The High Speech is the language used by the gunslingers of In-World. It is an ancient language spoken by gunslingers and those who remember the time before the world moved on. It is instinctively understood by Eddie Dean, Jake Chambers and Susannah Dean; it is implied that this understanding is telepathic through Roland Deschain.
The opposite is the Low Speech, very similar to a bastardized form of English. Most of the signage and day to day interactions in In-World are in the Low Speech.
Very few people speak the High Speech during the series due to "the world moving on".
Glossary[]
A-E[]
An-Tet
"The Field of None"
- —An intimate emotional link among those linked by the same destiny, or close conference
- —Can also imply sexual intimacy
- Anti-Ka
- —A force that works against one's destiny
- Aven Kal
- —Literal: lifted on the wind, carried on the wave
- —What happens when a Beam wants to communicate with someone
- Aven-Car
- —Carrying a kill and preparing it into something else
- Aye
- —An affirmative response; yes
- Bondsman
- —One who is bound to serve their dinh or ka-tet
- Can Callah
- —Angels
- Canda
- —The distance which assures a pair of outnumbered gunslingers will not be killed by a single shot
- Can-Char
- —Death Gods
- Can Ka-No Rey
- —The field of roses surrounding the Dark Tower.
- Can-tah
- —Little gods, tiny stone carvings
- Can-tam
- —Doctor-bugs
- Char
- —A root word meaning death
- Charyou Tree
- —Root word char. Human sacrifice to punish sins and bring good crops
- See main article: Charyou Tree
- Commala
- —Celebration of the harvest season (also has many non-High Speech slang meanings)
- Chassit
- —An old High Speech word for the number nineteen (19)
- Chissit
- —An old High Speech word for the number eighteen (18)
- Chussit
- —An old High Speech word for the number seventeen (17)
- Dan-Dinh
- —To turn over one's insoluble problems to one's dinh
- Dan-Tete
- —Little savior
- Dash-Dinh
- —Religious leader
- Delah
- —Many
- Dinh
- —Lord, leader
F-J[]
- Gan
- —The creator of the universe, analogous to God
- See main article: Gan
- Glammer
- —Enchantment or magic
- Gook
- -A deep well
- Graf
- —A strong apple beer
- See main article: Graf
- Gunna
- —All of one's worldly possessions
- See main article: Gunna
- Heartbox
- —The internal box which produces all of man's feelings of love and sadness, joy and regret
- Hile
- —A formal Mid-World greeting or summons
- Irina
- —The healing madness that comes after loss
K-O[]
- Ka
- —Destiny or fate
- See main article: Ka
- Ka-Dinh
- —Leader of ka-tet
- Kal
- —More forceful version of "kas", hurricane or tsunami
- Ka-Mai
- —Ka's fool, someone with hope but no real choices; also, "fool of ka-tet"
- Ka-Me
- —Opposite of ka-mai, ka's wiseman
- Kammen
- —Chimes
- Kas
- —Wind
- —Wave
- Ka-Shume
- —Feeling that ka-tet is about to break
- Ka-Tel
- —Class of apprentice gunslingers
- Ka-Tet
- —A group of people summoned and bound by ka
- See main article: Ka-Tet
- Kes
- —Strength
- Ki'Box
- —The internal box which houses all of man's selfish drives, petty jealousness, and the nastiest, darkest secrets of their souls
- Khef
- —Water of life
- —The sharing of thoughts between members of ka-tet
- —Life force
- Manni
- —A religious group
- See main article: Manni
- Ma'Sun
- —War-chest; a collection of weapons
- Mia
- —Mother
P-T[]
- Popkin
- —Sandwich
- Prim
- —The sea of primal chaos that the universe arose from. It has receded since the universe has progressed
- See main article: Prim
- Rustle
- —To take a woman by force, to rape
- -sai
- —A polite suffix meaning Sir or Ma'am
- Seppe-Sai
- —The death-seller
- Sh'veen
- —Side-wife
- -soh
- —A polite suffix directed to younger persons, similar to the Japanese -chan; used in place of -sai
- Te-ka
- —Destiny's friend (only used in Low Men in Yellow Coats)
- Telamei
- —To gossip about someone whom one shouldn't
- Tet
- —A group of people with the same interests and goals; abbreviation of ka-tet
- Tet-fa
- —A friend of a ka-tet, but not an actual member
- Tet-ka can Gan
- —Navel
- Thankee
- —Thank you
- Thinny
- —A "weak spot" in reality where the barrier between worlds has grown unstable
- See main article: Thinny
- Thoughtbox
- —Colloquial: The internal box which hatches all the head's ideas and dreams
- Twinner
- —A doppelganger of a person found in a different level of the Tower
- See main article: Twinners
U-Z[]
- Uffi
- —A shapeshifter
- See main article: Uffi
- Urs-A-Ka Gan
- —The song of the Bear; the cry or scream of the Bear
- Ves'-Ka Gan
- —The song of the Turtle