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There was a thread in the discussion section asking about the naming conventions of the yay-specifically, why would a race from a desert world name everything after fish (hammerhead, piranha, etc) and it was mentioned that these are imperial names for their vehicles, probably named because the tau themselves look a bit fishy.

The question I have is exactly how much of the xenos codeces are named from an imperial perspective? Tyranids, obviously, are named purely from an imperial standpoint, even going so far as to include misnomers based on imperial misconceptions of the tyranid hive structure (hive tyrants for instance are not the actual rulers of the hive fleets) and they're largely latinate names (carnifex, it was mentioned, translates to "butcher")

But what about races like the Eldar and Necrons? Does the imperium call Dire avengers Dire avengers? How could they know what they're avenging? But then there's units like Howling Banshees, which does sound like something a guard unit would cone up with for the screaming xenos witches.

On the Necrons, we have "flayed ones" that could go either way-the name could come from the necrons name for the flayed virus or the imperium's encounters with the mad skin covered xenos, enraged by their awful new sculpts and rules ("Raaaaaargh, why do I have a torso on my back?!? What happened to my claws? Everyone else got cool special rules!!! Kill kill kill!")

What do you think, dakkaites? I want to know specifics, what do you think are the origins of the names of the various units, even imperial ones, since they do seem to discover them all the time Witt the STC system.

well, i know that the Tau call the
Tyranids- Y'he, without number
Eldar- Ar'cea, Very advanced civilization
Orks- Be'gel, simple ones

...Tau don't come from a desert world. The Fire Caste comes from a more arid part of T'au, and we see more of them than everything else.

Most of the stuff we see in the books are the Ordo Xenos designations for things, yes. Nobody's quite sure why they name things what they name them. Perhaps the Inquisitor involved was feeling poetic and decided that all Eldar Aspect Warriors should be at least loosely in an adjective-noun form, then couldn't think up anything good for Dire Avengers? Because 'blue shock infantry' was presumably not poetic enough.

Pretty sure the center of the Tau empire is a desert world. They originated from a single world after all.

T'au is a Arid planet. Its not a desert planet, but it is relativly dry.

Its mostly rolling Savannahs with some mountain ranges in various places. Few trees, grasslands interspersed with lusher areas around sources of water.

Basically Africa wherever its not desert or jungle.

A.k.a sub Saharan?

 ENOZONE wrote:
A.k.a sub Saharan?

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/T%27au#.UIjDIIbYI78

When it comes to the names in the tau codex, I can tell you that most of them are imperial names. The tau do not name their tanks after fish that they have never heard of. It kind of puts there culture in a different light when you realize that they call battlesuits hero mantels.

^ Interesting. Also, the names the Imperials give them may be the closest thing that was translated, yes? Which could be why the Eldar units have poetic names that could be old-timey Marvel superheros. 'Dire Avenger'...avenging his lost buddies with some martial action!

About half of the Imperium's names are mistranslations, and the rest are juts names that the Imperium has assigned them

Soldiers (IoM in this case) will always come up with colorful names for stuff thats trying to kill them and they are trying to kill.

And sometimes those names become codewords or callsigns for those threats, we had all kinds of "ahem" colorful names for enemy combatants on deployment.

Heck in WW2 GIs called almost every german tank they saw a Tiger..unless they had actually been through a up to date recognition breifing.

So again most of the names are from the human perspective, and been evolved by command and or intel sources.

Its one reason I actually named my Superheavy Tau tank the Mont'Ka...could not bear some silly fishy name on it

 Arcani wrote:
well, i know that the Tau call the
Tyranids- Y'he, without number
Eldar- Ar'cea, Very advanced civilization
Orks- Be'gel, simple ones

Simple wunz? SIMPLE WUNZ?!? DEMZ FISHBOYZ WOODNT NO A PROPA FITE IF IT KRUMPED EM ON DA 'ED!

 greg0985 wrote:

 Arcani wrote:
well, i know that the Tau call the
Tyranids- Y'he, without number
Eldar- Ar'cea, Very advanced civilization
Orks- Be'gel, simple ones

Simple wunz? SIMPLE WUNZ?!? DEMZ FISHBOYZ WOODNT NO A PROPA FITE IF IT KRUMPED EM ON DA 'ED!

I's like da way yoo talk, lad. But yo'z gots ta rememb'r dat I's da biggest ork 'round 'eres! So doesn't ya be getting on my nerves or I'll give ya a thump!

I'm pretty sure eldar names for aspect warriors are what they are. What, with them being named after things in eldar myth and all.

 CuddlySquig wrote:

 greg0985 wrote:

 Arcani wrote:
well, i know that the Tau call the
Tyranids- Y'he, without number
Eldar- Ar'cea, Very advanced civilization
Orks- Be'gel, simple ones

Simple wunz? SIMPLE WUNZ?!? DEMZ FISHBOYZ WOODNT NO A PROPA FITE IF IT KRUMPED EM ON DA 'ED!

I's like da way yoo talk, lad. But yo'z gots ta rememb'r dat I's da biggest ork 'round 'eres! So doesn't ya be getting on my nerves or I'll give ya a thump!

I'm pretty sure eldar names for aspect warriors are what they are. What, with them being named after things in eldar myth and all.

The names are pretty much direct translations of Eldar into Gothic, so yes.