court in both the political and judicial sense, which lends an interesting edge to the captains' insistence that they are bound to carry out the rulings of the Forty-six. It suggests that they are, as a military body, the personal guards of these rulers (who, recall, include judges) and their decisions.
The ranks within the Thirteen all revolve around the root Taichou, or company leader. Sou-Taichou, adds the sou that means "general". This is general as in general assembly or surgeon general--not the military rank General, but the general that indicates "overall". (Not that the two aren't connected in English, but two different characters are used for those two meanings in Japanese.) Fuku-Taichou, of course, uses the fuku that means assistant, sub-, or vice-, giving us Vice-captain.
Kidoushuu. Ki: demon. Dou: Way or art. Shuu: masses or great number.
Two things, here. First, this ki, appearing alone, seems to be pretty universally read as evil spirit or hungry spirit, or, in the case of Buddhism, suffering spirit. Which tends to imply that this is spirit-that-messed-up or spirit-that-is-angry. (And also offers a linguistic clue about the connection between Hollows and shinigami.) But in all the kanji that designate a kind of soul--heavenly soul, earthly soul, spirit of the tree--it's also this ki that is used to make the compound. So I'm a little inclined to read kidou, here, as "arts of the violent spirit". Or even simply "soul arts", which has a nice resonance with the world-name Soul Society, given how dedicated to violence and fighting all the shinigami seem to be.
Second, this shuu has its own interesting connotation. It is used to indicate an organized group that is not military. An organization of the masses, the common people. A particularly famous example is the Oniwabanshuu. Hence my own translation of Kidoushuu as Soul Arts Group, which is the closest I can come in English to the connotation of shuu.
Onmitsukidou. Onmitsu: spy (also secrecy or privacy). Kidou: maneuver.
Kidou, here, has both the connotation of mobility and of a police group, words describing police being where these two characters seem to appear most often. I would actually translate this one as Those Who Move Secretly, but that is rather unwieldy in English. Covert Ops is not an unreasonable compromise translation.
The title of the Onmitsukidou commander, Gundanchou or Corps Commander, definitely adds to the idea of this body as a military one.
For individual shinigami names, see Chirachira's Name List, where they have already been well glossed.
English, in some ways, forms the bridge between Soul Society and Hueca Mundo. Both use it sometimes. To start with, "Soul Society" itself is in English. The same is true of a handful of terms such as "plus" for spirits that are not troubled or held back in the human world.
English as primary identifier may wind up going to the "Visored", the shinigami-hollow hybrids that started out as shinigami. Their type-name is clearly English. But the Visored, thus far, have names in Japanese, as do the shinigami, making a clear connection between their beginning and their current status. So we'll have to see.
The English word "Hollow", of course, defines the spirits that have become hungry ghosts. Once into the world and ranks of the Hollows themselves, however, the language changes over to Spanish.
The world-name itself is "empty/hollow world", in Spanish. And while the names of the minor Hollows are often in English, the names of the higher types are generally not.
Menos Grande. Menos: minus. Grande: big.
Rukia explains this type to us, when we first encounter it, as a Hollow that has formed by absorbing a great number of smaller Hollows and merging them into a single being. The menos, in this case, forms a clear parallel and opposite to the "plus" spirits.
Hitsugaya tells us that, within the ranks of Aizen's forces, there are three types.
Guerrean. The spanish guerrar, to fight, seems most likely. The third-person plural conjugation, guerrean, would be pronounced very much as girian when transliterated to Japanese. "They fight" seems like a very accurate name for the beings Hitsugaya tells us are more or less Aizen's cannon-foder.
Ajuukasu. This one has me stumped as to derivation.
Vasutoroode. This is the category that Aizen's strong Arrancar that are not Espada seem to constitute. The first half may well be Vasto: vast. Rodar, to roll, spin, or fall suggests itself for the second half; the first person preterite is rode. This could, tweaked a bit, give us something like The Great Fallen, and the "fall" in this case has a strong connotation of tumbling or out of control. This would fit the raw-instinct aspect of all Hollows well.
