Funny language thoughts about UW

As a linguist, I often think about the language used in media and fill in little gaps I like or change things that don't add up when I'm writing in fanon. I thought it might be fun to share some of the things I've thought about pertaining to the Underworld's simulation in particular in SAO:

Realistically, if the simulation spans several hundred years, linguistic changes would be triggered over time both in vocabulary (especially slang!) and perhaps sound. It's reasonable to think that by the time Kirito dives again in the Unital Ring arc, the language may not sound quite like Japanese to him or maybe sounds like a heavily accented Japanese.

It's also possible that there are different varieties (a less stigmatized word for dialects we linguists like to use!) of the language spoken according to where people lived. The Human Empire alone was split into four fairly isolated sections, so it's possible that they have different words for things or different slang terms or pronunciations.

The fact that English borrowings and anglicisms (English terms/phrases borrowed or frequently used in Japanese) are not present in the Underworld means that if Kirito used either of these things, like he does when he says he wants to "log out" to Eugeo, he could get some pretty funny looks.

We see that it is possible to be disabled in this simulation from Kirito's state alone, and if nonverbal artificial fluctlights exist, one can presume that they've developed a regional sign or homesign for Deaf/HoH/nonverbal citizens. These artificial fluctlights are copied from human souls and would thus have the instinct to replace speech with sign as a need to communicate. This would likely not look identical to JSL, as the programmers did not teach the artificial fluctlights any signed languages.

Underworld citizens may register any language that isn't Japanese or similar to Japanese as "Sacred Tongue." If Kirito knew another language that sounded different from Japanese, such as an African or European language, it's likely that Eugeo would have presumed the strange sounds to be from the Sacred Tongue at first. However, if he heard Kirito do it enough, he would likely realize that it wasn't the same set of sounds and might inquire further.

Knowing that certain sounds mean certain things when naming children, it's possible that some regions may attach negative meanings to some sounds. Maybe in Norlangarth, "Z" is a pleasant letter meaning "talented at military arts," but in Southacroith it may mean something rude or harsh like "violent".

Dragon names and goblin names both have other important naming patterns linguistically, and it's possible that other groups could do something of their own.

Autistic Anime Boys Prelims - Propaganda Division - Group 2

Propaganda:

Kyouya -

"what's there to say? you know him. you love him. vote kyoya."

Rinnosuke -

"Rinnosuke Morichika lives in an overly-cluttered curio shop, and has a special interest in making magical inventions. Since he doesn’t live in a modern setting— but a pocket dimension slightly disconnected to the outside world— whenever a modern item shows up in his shop via spiriting away, he can obsess over it for extended periods of time. He is quite blunt without realizing it, even to people he cares for. He also has a special ability to generally understand the name and use of any item he touches (though this backfires sometimes, he thought a Gameboy was a doomsday device once)."

Fuuta -

"okay look theres so many fucking signs hes autistic. he cannot tell tone and often doesn't know how to react to stuff which is a major point in his character id say. he was asked if he remembered his victim's name (hes a murderer. oops!) and his response was something along the lines of "Of course I do. I saw it everywhere." because he did not understand that they wanted to know what it was since it wasnt directly stated. im convinced that hoodies are a comfort object of his because i genuinely have not seen him without one except for one time. also hes canonically a chronically online twitter user. also he gets really passionate about his interests. also not really related but everyone in the fandom agrees hes transgender but no one can agree on what way. ive seen every single gender hc for this dude. vote kajiyama fuuta for this sopping wet poor little meow meow of a man."

Hansum -

"He's just a very odd and strange lad, can't remember names well, is an alien (mild spoiler), he's very popular, obsessed with Doritos and becomes their mascot, just refers to everyone as humans which is a mood, and is completely socially oblivious."

Miyuki -

"Relatable neurodivergent-Gifted Child syndromeTM case with all the superiority-inferiority complex that results. A chronic show-off and scheming strategist with a lowkey hopeless romantic dramatic aspect to him, silly cool and pathetic in a very hilarious way. Shirogane has a trademark glare purely thanks to his eyebags as he runs on coffee everyday having to support his family with multiple jobs in addition to class, on top of student council president duties. He's kind and an obsessive perfectionist who fills his entire wall with the weirdest motivational posters. Shirogane is very devoted to his love. He likes penguins (Kaguya and him is peak asd4asd and bi4bi btw)."

