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, Jake and Susannah, it is implied that this understanding is telepathic.
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 it during the series due to "the world moving on".
Glossary
A-E
- An-Tet
- —An intimate emotional link among those linked by the same destiny
- —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 Calah
- —Angels
- Canda
- —The distance which assures a pair of outnumbered gunslingers will not be killed by a single shot
- Can-Char
- —Death Gods
- 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
- 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
- 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