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Tenno Language Officially Deciphered! Find More Text Examples!


StallordD
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Updates:

 

- We did it everyone! https://warframe.com/news/tenno-language-decoded

 

- Changed the title. I think it was causing some confusion.

 

-Here is a link to the most recent version of the completed alphabet. It will update as things change! https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/305276-v-05-of-the-tenno-alphabet-chart/

 

- WE HAVE SOLVED THE CODE...sort of. Thanks to MolganVK, we were able to start translating various objects that were in the dojo, and we discovered some interesting things:

- The Tenno speak in VERY broken English. Many words are horribly mis-spelled, and are esssentially shortened words.

- The writing orientation changes wildly. Due to how the textures work (im assuming) the orientation of the symbols can be in many forms. However! I believe that it is still read when oriented from top left to bottom right. In this form, reading is typically left to right, however, again due to how textures work, some times reading right to left is necessary. This topic is up to debate.

- VOWELS ARE THE SMALL FLOATING SYMBOLS ELEVATED ABOVE REGULAR RUNES.


- A reminder on the various polarity names, as they seem to come into play:

Madurai - 18px-V.png - V

Vazarin - 17px-D.png - D

Naramon - 19px-Bar.png -

Zenurik - 17px-Ability.png - =

Precept - 17px-Precept.png - Y

Fusion - 18px-Corepol.png - O

Unairu - 18px-WardPol.png - R (or F)

- User -CM-Jaypalm has discovered that the symbol in the void is identical to the ones on the founder shirts. However, they have also discovered that the markings on Rhino and Loki's backs ARE NOT the same as the founder and void etchings.

- I will be adding future runes to the bottom of this post

- Some insights from /u/MolganVK

- If you look at the middle symbol in the lotus pattern the 4th symbol, it looks like a sweeping n with a dot in the middle top with a right facing sweep, it is also present on the restore 3rd from the end.

- In the lotus picture the 'o' with the '<' appears on the restore as the 3rd character.

- In the void writing picture I realized that that appears to say 'void' on the top underneath one decorative layer, then 4 of the characters.

- I looked at the 'void' characters and noticed that the first character of 'void' was similar to the 4th from the end of the restore and the last character of 'void' was exactly the 5th from the end of the restore albeit with the dot character from lotus symbol in front.

- On the restore the 6th from the end matches the 4th symbol all for the dot in the middle, and the 'o' present in the lotus characters.

- If you look at the founder characters and the void characters they use the same character set exactly.

- the horizontal line with the dot in it seems to appear a lot in the characters, this makes me think that it's a space in that, because I know of no words that have 'x _ _ _ _ x' where x are the same characters, and since they are used without the outside spacers as it were in the void tileset I believe that they are filler/spaces.

- The founder line also appears when saving altered options.


---

Reddit Link: http://www.reddit.com/r/Warframe/comments/2fio7x/fellow_tenno_lets_decipher_the_tenno_language/

 

for collaboration and brainstorming!

My fellow Tenno, for a long time now, I've been trying to decipher exactly what the Tenno etchings mean. We cracked the Corpus, and got through the Grineer, so what else is left besides our own writing!? Unfortunately, the language itself is incredibly difficult to read, and while we had handy ciphers to start us off on the other languages, the Tenno are not so lucky. Therefore, I will present to you all my findings so far, as well as various hypotheses as to what a starting point could potentially be. Through this, I hope that we can finally crack the code together!

First off, we should begin with the most obvious and clear examples of Tenno text that are currently available. First and foremost, the [Lotus Symbol](http://i.imgur.com/jDWaQCB.png). The Lotus symbol presents what could potentially be the first clue to this puzzle. However, issues present themselves. The very text itself is unusual, wrapping into the emblem and twisting into eachother. Second, what word could it present? Lotus? Tenno? Honor? Any are potential, but since there are no CLEAR indications between each letter, I have a hard time choosing either way. My guess for this particular rune is "Tenno" read from right to left. The two identical runes on the left give me this idea, and the diamond shape in the center is what I interpret as a separator between characters. However, I do not stick to this idea, as many other runes have thrown this for a loop.

Second, is the [Founders Logo](http://i.imgur.com/C2aklTW.jpg). I am fairly certain that this rune DOES NOT read "founders" as it is present in several other places which I will show further in.