The term Arrancar seems to refer to any Hollow that has removed its mask, which, according to Hitsugaya's explanation in 197, creates the possibility of gaining shinigami powers but does not, in and of itself, produce those powers.
Arrancar. Arrancar: to rip away or uproot (also to start up or make go faster).
Given that the Arrancar remove part or all of the masks Hollows produce, in contrast to the Visored who gain masks, the "rip away" definition seems primary. However, given that the Arrancar are powered-up Hollows, the "go faster" definition may well also apply.
In much the same way that high-power Hollow attacks and whatnot are given in Spanish, the 'titles' which the highest Arrancar hold are given using Spanish ordinal numbers: Primero--first, Segundo--second, Tercero--third, Cuarto--fourth and so on. Generally speaking, ordinals are not used in Spanish after "tenth". From here on the regular forms of the numbers in question might well be used and still understood in the ordinal sense. Either or both of the following appear. Once--eleven (undecimo--eleventh), Doce--twelve (duodecimo--twelfth), Trece--thirteen (decimotecero--thirteenth), and so on up to Veinte--twenty (vigesimo--twentieth).
Individual names are interesting in that they both appear to derive mostly from Hispanic language sources and to have their spelling altered. This strikes me as very KT. He doesn't just take things wholesale and paste them into his story. He tweaks them. He messes with them.
Ulquiorra. This is likely based on Urquiola, the name of an oil tanker that had a major spill and explosion off the coast of Spain in 1976. (Credit for this find goes to Himawari1.) This fits nicely with his introduction, which can only be called catastrophic, and the black tear track like marks down his face. The elision of 'l' and 'r', in Japanese, makes the pronunciation of either version identical... in Japanese.
Llamii (Yamii). This one depends on the pronunciation of 'll', in Spanish, as 'y' is pronounced in English. I suspect the name is based on llamee, the imperative form of the verb llamear--to flame or blaze--which fits well with the aggressive and explosive personality of this character. Also with his generally orange coloring and flame-like eyebrows. The change from a long 'e' to a long 'i' is, again, a minor one. And, interestingly, one that would seem like the natural pronunciation of 'ee' to an English speaker.
Grimmjow. This seems to be a switch back to English. The name is suitable enough to a character whose sole remaining mask-part is the jaw.
Deiroi. Potential root could be derruir, to destroy. Derrui, preterite: I destroyed. Precise but iffy grammar, Italian: dei--of the, roi--roer, to gnaw or corrode, first person present.
Idolado/Adorado. If this is derived from Spanish, the kana for "e" at the start indicates either an "a" or an "i. So it could be idolo, idol, and -ado, which can indicate "shaped like" or "the office of". Something like "idol-esque". Or it might be derived from the verb adorar, to adore or worship; adorado, adored. Either of these would fit nicely with both the arrogance of the Arrancar and the high respect all the Arrancar seem to give Aizen, who says his goal is the throne of heaven.
Illforte/Il Forte. This one appears to be Italian. There are two possibilities. Ill: negative, un-. Forte: strong, heavy, hot, vigorous. Given the mannerisms of the character, I suspect that some reasonable translations might be languid or refined. Or Il: the. Which would, quite the opposite, mean The Strong One. Since this is Kubo, I suspect the opposing meanings are quite intentional.
Shaw Long . As ocean suggested, it looks like Xiao Long is the source for this one. The most likely meaning, in that case, is "little dragon". Incidentally, this is a name likely to be widely recognized from The Condor Heros, a popular Chinese martial-arts drama.
Nakiimu. I'm a bit doubtful on this one, but it could be from the Portuguese naquim. It's a transliteration of Nanking, and appears to designate a drawing style, too, in reference to China.
Soul Society
The terminology for this world is drawn from Japanese with a sprinkling of English.
Chuuouyonjurokushitsu. Chuuou: central. Yonjuroku: forty-six. Shitsu: room.
The interesting part, here, is that this shitsu does commonly means room. But in all cases where it forms a word relating to rulers, it seems to refer equally to place and people. Kyuushitsu, for example: palace/imperial family. While the most reasonable translation is probably "chamber of the central forty-six", this elision of place with people makes me think it could also be given as "the central forty-six rulers".
