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i think ive seen an ork dictionary somewhere... and a lot of people on this forum speak orkish

No. Orks simply speak the language of the book / video game you are playing for ease and hilarity. The same thing goes for Space Marines, Imperial Guard, Eldar, etc.

Come on people Orks are like the Chinese they create whacky random technological gak, the don't need to be able to talk English

Orks do have their own language and it has even been expressly mentioned in their CODEX. Especially the WAAAAAAGGGGG!!!!!! rule. Yes it MUST be spelled and said as such, as doing so without the emphasis looses something in the translation. So if one were to declare a "wag" during their shooting phase a good 'n proppa' Ork would look at you silly. However if one were to declare a WAAAAAGGGGG!!!!!!!! the Ork would simply nod his head and allow you to proceed. (Or go into a killing frenzy which ever).

I think it is funny that Orks "Speak" (at leaset the most cunnin of Orks) in a Cockney type accent. Eliza Doolittle would fit right in.

Ork kulture is based on English soccer hooligans, which is why they speak Cockney. It was more obvious back in the day, when 40K had a significant higher degree of humor in it, but of all the armies, the Orks have remained closest to their original design, I think.

Dooley wrote:Orks do have their own language and it has even been expressly mentioned in their CODEX. Especially the WAAAAAAGGGGG!!!!!! rule. Yes it MUST be spelled and said as such, as doing so without the emphasis looses something in the translation. So if one were to declare a "wag" during their shooting phase a good 'n proppa' Ork would look at you silly. However if one were to declare a WAAAAAGGGGG!!!!!!!! the Ork would simply nod his head and allow you to proceed. (Or go into a killing frenzy which ever).

I think it is funny that Orks "Speak" (at leaset the most cunnin of Orks) in a Cockney type accent. Eliza Doolittle would fit right in.

I've always heard mine as liverpudlians, but hey...

(if i spelled it wrong anyone from Liverpool may now mock me )

Also in regards to the names of the Ork units being written in Ork and not in Imperial classification werent the Ork Codecies written from the point of view of an Ork and NOT by an imperial scribe. I think I remember aone of them starting off with 'In me best Man Speak". Were an Ork was introducing you to how AWESOME and BETTER the Orks were to their "ummie counter parts. So when they speak of Burnas and Boyz and Kans it is because THAT is what the ORKS call them. Every other Codex is writen from a "THIS IS WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT SAID GROUP" The Ork codex was an Ork TELLING you what they are all about.

I vaguely remember somestuff about language in 40k. Sources unknown and best taken salty.

The first thing I remember the source said was that orks have a gutteral, grunting language. In fact the ork codex has a selection of gliffs and words, along with definitions. One symbol, meaning "Snikk" means cut, or assassin (As in Boss SNIKKrot)

On the matter of Low/High Gothic I think the passage said something.along these lines.

Low gothic is a gutteral commoner language used by thugs and townspeople as a dayd to day language. It would be impossible for us to understand as it is most likely a mixture of every language known to 21st Century man. For this purpose GW sees fit to present it as English (or whatever other language it is printed in).

High Gothic is a more regal and formal version of low gothic, used by the Adeptus Mechanicus to name Titan War Machines and sometimes used between especially high ranking individuals as a formal greeting, such as Sector Governors. As it is even.more complex than LG, GW writes it as Ancient Latin. This is a good choice as it reflects that not many people in 40k would be able to understand it, and that it sounds very posh and formal.


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Almozt forgot. It also said that orks also can speak/learn a rudimentary form of Low Gothic. Mostly consisting.of insults, battlecries and swaer words, intended to be hurled at Imperials in battle.

According to the Deathwatch rulebook, the Ork language is mostly grunting and physical violence. So it isn't English or Low Gothic or anything.