With those obvious runes out of the way, I began to try and record the various runes written upon the Warframes themselves. My first choice was Excalibur, as he has a LARGE amount of text etched into his frame. First off, is the [symbol on his shoulder](http://i.imgur.com/SN0uFUV.jpg). The symbol itself is decorative, but within is writing. This symbol is identical to the one on his head. Next, he has writing on his [face](http://i.imgur.com/rF9lhQV.jpg), [head](http://i.imgur.com/8iu0tIO.jpg),[torso](http://i.imgur.com/10XXD22.jpg), and [thighs](http://i.imgur.com/YaUEF5f.jpg). It is important to note, that while many frames have writing on either side of their body, the text is simply MIRRORED from the other side, adding more confusion as to how the text is to be read! Now while the images I posted may be difficult to read for some, it doesn't matter much, as the text has much clearer counterparts. First, this [wallpaper of Excalibur](http://i.imgur.com/karxfaw.jpg). I have tested, and this writing DOES match the writing of the actual model. While it is still a bit blurry, I feel it is easier to read. Also, [this image](http://i.imgur.com/OlmyUZ4.png) if Excalibur's head provides a clear shot of the etchings there.

Now there is one etching in particular that appears OFTEN on the Warframes. It appears on [Ash's body](http://i.imgur.com/fIrRepL.jpg), [Neck](http://i.imgur.com/zIqOseJ.jpg), and [Head](http://i.imgur.com/i2U3VUp.jpg) (flipped and mirrored of course), and most prominently on [Loki's leg cloth](http://i.imgur.com/xThi0m2.jpg). The faded writings on Excalibur are largely composed of this one.

Second is the "founder's logo." As I said earlier, I do not believe it reads "founder" because it appears on [Loki's back](http://i.imgur.com/huLQ4wh.jpg) and [Rhino's back](http://i.imgur.com/hny3o4U.jpg) as well. However, it is flipped again! Do the Tenno not have a solid orientation to reading their runes? This rune is also present beneath the "play" button on the warframe launcher.

Those two "strings" are the primary runes I initially knew of, however, after a bit more scouting, I have discovered a HUGE amount of writing that is VERY contextual, which may give us enough to start decoding! But before that, I should bring up that there was no writing in the void, except for [This symbol](http://i.imgur.com/penMqBc.jpg) which also appears (albeit, stretched out) on the [banners in the dojo](http://i.imgur.com/T0hEShW.jpg). This particular rune's meaning eludes me, but it does give me a better idea as to how the runes are arranged. I believe they are written diagonally, and that there are FOUR runes in that icon. How they are read is still a mystery, and what purpose the the miniature symbols over the runes present I cannot guess. Some of them are similar or identical to polarity slots, which are now named! Maybe they are letter indicators that correspond to the polarity names?

Now here is the treasure trove (ignore the dog and the frame). The runes of an [elevator](http://i.imgur.com/PHmDnIr.jpg), [Clan hall](http://i.imgur.com/xLxIsNr.jpg), [Garden](http://i.imgur.com/X2qxpD7.jpg), [Tenno Lab](http://i.imgur.com/ImMYNt1.jpg), [Energy Lab](http://i.imgur.com/wvRpiC8.jpg), [Chemical Lab](http://i.imgur.com/jMCKVMJ.jpg), [infested Lab](http://i.imgur.com/V3NSlVO.jpg), [Oracle](http://i.imgur.com/N8hiiB4.jpg), [Trophy Room](http://i.imgur.com/ajaXdQT.jpg), and [Dueling Room](http://i.imgur.com/5pIPiv3.jpg). These images were the best I could get, as the holograms fade with proximity. The text seems to repeat twice, once across the top, and once across the bottom, with the text shrinking or enlarging to fit this. However, this opens up new concerns. Focusing on the oracle in particular, I notice that even if each rune was a single letter, there would not be enough to form the word. This leads me to believe that the runes are not single letter utterances, but phonemes, and that the runes floating above are pronunciation emphasis indicators, such as an umlaut. If this is true, then solving these runes presents a task fit for a linguist...or 10,000 really bored people on computers. Either way, it's doable, but much more difficult.

Hmm, I just got an idea. What if the symbols are SYLLABLE indicators? There are three runes in the "oracle" circle, and three syllables in "oracle." This logic doesn't translate so well to other strings, but it could be a start.

