What David said to the Engineer

[deezelboy]

This is pretty cool:

In the scene David is learning the building blocks of language and we see him taking a lesson in Proto-Indo-European (PIE) Linguistics, where a holographic professor, takes him through the ABC’s and recites Schleicher’s Fable. An artificial text composed in the reconstructed PIE, in 1868, to demonstrate the language’s use.

The ‘Professor’ in the clip is in fact the real-life linguistics consultant used for the film and taught Michael Fassbender (David) the dialogue. I managed to track down the consultant, a Dr. Anil Biltoo of the SOAS Language Centre in London, to see if he could shed some light on the mysterious final scene. He was most helpful and provided the following:

The line that David speaks to the Engineer (which is from a longer sequence that didn’t make the final edit) is as follows:

    /ida hmanəm aɪ kja namṛtuh zdɛ:taha/…/ghʷɪvah-pjorn-ɪttham sas da:tṛ kredah/

    A serviceable translation into English is:

    ‘This man is here because he does not want to die. He believes you can give him more life’.

...As the good doctor pointed out, there is a longer sequence which Ridley Scott filmed, but ultimately cut.

We’re all going to have to wait for the Director’s cut to see if the conversation between the Engineer and David – and there was indeed originally a conversation, not merely an utterance from David – yields any fruit.- Dr. Anil Biltoo

...Dr. Biltoo also revealed that Fassbender spent 17 hours reciting Schleicher’s Fable, committing it to memory, only to have Ridley Scott use the first line in the film.

http://thebioscopist.com/tag/dr-anil-biltoo/

TL;DR: "He wants more life, fucker."

EDIT:

Dr. Biltoo's great! Get this:

On the subject of the writing system, let me quash a rumour: it ISN'T of my doing. The use of what resembles a mixed cuneiform/hieroglyphic system, with elements of Eteocypriot and Linear Elamite chucked in for good measure, would not have occurred to me - I'm glad to say. The script comes courtesy of Fox's art department.

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=4008

[Darkfox]

Hey! Absolutely amazing. Thanks for the info!

Well, now thinking about it, I am not so surprised the Engineer hit him after this. You know, maybe he just wanted to slap him. It's not his fault that he has so strong arms...

On the subject of the writing system, let me quash a rumour: it ISN'T of my doing. The use of what resembles a mixed cuneiform/hieroglyphic system, with elements of Eteocypriot and Linear Elamite chucked in for good measure, would not have occurred to me - I'm glad to say. The script comes courtesy of Fox's art department.

Haha! I love that man.

[Limited Vertigo]

I'm still wondering how David was able to speak to the Engineer.  It's one thing to analyze the text of a language but to actually be able to communicate it through speech takes more than just reading it.

[Darkfox]

I'm still wondering how David was able to speak to the Engineer.  It's one thing to analyze the text of a language but to actually be able to communicate it through speech takes more than just reading it.

Actually it is easier to reconstruct the speech based on trying to track it down via changes in pronounciation in the existing languages than to reconstruct the speech based only on text, because you have no idea how the text should be pronounced. But you are right - all attempts of reconstruction of how stuff "used to be pronounced" are basically guesses. Just look at today's dialects and on how languages are changing even now. If you are capable of accidentally saying something very rude when you are speaking English with (your idea of) some random local dialect to some people with their own dialect, the more it is likely that when David wanted to say "This man is here because he does not want to die. (Conjunction? Seriously!) He believes you can give him more life", he instead said "This man thinks you smell like old socks. He comes to offer you his".

[beckmen]

I wonder if they have ever conducted experiments, having people learn an obscure (but still used) language using texts, and then having them speak it and comparing it to the real thing. Seems like they had to have done this at some point...

[Dutch90]

I'm still wondering how David was able to speak to the Engineer.  It's one thing to analyze the text of a language but to actually be able to communicate it through speech takes more than just reading it.

Adding to what Darkfox said - he's an android whose mental capabilities probably exceed a normal human being.

[LargeLeader]

"Nanny nanny boo boo, stick your head in doo doo."

[Pandorag]

Actually, since it was possible to retrace PEI (Proto-indo-european) every where it went, and it was also possible to retrace how the language changed from one culture to the next, as well as all the grammar similarities, and for having worked 8 hours + on an assignment in Historical linguisitcs to explain how pronunciation changed from one word to another, it is plausible that they were able to reconstruct the spoken language. It can't be perfect, much like if you spoke today's Latin in the Roman empire, you'd be understood somehow... One might have to adjust to the accent and intonation, but it could be understandable.

The hardest part about that class was deconstructing the evolution of a verb, what it would look like before it regularized itself.... Oh the pain!!!

I really like the bit about the written language and how it was totally created by the FX team. 

[maledoro]

Now for the burning question: why did the Engineer behead David and kill Weyland? The Engineer was a grammar Nazi.

[Pandorag]

Now for the burning question: why did the Engineer behead David and kill Weyland? The Engineer was a grammar Nazi.

You figured it out. 

[Sebastian]

Maybe he carried some of that Clint "Get off ma lawn" Eastwood DNA within.

[beckmen]

They were trampling all over the fucking azaleas.