Goteijuusantai. Go: guard. Tei: court. Juusan: thirteen. Tai: company.
The simplest part, here is the tai, which indicates a company or group in a military or paramilitary context. This go is used to write guard in the compounds for bodyguard, personal guard or military escort, while this tei is used to write court in both the political and judicial sense, which lends an interesting edge to the captains' insistence that they are bound to carry out the rulings of the Forty-six. It suggests that they are, as a military body, the personal guards of these rulers (who, recall, include judges) and their decisions.
The ranks within the Thirteen all revolve around the root Taichou, or company leader. Sou-Taichou, adds the sou that means "general". This is general as in general assembly or surgeon general--not the military rank General, but the general that indicates "overall". (Not that the two aren't connected in English, but two different characters are used for those two meanings in Japanese.) Fuku-Taichou, of course, uses the fuku that means assistant, sub-, or vice-, giving us Vice-captain.
Kidoushuu. Ki: demon. Dou: Way or art. Shuu: masses or great number.
Two things, here. First, this ki, appearing alone, seems to be pretty universally read as evil spirit or hungry spirit, or, in the case of Buddhism, suffering spirit. Which tends to imply that this is spirit-that-messed-up or spirit-that-is-angry. (And also offers a linguistic clue about the connection between Hollows and shinigami.) But in all the kanji that designate a kind of soul--heavenly soul, earthly soul, spirit of the tree--it's also this ki that is used to make the compound. So I'm a little inclined to read kidou, here, as "arts of the violent spirit". Or even simply "soul arts", which has a nice resonance with the world-name Soul Society, given how dedicated to violence and fighting all the shinigami seem to be.
Second, this shuu has its own interesting connotation. It is used to indicate an organized group that is not military. An organization of the masses, the common people. A particularly famous example is the Oniwabanshuu. Hence my own translation of Kidoushuu as Soul Arts Group, which is the closest I can come in English to the connotation of shuu.
Onmitsukidou. Onmitsu: spy (also secrecy or privacy). Kidou: maneuver.
Kidou, here, has both the connotation of mobility and of a police group, words describing police being where these two characters seem to appear most often. I would actually translate this one as Those Who Move Secretly, but that is rather unwieldy in English. Covert Ops is not an unreasonable compromise translation.
The title of the Onmitsukidou commander, Gundanchou or Corps Commander, definitely adds to the idea of this body as a military one.
For individual shinigami names, see Chirachira's Name List, where they have already been well glossed.
English, in some ways, forms the bridge between Soul Society and Hueca Mundo. Both use it sometimes. To start with, "Soul Society" itself is in English. The same is true of a handful of terms such as "plus" for spirits that are not troubled or held back in the human world.
English as primary identifier may wind up going to the "Visored", the shinigami-hollow hybrids that started out as shinigami. Their type-name is clearly English. But the Visored, thus far, have names in Japanese, as do the shinigami, making a clear connection between their beginning and their current status. So we'll have to see.
The English word "Hollow", of course, defines the spirits that have become hungry ghosts. Once into the world and ranks of the Hollows themselves, however, the language changes over to Spanish.
.
Hueca Mundo
The world-name itself is "empty/hollow world", in Spanish. And while the names of the minor Hollows are often in English, the names of the higher types are generally not.
Menos Grande. Menos: minus. Grande: big.
Rukia explains this type to us, when we first encounter it, as a Hollow that has formed by absorbing a great number of smaller Hollows and merging them into a single being. The menos, in this case, forms a clear parallel and opposite to the "plus" spirits.
Hitsugaya tells us that, within the ranks of Aizen's forces, there are three types.
Guerrean. The spanish guerrar, to fight, seems most likely. The third-person plural conjugation, guerrean, would be pronounced very much as girian when transliterated to Japanese. "They fight" seems like a very accurate name for the beings Hitsugaya tells us are more or less Aizen's cannon-foder.
Ajuukasu. This one has me stumped as to derivation.