A few other small things. The rings around consumable items contains etchings as seen [Here](http://i.imgur.com/6m8XFAC.jpg). The etchings are the same in all three segments (with one being flipped for some reason) and they are identical across all consumable types. What does the outlier string indicate? Does it show the true orientation to read the etchings? But what direction? SO MANY QUESTIONS! And then there is [This terminal rune](http://i.imgur.com/Xe1U3Ju.jpg). This rune is identical across ALL terminals in the dojo, and is a simple 4 rune string, which means...my god. R-O-O-M, and the two runes in the center are identical! Is this our cipher?! Probably not... but hey, the only way we're going to figure this out is by thinking outside the box!

Some new runes: [Volt's Shoulders 1](http://i.imgur.com/VOJzcJ1.jpg), [And 2](http://i.imgur.com/CUSPENl.jpg). These runes seem identical to the reoccurring symbol on most frames. I noticed some runes on [Volt's Chest](http://i.imgur.com/1WDOxyC.jpg), but I'm concerned as to why the bottom right rune is different slightly. [Nyx's Shoulder](http://i.imgur.com/uR0cnnL.jpg). Very clear, good reference. And also [Nyx's thighs](http://i.imgur.com/Vk0On5l.jpg), which I hope are the same rune strings as the ones on Excalibur. Lastly, [Trinity's chestplate](http://i.imgur.com/5WlFAkG.jpg) which seems to be the reoccurring rune from Loki and Rhino, and [Trinity's skirt](http://i.imgur.com/JjNZmsA.jpg) which DOES contain writing, but I'm not sure how valid it is.

Some more new runes: [Hydroid's shoulders 1](http://i.imgur.com/fial3iB.jpg) [and 2](http://i.imgur.com/FiVOWGN.jpg). I think the little symbol on #2 is purely decorative, as it appears flipped and rotated on multiple frames and contains only a single rune. [Nekros' Shoulders](http://i.imgur.com/IshIaj3.jpg). The reoccurring symbol. This one HAS to mean Tenno or something similar. And a new treasure trove [Vauban's inner arms](http://i.imgur.com/cx2wDrR.jpg), [shoulder](http://i.imgur.com/Nb7PCTU.jpg), [rear coat tail](http://i.imgur.com/8NCy8Ap.jpg), and [front thigh pads](http://i.imgur.com/jsTe4i1.jpg). These all seem to be familiar runes, but I'd check for discrepancies to be sure.

So now Tenno, I leave you with this collection of low quality screenshots and half theories. Maybe we can work together and get enough minds on this to crack it! Good luck Tenno, I'll be here making my eyes bleed with overexposure to my screen.

Edited by StallordD
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From what I can tell, the Founders badge lining is the same as the poster in the void if you cut off where the red lines are in my edit.

 

Also, while Rhino and Loki's runes are the same to each other, they are actually differ slightly from the Founder and Void where the red circles are.

ervDNyw.jpg

 

I see some similar parts of runes, so I'll try to dissect the photos you have for "letters" and update.

 

Edit: It seems that the backward slant is the proper reading direction, so a couple of your photos, namely those of Ash's runes, are showing the runes backwards since as you said some are mirrored.

Edited by -CM-Jaypalm
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From what I can tell, the Founders badge lining is the same as the poster in the void if you cut off where the red lines are in my edit.

 

Also, while Rhino and Loki's runes are the same to each other, they are actually differ slightly from the Founder and Void where the red circles are.

ervDNyw.jpg

 

I see some similar parts of runes, so I'll try to dissect the photos you have for "letters" and update.

 

Edit: It seems that the backward slant is the proper reading direction, so a couple of your photos, namely those of Ash's runes, are showing the runes backwards since as you said some are mirrored.

YOU'RE RIGHT! I always just compared the base runes when I looked at them, and the small runes just clicked in my head as being correct. Excellent eye! Now that the rune within the void has been recognized as the same one as the one under "play" the one on the founder shirt, and the one on the banner, I have to wonder what could be universal between all those locations. Tenno is the one thing that springs to mind of course, but there are plenty of other possibilities as well.

 

I'm also starting to second guess myself about my readings of Excalibur's markings. I didn't do a full fledged tracing of them, so they could in fact be different from the string that is present among the other warframes.

