High Imperial Academy

[Channelknight Fadran]

In quarantine, we all have plenty of time to try new things. I, personally, have been attempting to learn some of that sweet, sweet High Imperial. It's the perfect language: It'll confuse anybody who isn't a Mistborn fan, and will impress anyone who is!

So who wants to learn some High Imperial? Welcome to the Academy!

Quote

 

One thing about High Imperial, or Eastern Street Slang, is that it was devised by those who spoke it in order to be intentionally obtuse. So it was hard for people to understand. And so there are a lot of nonsense words thrown in the middle. But, it's also got reversed grammar. 'Wasing the wanting of doing the thing' is 'I wanted to do that.' But you can also throw random words in there. As long as those parts are in there, it'll make sense to those they're speaking to. 'I wanted to do this. Wasing the wanting of doing the thing.' You're putting everything into a gerund. You're starting with the verb and the tense. And you're turning everything into ridiculously bad gerunds. That's it in brief. 

-Brandon Sanderson

[Boomerang Guy]

Count me in! 

[Channelknight Fadran]

Lesson Number One: Basic Grammar and Speech Types.

In High Imperial, there area few important things to note.

1: Whatever you're saying in High Imperial is implied to having yourself as a subject. You can specify a different subject.

2: Everything you say in High Imperial is in the past tense.

3: All verbs in High Imperial are to be written in gerund form. "Thinking," "Issing," and (of course) "Wassing."

So there you go. Lesson number one.

[Enter a username]

Is there any tuition?

[Channelknight Fadran]

1 hour ago, Enter a username said:

Is there any tuition?

Free online classes. Tips (likes) are optional but appreciated.

There will be a test at the end.

Edited May 15, 2020 by Channelknight Fadran

[Enter a username]

Yay! I'd like to sign up!

[SingingMosaic]

Me, too!

[Channelknight Fadran]

We have three official students:

McWafy

Enter a username

SingingMosaic

Anybody else want in?

[Merlin]

I'll join! 

[+Invocation]

I am here to learn High Imperial well enough that I begin sleeptalking in it. 

[Channelknight Fadran]

Merlin and Invocation are here to learn as well! What a perfect segue to begin the next lesson.

Lesson Number Two: "Wassing"

The word "wassing" is by far the most important word in all of High Imperial. Translated roughly to english, it means something among the lines of "was doing." Because everything said in High Imperial is said in the past tense (Rule Two of High Imperial), the term "was" basically means "am." The word "doing" is, of course, a gerund verb, but still means the same thing. "Was doing," in short, translates to "am doing." "Wassing the teaching of High Imperial" means "Am doing the teaching of High Imperial."

If you're attentive, you'll realize that you never describe yourself as doing the action in that sentence. "Am doing" rather than "I am doing." This is because Rule One of High Imperial: "Whatever you're saying in High Imperial is implied to having yourself as a subject."

So there you go. Lesson number Two. Use your Wassings wisely.

Edited May 16, 2020 by Channelknight Fadran

[AonEne]

Oooh, I’m joining this class. 

[Channelknight Fadran]

Lesson Three (and welcome AonEne!): Sentence Structure in High Imperial.

Basic sentences in english need two basic things: A subject and a verb. In the sentence "I am teaching High Imperial," the subject is "I" and the action is "teaching." This sentence could actually stand alone without me telling you what I'm teaching. "I am teaching" could work.

Sentence structure in High Imperial is the same. You need a subject and a verb. The funny part about High Imperial is that you don't actually need to specify a subject if that subject is yourself (First Rule of High Imperial). All you need to do is specify a verb.

At first glance, the word "Wassing" seems to be verb of most sentences. However, in english this would be "I was doing/I am doing," which isn't quite a sentence. In fact, if you translated that into High Imperial, your sentence would actually only be the word "wassing." You need to specify another action in order to create a proper sentence in High Imperial. The sentence "I am teaching High Imperial" is "Wassing the teaching of High Imperial." The subject is "I" (not specified) and the action is "teaching." High Imperial provides context, but isn't necessary.

The direct translation of "wassing the teaching of High Imperial" is "I was doing the teaching of High Imperial." The best way to translate High Imperial into a sentence you would use in real life is to simplify it as much as you can. "I was doing" is also "I am doing." The words "doing the" simply provide a segway between the word "am" and the word "teaching," but in English, no such segway is required, so you can take them out. "I am teaching of High Imperial." The word "of" makes a lot of sense to have in High Imperial, but not in English, so feel free to take that one out. "I am teaching High Imperial."

[AonEne]

*raises hand* Um, um, teacher, you spelled segue wrong on your presentation.  

[Channelknight Fadran]

1 minute ago, AonEne said:

*raises hand* Um, um, teacher, you spelled segue wrong on your presentation.  

*Is salty teacher* You talkin' back to me? Missy, I know you won't like a visit to the Principal's Office, would you? Hm? Hm? How about I write to your parents and tell them you've been misbehaving? Hm? Hm?

In all seriousness, though... what word did I spell wrong?

[AonEne]

7 minutes ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

*Is salty teacher* You talkin' back to me? Missy, I know you won't like a visit to the Principal's Office, would you? Hm? Hm? How about I write to your parents and tell them you've been misbehaving? Hm? Hm?

In all seriousness, though... what word did I spell wrong?

(“Segway” is actually segue. I know, it’s weird.) 

ACK NO PLEASE DON’T SEND ME TO THE OFFICE 

[Channelknight Fadran]

Just now, AonEne said:

(“Segway” is actually segue. I know, it’s weird.) 

ACK NO PLEASE DON’T SEND ME TO THE OFFICE 

Just fixed that, thanks.

*Salty teacher returns* Then stop being salty, Miss!

[AonEne]

Anytime! 

I didn’t mean to be salty, I’m soooooorryyyy... 

[Enter a username]

Wasing the liking of the class. (Wasing of the present tense, notting of the past tense.)

[Shard of Reading]

wassing thinking this is cool. (I think that is how you do it.)

[Channelknight Fadran]

3 minutes ago, Shard of Reading said:

wassing thinking this is cool. (I think that is how you do it.)

Close. "Wassing the thinking of this being cool" would be more accurate.

[Shard of Reading]

Oh, o.k. 

Did you know if you search high imperial on the coppermind they have all of the quotes of high imperial and a high imperial translator?

Also count me in for this.

[Channelknight Fadran]

I'm aware of these things on the Coppermind. I tried the translater but it gave me a 404 error so I'm doing this.

Nonetheless, welcome to the Academy!

[Tellingdwar]

Wasing the much of appreciating the this. Back when time was being the having, running the games of adventuring on tops of tables. Wasing the writing of wording for NPC name of Chanowitz on the weeks. Doing the practicing of the this with frequenting giving the skill.

Wasing the making of perfecting when doing the practicing of the this. Thems doing the teaching should doing the assigning of the working whens at the home.

[Shard of Reading]

3 minutes ago, Tellingdwar said:

Wasing the much of appreciating the this. Back when time was being the having, running the games of adventuring on tops of tables. Wasing the writing of wording for NPC name of Chanowitz on the weeks. Doing the practicing of the this with frequenting giving the skill.

Wasing the making of perfecting when doing the practicing of the this. Thems doing the teaching should doing the assigning of the working whens at the home.

Wow. Just wow. Very impressed.