Kale watcha nei conserva oh!

It's possible he didn't/doesn't know because somebody else wrote that particular line. In any case, what Graham's speaking seems to be White Leg -- makes sense in context, since he delivers the line to Salt-Upon-Wounds and, indirectly, the handful of other White Legs on their knees.

What the line sounds like to me is a mix of English, Jicarilla Apache, and Latin. (According to Google Translate, 'conserva' is Latin for 'preserve', which is where I got 'spared'.) That also fits with some of the other lines White Legs will shout while attacking, such as, "Deeyá you!" (Roughly, "You leave!", which could evolve, by way of euphemism, to "You die!")

So we can draw from this that the White Legs are the possible descendants of Apache who have picked up English and Latin from their contact with the Legion.
 
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Jack Reynolds said:
It's possible he didn't/doesn't know because somebody else wrote that particular line. In any case, what Graham's speaking seems to be White Leg -- makes sense in context, since he delivers the line to Salt-Upon-Wounds and, indirectly, the handful of other White Legs on their knees.

What the line sounds like to me is a mix of English, Jicarilla Apache, and Latin. (According to Google Translate, 'conserva' is Latin for 'preserve', which is where I got 'spared'.) That also fits with some of the other lines White Legs will shout while attacking, such as, "Deeyá you!" (Roughly, "You leave!")

So we can draw from this that the White Legs are the possible descendants of Apache who have picked up English and Latin from their contact with the Legion.
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Conserva would more likely come down to the White Legs via Spanish, not directly from Latin
 
Also looking back and seeing how the word "kale" was translated to King, and from there "lord" or "god" is very silly.

Karl does not mean king, if anything it's closer to Lord. However there is no way to get to that meaning from modern English, English devolving backwards like that is impossible. It's possible it means god, but not via Karl.
 
I have to admit, I'm not basing my guess purely on an attempt to translate the phrase; I'm also basing it on context and deduction.

"As god is my witness, none of you will be spared" not only synthesizes previous guesswork but is also based on the White Legs' language picking up influences from their important contacts -- those being New Canaanites and the Legion.

But, moreover, we can guess at the meaning of the phrase because Salt-Upon-Wounds actually translates it for us in the first line he speaks to us:

Joshua Graham (to Salt-Upon-Wounds): "Kale watcha nei conserva oh. You understand me, don't you. Don't you."
Salt-Upon-Wounds (to the Courier): "Koona-man mad! He kill all White legs! You talk! You stop!"

Well, obviously, Graham hasn't killed all the White Legs. But Salt-Upon-Wounds believes he'll do that -- because that's what Graham just told him he's going to do.
 
Hardboiled Android said:
Conserva would more likely come down to the White Legs via Spanish, not directly from Latin
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Frankly, either is possible, and both come out to the same result. Conserva means 'preserve' in either Latin or Spanish; and since the Utah tribals are canonically descended from a mix of Native Americans, Americans more generally, and European tourists, it might already have been in their lexicon pre-Legion -- and it certainly would have been post-. After all, it's doubtful that Ulysses would have picked up White Leg without imparting some Latin in exchange.
 
As for the White Legs being descended from Navajo rather than Apache, I really think Apache is much more likely. The Dead Horses are explicitly stated to have Navajo heritage, and the White Legs are sufficiently distinct -- both in dress, in customs, and in geographical origin -- from the Dead Horses that such a closely related tribal origin for both seems pretty unlikely.
 
Jack Reynolds said:
I have to admit, I'm not basing my guess purely on an attempt to translate the phrase; I'm also basing it on context and deduction.

"As god is my witness, none of you will be spared" not only synthesizes previous guesswork but is also based on the White Legs' language picking up influences from their important contacts -- those being New Canaanites and the Legion.

But, moreover, we can guess at the meaning of the phrase because Salt-Upon-Wounds actually translates it for us in the first line he speaks to us:

Joshua Graham (to Salt-Upon-Wounds): "Kale watcha nei conserva oh. You understand me, don't you. Don't you."
Salt-Upon-Wounds (to the Courier): "Koona-man mad! He kill all White legs! You talk! You stop!"