Edited by StallordD
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YES PLEASE! I tried myself, but the forum rejected my formatting and deleted all my text, so I just CV'd my Reddit version.

I tried, and almost lost all of your links. I'm not sure what went wrong when I did it, but if you'd like to try the BBCode is [.url=link]Display Text without the period. Sorry.

 

I still would like to see some awesome speculation though. ^.^

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How did you go about getting the close-ups of their runes? GMod? I'll take the photos you already have up and try to darken the runes to make them easier to read. Also, if you could post the link to the Reddit thread version so we can see what else has been found there, that'd be awesome!

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How did you go about getting the close-ups of their runes? GMod? I'll take the photos you already have up and try to darken the runes to make them easier to read. Also, if you could post the link to the Reddit thread version so we can see what else has been found there, that'd be awesome!

SFM actually. And thank you, that would be awesome! Lastly, the Reddit link is at the top of the body text. One guy's already trying to find where certain runes appear multiple times.

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Grab a snap of Nyx's right shoulder and both of Volt's shoulders. Big runes there but I can't zoom in on it.

And Trinity's butt.... Hate to say that but there's some symbol there.

 

Hard to tell if these symbols are just random markings or Tenno language since I can't zoom on them.

 

Edit:

Vauban has runes on his forearms, shoulders and coattails too.

 

Edit:

Hydroid's shoulders.

 

Edit:

Nekros's shoulders.

Edited by -CM-Jaypalm
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Grab a snap of Nyx's right shoulder and both of Volt's shoulders. Big runes there but I can't zoom in on it.

And Trinity's butt.... Hate to say that but there's some symbol there.

 

Hard to tell if these symbols are just random markings or Tenno language since I can't zoom on them.

 

Edit:

Vauban has runes on his forearms, shoulders and coattails too.

 

Edit:

Hydroid's shoulders.

 

Edit:

Nekros's shoulders.

Added. I'm mainly interested in Volt's chestplate runes. Still gotta do Hydroid, Vauban, and Nekros

Edited by StallordD
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The runes on Volt's chest and Trinity's chest are the same as the ones on Loki and Rhino. Also to alleviate any concern about Volt's runes being different, all 4 of his chest runes are the same. In the photo's perspective, the lower right one looks different because there is a scuff where a new rune could be.

6vPlzah.png

 

ALSO!! It's important to take note of the reading orientation. If we are to assume that the polarities on mods are the correct orientation, then the Tenno language is read with the small marks on top, and with the slants going backwards \\\\.

 

This is the correct orientation for the commonly appearing symbol on shoulders.

SnEk25r.png

Edited by -CM-Jaypalm
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Vauban's thighs are the same as the void and founder shirts. His forearms match almost entirely with the runes on the gear drops. Keep in mind they are backwards though.

 

Also, Nekros's shoulder rune is the one that appears on in the void and on the founder shirts- again, backwards.

Edited by -CM-Jaypalm
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The runes on Volt's chest and Trinity's chest are the same as the ones on Loki and Rhino. Also to alleviate any concern about Volt's runes being different, all 4 of his chest runes are the same. In the photo's perspective, the lower right one looks different because there is a scuff where a new rune could be.

6vPlzah.png

 

ALSO!! It's important to take note of the reading orientation. If we are to assume that the polarities on mods are the correct orientation, then the Tenno language is read with the small marks on top, and with the slants going backwards \\\\.

 

This is the correct orientation for the commonly appearing symbol on shoulders.

SnEk25r.png

I believe you are correct with the orientation! It makes the most sense, and fits in line with the Lotus symbol, which I believe is the key we should look back to. Now we just need to figure out which direction the letters are read.

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In case you want to use these for references instead of just the letters: (taken from the Wiki)

 

Madurai - 18px-V.png - V

Vazarin - 17px-D.png - D

Naramon - 19px-Bar.png -

Zenurik - 17px-Ability.png - =

Precept - 17px-Precept.png - Y

Fusion - 18px-Corepol.png - O

Unairu - 18px-WardPol.png - R (or F)

Edited by -CM-Jaypalm
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I felt like there was a decent possibility that the Lotus symbol might have the word "Tenno" within it, and looking at first 4 characters of the middle script in the symbol it almost looks like it could be that considering the third and fourth characters appear very similar. Unfortunately, I'm not sure where to go with that from here as I'm lost on any possibilities for the latter half.

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