Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide: Beeps, Bleats, Boskas, and Other Common Intergalactic Verbiage (Star Wars) [Paperback]

Ben Burtt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2001

Whether doing business with the Hutts or trying to get a decent haircut on Coruscant, Beeps, Bleats, and Boskas is an invaluable guide for anyone traveling through unfamiliar sections of the galaxy. Vividly illustrated by Sergio Aragones, this handy volume covers the basic situations galactic travelers may find themselves in--plus guidelines for

¸  Greetings--H'chu apenkee, o'grandio lust: "Greetings, glorious host" in Huttese. It doesn't hurt you to be nice, and it might hurt you not to.
¸  Travel arrangements--Zat x'ratch keezo bompaz ha sheep: in Bocce, "That scratch was there when I rented the ship."
¸  Asking directions--Chi ita lungee: "I am lost," in Ewokese. Don't be afraid to seek help in the forest.
¸  Dining--Dis foosa isa berry good: "this food is good." It's always best to compliment your Gungan hosts.
¸  Bargaining for your life--Huwaa muaa mumwa: "Can I buy you a drink." in Wookiee-speak. Try it. It just might work.

A MUST HAVE WHEN TRAVELING WITHOUT YOUR PROTOCOL DROID!


Bonus!--An exclusive "Behind the Sounds" look at making of the Star Wars movies from Academy Award-winning Sound Editor Ben Burtt. Discover the secrets behind the roar of Chewbacca, the chatter of the cantina crowd, and R2-D2's unique eloquence.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Any Star Wars fan, any science-fiction aficionado, any artist, or anyone interested in movies will find perusing this volume of artwork intriguing and entertaining. It contains drawings; digitally mastered pictures; paintings; sketches; mock-ups; and models of scenes, buildings, costumes, characters, spacecraft, and creatures. Details and perspective make each illustration stand out from the page; the vivid use of red and black permeates the art. Alien life-forms, new and familiar, abound. A feeling of connection and continuity flows through the art as some scenes and characters that appear in this volume are either from Episode I or in the original trilogy. Comments from the artists appear along with the artwork and guide readers through the materials. Not all of the art was used in the film and it adds an interesting perspective to be able to recognize which ideas were used and which were put aside. The screenplay and a picture of the movie poster are also included.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Greetings and Salutations

Making a good first impression is always impor-tant when meeting new life-forms. A casual wave of the hand, however, or extension of an arm for a handshake may result in the loss of your limb. So it is generally best to approach each new specimen slowly but confidently, keeping one hand ready to draw your weapon—if you are armed—and an eye open for a quick escape route should trouble come your way. Try to determine quickly just how many eyes and appendages you are dealing with, and make sure you recognize the front from the back. I’ve had many reports of travelers painfully mistreated by involuntary defense mechanisms on the backside of what was otherwise a friendly creature.

This chapter will give you the most probable phrases you need to greet a diversity of life-forms. The particular languages covered here are the most widespread in the galaxy, and chances are, someone will understand you. More specific and localized languages, such as Ewokese or Jawaese, for instance, are dealt with in detail in their own sections.

Pre-Corellian The most universal intergalactic greeting is derived from the ancient pre-Corellian salutation yaa-yaah. This sound is recognized by almost all air-breathing life-forms who vocalize by bellowing air from their lungs through a resonant vocal cavity. This phrase can be accompanied by a soft gesture of the right hand slightly extended with open hand palm downward. Even strictly visual communicators and most telepathic forms seem to understand this phrase when combined with the accompanying gesture. Note, though, that there is one known exception: Ugnaughts, common to Bespin and other Tibanna gas mining planets, take this as a personal insult and often respond by immediately hurling tools. Greet an Ugnaught by bowing silently, then await a guttural purring sound as a positive response. Otherwise, get ready to duck and roll.

Greetings.

Yaa-yaah.

To bid farewell, repeat the hand gesture and bow the head slightly. Use the ancient derivative of yaa-yaah for good-bye.

Farewell.

Haa-yaah.

Both the above phrases are recognized as peaceful and respectful forms of salutation throughout the galaxy.

Huttese

Whether we like it or not, so much business is done with the Hutts that a basic knowledge of that language is essential, especially for the executive and business traveler. More will be covered later in the chapter devoted to Huttese, but here are the basic salutations to get you started.

Greetings.

H’chu apenkee.

