What language is this?
March 17, 2008 8:08 AM Subscribe
What language is this song in?
It's the first track off of Dead Can Dance's "Toward the Within", titled 'Rakim'. The vocals start at 2:00. For the longest time I thought it was in Portuguese, until I had a few native speakers tell me otherwise. Any ideas? The possibility that it's just glossolalia is not entirely out of the question, either...
It's the first track off of Dead Can Dance's "Toward the Within", titled 'Rakim'. The vocals start at 2:00. For the longest time I thought it was in Portuguese, until I had a few native speakers tell me otherwise. Any ideas? The possibility that it's just glossolalia is not entirely out of the question, either...
Response by poster: Yeah, Lisa typically goes with abstract ululation-type vocals, but Brendan Perry (the singer in this song) usually sings in actual lyric form, in real languages. That's what this sounds like, but he might just be faking (err.. spontaneously generating) it remarkably well. It definitely doesn't sound like any sort of Terrence McKenna made-up gibberish.
posted by FatherDagon at 8:47 AM on March 17, 2008
posted by FatherDagon at 8:47 AM on March 17, 2008
Sounds like glossolalia from somebody who knows some Spanish/Portuguese to me. Could be a real language, but if it is, it's not one I'm familiar with.
posted by languagehat at 8:56 AM on March 17, 2008
posted by languagehat at 8:56 AM on March 17, 2008
I recognize "fer-li amor" and "fer-li amar" from Catalan (making love to him/her and making him/her [to] love), but it could just be coincidence. HTH.
posted by laconic titan at 6:43 AM on March 25, 2008
posted by laconic titan at 6:43 AM on March 25, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
What language does Lisa Gerrard sing?
Only Lisa knows the answer to this question. Her vocals are mainly phonetics that are sprung from thoughts and emotion she feels as she sings.
posted by mcarthey at 8:20 AM on March 17, 2008 [1 favorite]