Kirito -

"He's autistic and bisexual as hell, and there's a good bit of trans coding in him 🥺

Autism coding: Bro's literally got a sword and swordfighting hyperfixation where, despite playing a game that focuses around guns, he still chooses to use a sword!! We also see him completely missing Asuna's flirting at first (he tells her she could have just checked her friendlist to make sure he was alive, in response to her tracking him down to see him)

Bi coding: Dual wielding swords is literally a euphemism in Japan for bisexuality; and Kirito initially tries to hide the fact he can dual wield out of fear of how the people he's close to will view him (and once he reveals it to them and they accept it, he begins to be more open about it.) Also in the Underworld arc he becomes very close with Eugeo to the point of living with him (and sharing a bed on occasion), and there are several parallels between Eugeo and Asuna, and they're so gay for each other that despite the anime having only a toned down version of it, they're still very affectionate (Also of note is that Eugeo is the only guy in SAO canon to consistently have a 'laying in bed with Kirito' talk CG in the spinoff games) (There's more but it's spoilers and this is a shortened version)

Trans coding: Kirito is very trans coded in the light novel (which shows Kirito's thoughts in much greater detail than the anime) Aincrad arc reveals that Kirito explicitly Does Not Like his real face, and dislikes how feminine it looks (he mentions that its led to him and his cousin being mistaken for sisters) And in Phantom Bullet arc, he's visibly uncomfortable at being mistaken for a girl due to his avatar's appearance, and in response to being misgendered he briefly panics and checks to make sure his chest flat (at least in the anime adaptation) 🏳️‍⚧️"

Shirou -

"Has one goal in life and ignores almost everything in favor of trying to fulfil that goal."

Keith -

"Speaks in a way that is seen as weird and has mannerisms others think is funny. He struggles with not being taken seriously by others because of this and many of the things others say goes over his head. He struggles to connect with other people because of these things. His entire arc in the second film is about him deciding that the people who don't accept him for who he is aren't worth it and that he's going to continue being himself."

Junpei -

"for other fans of this series, I know the more obvious representation here may be Luou, Junpei is So Good. his special interest is ballet and he has so many hangups involving how his family sees him and how other boys his age interpret him to the point that his idea of masculinity is extremely narrow and he enforces social rules on himself to mask and keep people from realizing that he loves something that Isn't Manly. he misinterprets social cues and takes things literally, like assuming that when Miyako asked him to dance with her she meant Right This Minute rather than as a pair in the studio. for some reason the point where he cuts his hair super short to prove his devotion to ballet is also sticking with me, I think maybe it's the combination of the way it's normal for boys/men in Japan to do that, yet Junpei didn't realize that kind of attitude/action didn't suit ballet at all? he wasn't aware that the context was completely different. Junpei also doesn't act or pretend very well, he's gotta put his whole entire ass into his roles, which he then proceeds to get TOO into and cause a lot of trouble, without giving too much away! he's really relatable to me as someone who's socially anxious but very skilled at masking, and seeing him become more comfortable with himself and start to show how he really feels is so inspiring to me."

Kazuma -

"He may be (wildly) misguided but his intentions are good kinda! He’s just the Guy of all time idk how to explain it."

Warning: Violence, spoilers, sexual imagery, flashing lights

Title: Victorious

Editor: monomogu

Song: Victorious

Artist: Panic! At the Disco

Anime: Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel - 1. Presage Flower (film), Takt Op. Destiny, Ao Ashi, Sword Art Online: Alicization, Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld (film), Jujutsu Kaisen, Wonder Egg Priority, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road, Nichijou, Yofukashi no Uta, RWBY: Hyousetsu Teikoku, One Piece, One Punch Man, Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, Plastic Nee-san, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Mob Psycho 100, Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, Shingeki no Kyojin, Houseki no Kuni, Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, Prison School, Hibike! Euphonium, The Soultaker, Zombieland Saga Revengee, Tokyo Revengers, Hololive Alternative, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, Vinland Saga, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Violet Evergarden, Tokyo Ghoul, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, Tower of God, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, My Dress-Up Darling, Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel - II. Lost Butterfly (film), Mirai Nikki, Bungou Stray Dogs, Gakkou Gurashi, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Summer Time Rendering, Akame ga Kill, Spy X Family, Yuru Camp, Engage Kiss, Tsukimonogatari, Kakegurui, KonoSuba, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Fate/Zero, Hunter X Hunter (2011), Akudama Drive, Shikimori Isn't Just a Cutie, Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song, Flip Flappers, Kizumonogatari III: Reiketsu-hen (film), Mushoku Tensei Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu, Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!, Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren, Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, Kara no Kyoukai, Fate/Extra Last Encore, Steins;Gate, Darling in the FranXX, NieR: Automata, HoloMyth fan animation, Death Note, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (film), Ousama Ranking, A Place Further than the Universe, SK8 the Infinity, The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!, Gensou Mangekyou: The Memories of Phantasm (OVA), Sabikui Bisco, Vanitas no Carte,, Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight, Lycoris Recoil, Psycho Pass, Guilty Gear Strive (game), Fire Force, Reincarnated as a Sword, BOFURI, Haikyuu!!, Akebi-chan no Sailor-fuku, Bakemonogatari, Death Parade, Rokka no Yuusha