I am pleased to meet you.

Mee dunkee gunko.

Or, if the situation is a bit tense:

I come in peace.

Nee dolya pukee toba.

In a more formal situation—for example, meeting a Hutt lord:

Greetings, glorious host.

H’chu apenkee, o’ grandio lust.

If you are the host:

Welcome.

Chowbaso.

A common farewell:

Good-bye.

Mee jewz ku.

Or, if more formality is needed:

May your juices stay fresh.

Twoos pa reeta bah flootah.

This is the best translation I can give of this antique Huttese idiom. Delivered with the proper air of humility, it expresses a profound respect for authority.

Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (August 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345440749
• ISBN-13: 978-0345440747
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.5 x 6.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #452,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Movies > Guides & Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SO worth the price for the laughs you get, August 10, 2001

By 

P. Rosenberg "rosiewook" (Lilburn, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide: Beeps, Bleats, Boskas, and Other Common Intergalactic Verbiage (Star Wars) (Paperback)

Who knew that Ben Burtt was so funny? But he is.

Do not...I repeat, do not sneak a read of this book while at work or school. You will get caught when you laugh out loud. It is that funny.

You not only get the phrases that you've probably seen in the previews, but you get "cultural information" that is priceless. And the illustrations by Sergio Aragones are destined to become classics.

But wait! There's more! There's also a "Behind the Sounds" section that goes through how Ben Burtt created many of the sounds Star Wars fans hold dear. And there are also great translations of scenes from the Classic Trilogy that use alien languages.

If you're a Star Wars fan, you'll really love this book. (Thank you DelRey for putting out some humor!) If you're not a fan, but trying to find something for someone who is, then get this book. They'll thank you for it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent addition to the library of any Star Wars fan., June 23, 2004

By 

M. E. Volmar - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide: Beeps, Bleats, Boskas, and Other Common Intergalactic Verbiage (Star Wars) (Paperback)

This invaluable resource is a necessary guide on the basics of effective communication for anyone planning to travel through the Star Wars universe.
Written in an easy-to-read, humorous style and divided into eleven chapters, part one of this volume covers many commonly used phrases and terms in languages that range from Huttese to Bocce to Droidspeak. It also offers essential cultural advice and protocol rules that you will need to familiarize yourself with in order to increase your chances of survival as you come across numerous different situations in your voyage. All the phrases presented are printed out phonetically, so no bothersome pronunciation guidelines are given or needed.
Part two, "Behind the Sounds," is an engrossing, well written, 43-page account, complete with behind-the-scenes photos, of the author's journey of inspiration and creation of the sound effects and languages of the original trilogy films. Included in his story are fascinating technical details mixed with often hilarious anecdotes such as having spent a whole day recording bear sounds to be used when putting together Chewbacca's speech, and mixing and re-mixing mechanically and electronically generated beeps, chirps and bleeps to give R2-D2 an "emotional" voice.
Printed in an attractive pocket-sized format, this book is thoroughly illustrated in the best Star Wars style with laugh-out-loud drawings by Sergio Aragones of MAD Magazine fame.
As a bonus, an appendix with selected scenes from A New Hope and Return of the Jedi is included to help you practice your alien speech.
Although this book doesn't contain any information on the Star Wars universe subsequent to The Phantom Menace, it is an entertaining, fun and enjoyable way to explore the societies, their languages and activities, of the galaxy far, far away. As the Ewoks would say, this book is "yun yum di goot" (very good).
--Reviewed by M. E. Volmar

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an unsual concept that works very well, August 3, 2005

By 

The Delite Rancher (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide: Beeps, Bleats, Boskas, and Other Common Intergalactic Verbiage (Star Wars) (Paperback)

"The Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide" is an unusual concept and one that works surprisingly well. While a guide book, it is written of course for entertainment value and reads quickly. The book is packed with humorous drawings, expressions and cultural suggestions so that one never commits a faux pas, something which could get a traveler killed on the wrong system. One humorous extraction is that there is no word for "please" or "thank you" in Huttese. From the deep core to the outer rim, learn to count and speak basic phrases in Huttese, Bocce, Ewok, Wookiee, Jawa and even Gungan. While the Star Wars universe has no equivalent to a work like "the Klingon Dictionary," this is not only the next best thing, it's more enjoyable. From young children to adults, all Star Wars fans will enjoy this linguistic adventure.