What language does Ramessess II speak?

[Randarkmaan]

http://www.civilization5.com/#/civilizations/

Hi. I'm just wondering if someone could clarify what language Ramessess II (and by extension the Egyptians in Civ V) speaks in the game (sample can heard in the link provided). The reason I'm asking about this is because in Civ IV the Egyptians spoke arabic (or atleast I'm about 90 % sure it was arabic, compare Egypt and Arabia in Civ IV and you'll notice it), which I found a little weird considering how Egypt of Civilization (the entire series) is overwhelmingly based on the ancient incarnation of the country.

I'm not really able to tell by the clip provided in the link (I don't speak arabic or coptic for that matter), though it definately sounds semitic, but I'm rather sure an arabic speaker could settle the matter.

 

[Schuesseled]

just a wild shot in the dark, but i'd imagine it will be eygptian. (and i mean proper eypgtian, not whatever they speak there now)

 

[LegioCorvus]

They've been going for era specific voices/languages for all the leaders, including the drawl of early American revolutionaries for Washington and reviving the dead language of Nahuatl for Montezuma.

I imagine Ramesses II will speak era specific Egyptian (or as close as they can come to it).

 

[Randarkmaan]

just a wild shot in the dark, but i'd imagine it will be eygptian. (and i mean proper eypgtian, not whatever they speak there now)

That language is extinct, with coptic being the closest (only?) living relative. Though they did not use that for Civ IV. As I expect coptic speakers to be rather rare what I would need would be someone who speaks, understands or is familiar enough with arabic to tell me whether or not Ramesses II (noticed that I misspelled it) speaks arabic in the clip on the official site.

reviving the dead language of Nahuatl for Montezuma.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahuatl


On a side note I think I hear the word "ilah" in there, which is Arabic for "god" (reminder Allah = al-ilah), though such words as the word for "god" usually are quite similar in closely related or geographically close languages (compare with hebrew "el" or "elohim" and aramaic "alaha")

 

[r_rolo1]

Oh, they still say thet revived the Nahuatl ?

 

[Maniac]

On Apolyton an "Arab-American" said Ramses speaks Arab.

 

[Kimuyama]

There was a thread when the Introduction-videos was released where this was discussed, an someone that spoke Arabic confirmed that he spoke the dialect (of Arabic) commonly spoken in Egypt.

Didn't the Egyptians in Age of Mythology speak ancient Egyptian?

 

[12agnar0k]

He speaks Ramsinean

 

[LegioCorvus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahuatl

Wikipedia Quote: "No modern Nahuatl languages are identical to Classical Nahuatl, but those spoken in and around the Valley of Mexico are generally more closely related to it than those on the periphery."

Um... thanks for proving my point?

 

[Me,myself,and,I]

Unfortunately he speaks an Egyptian dialect of Arabic.

Or so the people who speak Arabic tell me...

 

[Louis XXIV]

Shame. He should be at least speaking Coptic. Sure, it's not the right dialect, but it's at least Egyptian. Of course, it is a semetic language. Do the Arabic speakers know for sure that it's simply an Arabic dialect that he's speaking (I understand there's quite a lot of diversity in the language. Maybe it just sounds Arabic?).

 

[Zhahz]

How can this possibly matter? He could be speaking any of 100 extinct dialects and you wouldn't know the difference, since nobody speaks them today....and you now, since nobody speaks them today, it's probably a wee bit tough to find a voice actor to speak nonexistent languages. Just sayin...

 

[Guardian_PL]

What? Ramesess speaks Arabic? OMG then the guy from The crazy runs deep was right! Firaxis caters to Muslims since they're terrorized to be terrorized!



Guy resposible for Leaders is obviously not the right person to do the job - first we have Siam leader that looks like Thaksin, now an Arabic speaking Ramesses. I bet the Egyptians are so proud now... xPPP

 

[Buccaneer]

Egyptologists know how ancient egyptian was spoken (but perhaps not a whole vocabulary). They used them in movies and documentataries and you would think that using one source would be beneficial instead of doing something that was totally anachronistic.

 

[catechol]

Unfortunately he speaks an Egyptian dialect of Arabic.

It's definitely Egyptian Arabic. I've only taken Arabic for a year, but since I can recognize it, it does make a difference to me that he's speaking it Ah well, it's not that big of a deal. I'd imagine it's more difficult to find Coptic speakers, I actually knew a Nahuatl speaker for a couple years when I lived in Mexico City. Not that my anecdote somehow makes Nahuatl more common

 

[Louis XXIV]

Nahuatl speakers are at least on the same continent. But, still, having Ramesses II speak Arabic is like having Montezuma speak Spanish.

 

[Omega124]

I don't care if he's speaking Arabic, Coptic, or the authentic Ancient Egyptian Language, because the voice actor for Ramesses is beyond phenomenal. He really got into character.

 

[Wani]

Egyptologists know how ancient egyptian was spoken (but perhaps not a whole vocabulary).

No they do not. Like other semitic (I know it is not one, but it's still close enough) languages, the egyptians did not write the vowels. At best, what we have is a guess by looking at the coptic version, which puts us at... what, 1500 years after Ramses II?

Quite honestly, most people in the world can't even make the difference between hebrew and arabic... I think it's good enough.

 

[Skwink]

Well, since I am going to be reading the subtitles, I don't care what he speaks because I can't understand it.

 

[Andrewicus]

Yeah, honestly Coptic would be a greater anachronism, as at least Egyptian Arabic is the current language spoken in Egypt. Coptic is genetically related to be sure but so very distant in time that the changes from modern Coptic to Ramesses II's Egyptian would be massive.