Category: Action

This part was adorable too I mean CMON 😭😭

playing footsies with Asuna and grabbing her hand 😍😍

ALL I'M SAYING IS

KIRITO HASN'T SEEN ASUNA IN OVER 2 AND A HALF YEARS

WHEN HE SEES HER, THEY HUG AND SHARE A MOMENT AND THEN HE BRIDAL CARRIES HER INTO THE SKY

WHICH IS VERY SWEET AND I LOVE THEM VERY MUCH

BUT WHEN HE SEES EUGEO?

YOU CAN NOT TELL ME THAT THEY WEREN'T IN LOVE

LOOK AT THAT REACTION

UGH

if you know, you know...

I feel like sometimes people forget that Kirito was 14 when he became trapped in SAO, watched his friends, people like Sachi die right in front of him.

He was just 16 when he fell in love with Asuna. Asuna was 17. Both characters burdened with the weight of clearing Aincrad. 

And when you think about it, they lost crucial parts of the teenage experience and forced themselves to become warriors instead of being able to do “normal teenage things” (not the Kirito would be into normal teenage activities.) 

This kid was 16 and took on the burden of saving Asuna from ALO and the other 300 survivors of SAO that didn’t wake up. 

He’s 17 when he gets asked to investigate the Death Gun incident, almost getting himself killed

He’s also the same age when he get’s trapped in another virtual world and has to watch the death of someone who he considers as a a boyfriend brother. 

Can someone give this kid a break??

It's always times like these

When I think of you

And wonder if you ever think of me

Cause everything's so wrong and I don't belong

Living in your precious memory

"A Thousand Miles" - cover by Teddy Swims

BOYFRIENDS

Warning: Violence, potential spoilers

Title: Runaway Baby

Editor: monomogu

Song: Runaway Baby

Artist: Bruno Mars

Anime: Spy X Family, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Lycoris Recoil, AnoHana, Hibike! Euphonium, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, Chuunibyou demo koi ga Shitai!, Fire Force, Chainsaw Man, Renai Flops, Keijo!!!!!!, Urusei Yatsura (2022), Jujutsu Kaisen, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (film), Kimetsu no Yaiba, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Ressha-hen, One Piece, Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, Fate/Zero, Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel II: Lost Butterfly (film), Bocchi the Rock!, Kakegurui, Akiba Maid War, Owari no Seraph, Re:Zero, Blue Lock, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Komi Can't Communicate, Akame ga Kill, Shingeki no Kyojin, Sword Art Online, Sword Art Online: Alicization, Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld, Sword Art Online II, Fate/Grand Order: Shinsei Entaku Ryouiki Camelot 2 - Paladin; Agateram, Tokyo Revengers, Vivy: A Fluorite's Song, Bakemonogatari, Summer Time Rendering, Ranking of Kings, Touhou Gensou Mangekyou: The Memories of Phantasm, Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight, Romantic Killer, Koe no Katachi (film), Mushoku Tensei, Darling in the FranXX, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru, "Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro", My Dress-Up Darling, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl-senpai, One Punch Man, Bungou Stray Dogs, Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple (film), takt op.Destiny, RWBY, Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!, Boku no Hero Academia, Mob Psycho 100 II, Black Rock Shooter, Arknights: PRELUDE TO DAWN, Vanitas no Carte, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato, HoloMyth Fan Animation: Bad Ending, Akudama Drive, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Yofukashi no Uta, Mirai Nikki, Angels of Death, Tower of God, Houseki no Kuni, KonoSuba, Highschool of the Dead, Boruto, Haikyuu!!, Samurai Champloo, Vinland Saga, Guilty Gear Strive

Category: For fun

THIS PARALLEL

I'm weak to seeing soulmates reunite

😍😍😍 That’s actually the first time ever he ever picked up Asuna like that

girls faces well HA snooze you loose get over it 😈😂

Alicization: War of Underworld episode 43 “Awakening” preview images.

I've reached my limit, I really reached my limit. I'm eternally crying from now on