Vasutoroode. This is the category that Aizen's strong Arrancar that are not Espada seem to constitute. The first half may well be Vasto: vast. Rodar, to roll, spin, or fall suggests itself for the second half; the first person preterite is rode. This could, tweaked a bit, give us something like The Great Fallen, and the "fall" in this case has a strong connotation of tumbling or out of control. This would fit the raw-instinct aspect of all Hollows well.
The term Arrancar seems to refer to any Hollow that has removed its mask, which, according to Hitsugaya's explanation in 197, creates the possibility of gaining shinigami powers but does not, in and of itself, produce those powers.
Arrancar. Arrancar: to rip away or uproot (also to start up or make go faster).
Given that the Arrancar remove part or all of the masks Hollows produce, in contrast to the Visored who gain masks, the "rip away" definition seems primary. However, given that the Arrancar are powered-up Hollows, the "go faster" definition may well also apply.
In much the same way that high-power Hollow attacks and whatnot are given in Spanish, the 'titles' which the highest Arrancar hold are given using Spanish ordinal numbers: Primero--first, Segundo--second, Tercero--third, Cuarto--fourth and so on. Generally speaking, ordinals are not used in Spanish after "tenth". From here on the regular forms of the numbers in question might well be used and still understood in the ordinal sense. Either or both of the following appear. Once--eleven (undecimo--eleventh), Doce--twelve (duodecimo--twelfth), Trece--thirteen (decimotecero--thirteenth), and so on up to Veinte--twenty (vigesimo--twentieth).
Individual names are interesting in that they both appear to derive mostly from Hispanic language sources and to have their spelling altered. This strikes me as very KT. He doesn't just take things wholesale and paste them into his story. He tweaks them. He messes with them.
Ulquiorra. This is likely based on Urquiola, the name of an oil tanker that had a major spill and explosion off the coast of Spain in 1976. (Credit for this find goes to Himawari1.) This fits nicely with his introduction, which can only be called catastrophic, and the black tear track like marks down his face. The elision of 'l' and 'r', in Japanese, makes the pronunciation of either version identical... in Japanese.
Llamii (Yamii). This one depends on the pronunciation of 'll', in Spanish, as 'y' is pronounced in English. I suspect the name is based on llamee, the imperative form of the verb llamear--to flame or blaze--which fits well with the aggressive and explosive personality of this character. Also with his generally orange coloring and flame-like eyebrows. The change from a long 'e' to a long 'i' is, again, a minor one. And, interestingly, one that would seem like the natural pronunciation of 'ee' to an English speaker.
Grimmjow. This seems to be a switch back to English. The name is suitable enough to a character whose sole remaining mask-part is the jaw.
Deiroi. Potential root could be derruir, to destroy. Derrui, preterite: I destroyed. Precise but iffy grammar, Italian: dei--of the, roi--roer, to gnaw or corrode, first person present.
Idolado/Adorado. If this is derived from Spanish, the kana for "e" at the start indicates either an "a" or an "i. So it could be idolo, idol, and -ado, which can indicate "shaped like" or "the office of". Something like "idol-esque". Or it might be derived from the verb adorar, to adore or worship; adorado, adored. Either of these would fit nicely with both the arrogance of the Arrancar and the high respect all the Arrancar seem to give Aizen, who says his goal is the throne of heaven.
Illforte/Il Forte. This one appears to be Italian. There are two possibilities. Ill: negative, un-. Forte: strong, heavy, hot, vigorous. Given the mannerisms of the character, I suspect that some reasonable translations might be languid or refined. Or Il: the. Which would, quite the opposite, mean The Strong One. Since this is Kubo, I suspect the opposing meanings are quite intentional.
Shaw Long . As ocean suggested, it looks like Xiao Long is the source for this one. The most likely meaning, in that case, is "little dragon". Incidentally, this is a name likely to be widely recognized from The Condor Heros, a popular Chinese martial-arts drama.
Nakiimu. I'm a bit doubtful on this one, but it could be from the Portuguese naquim. It's a transliteration of Nanking, and appears to designate a drawing style, too, in reference to China.