Well, obviously, Graham hasn't killed all the White Legs. But Salt-Upon-Wounds believes he'll do that -- because that's what Graham just told him he's going to do.
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I absolutely agree, I think "None of you will survive" or perhaps "None of you will be saved" is obviously a correct translation for the latter part of the phrase, but I think the first section remains ambiguous.

"Kale watcha" meaning "God as my witness" makes sense in context and considering Graham's penchant, and of course I can see how "watcha" could mean "witness," but no satisfactory suggestion has been given for how we get "Kale" for "God." The initial suggestion for this derivation is frankly nonsensical. There could be another derivation none of us have suggested, but it is also possible "Kale watcha" means something entirely different. And if it does, it is also possible that we could change our interpretation of "nei conserva oh," though admittedly this seems unlikely.

Jack Reynolds said:
Frankly, either is possible, and both come out to the same result. Conserva means 'preserve' in either Latin or Spanish; and since the Utah tribals are canonically descended from a mix of Native Americans, Americans more generally, and European tourists, it might already have been in their lexicon pre-Legion -- and it certainly would have been post-. After all, it's doubtful that Ulysses would have picked up White Leg without imparting some Latin in exchange.
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Spanish just seems much much more likely to me. Latin is possible, but in my estimation less likely.
 
Post-War Tribal said:
"The line spoken by Joshua Graham to Salt-Upon-Wounds has yet to be translated, and project director Josh Sawyer, when asked on Formspring, refused to translate it. He noted its mysterious nature and when asked if the line was translatable or nonsense, clarified that the line is not."
https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Language_of_the_White_Legs
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Very interesting, and extremely frustrating.

Though I would note for @Jack Reynolds -

Joshua Sawyer: "It wasn't in Latin. It was in the White Legs' tribal language, which includes elements of Spanish (hence the common Romance language roots with Latin). Also, *~ mysteries ~*"
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I ran the words through google translate to see what pops up. They pop up other words too though. Kale popped up as Bare this time. Something preserves in something. Definitely preserves is in there since it is Spanish.

I thought bears might be related due to the lore.
 
Yeah this was the most fun I ever had in a two page thread. Jack Reynolds wins as far as I am concerned.
 
Ke-mo sah-bee . Whiteman speak with forked tongue. Kale watcha = Watcher of the Kale ! ( A keen Gardener who tends the crops; so any Brassica including Cabbage or boy sprouts ) Nei conserva oh ! = You let the crops die ? Why !?. So veganism has been rejected and the gardener wants to hunt and eat meat.
 
william dempsey said:
Ke-mo sah-bee . Whiteman speak with forked tongue. Kale watcha = Watcher of the Kale ! ( A keen Gardener who tends the crops; so any Brassica including Cabbage or boy sprouts ) Nei conserva oh ! = You let the crops die ? Why !?. So veganism has been rejected and the gardener wants to hunt and eat meat.
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No-bark_Noonan.jpg
 
TorontoReign said:
I ran the words through google translate to see what pops up. They pop up other words too though. Kale popped up as Bare this time. Something preserves in something. Definitely preserves is in there since it is Spanish.

I thought bears might be related due to the lore.
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Sorry to necro a thread, but something occurred to me:

Maybe 'Kale' isn't equivalent to any real world current year translatable word, but is simply the White-Legs' specific name for their conception of god, the way the Sorrows have deified Randall Clarke/The Survivalist into "The Father In The Caves."

That's why 'Kale' throws a wrench in, "As god is my witness, none of you will be spared" -- it's a name, not a proper noun.

Like translating, "Salve, Mikey! Puto eum delectari!" into Thai -- 'Mikey' wouldn't translate.
 
Could be Sawyer's boyfriend's name for all we know with the dumb answer they gave. I hate non answers because it implies they made shit up.
 
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