Vort Language

Half-Life Series
#1

I am a bit perplexed about the vorts.

So in half life 1 they spoke that alien squigy language

by Half life 2 they had learned English and have a deep gruff voice and speak another language.

Now where I think it get’s kind of weird is that if they were enslaved by a supposed ex human “The Niahlinth” why did they not know english.

Or do you think the vorts from HL2 are from a different place than the vorts in HL1?

It’s a massive continuity error in the series in my opinion, or at least it is unexplained

#2

Perhaps the slave collar stopped them communicating properly. Or they DID know English but as you were the enemy they didn’t ever stop for a chat in HL1. There are many perfectly good reasons. I don’t think it’s a continuity error. If they spoke English in HL1 and not in HL2, that would be but it’s not that way round.

#3

Or maybe Valve did what they usually do and retconned it? If you don’t believe that bit, Flatline’s second suggestion seems perfectly reasonable to me.

#4

The Vorts are independent individuals, but when they connect with each other, they are one, almost hive-mind like mentality, so they share all knowledge. It’s highly plausible they already knew English/any human language during events of HL1. From Gordon himself perhaps, when they connected with him.

#5

I like the slave collar explaination like there speech was constricted by enslavement

#6

Sometimes things are just retconned without explanation tho. Either because it didn’t seem an important thing to focus at the time or because of technical limitations.

Valve didn’t focus on Vortigaunt communication very much on HL1, seeing as they were just a mid-tier enemy type in the context of that game but for HL2 they decided to make them allies and as such added more depth to them, which, among other changes/retcons, involved a more complex form of communication.

Going from weird high pitch screeches to a smoother, guttural and more elaborated form of vocalization was so big of a change that I don’t even buy the slave collar explanation.

It was a plain old retcon with no real explanation.

edit: as for how they learned english, that’s easier to explain. Enough time passed between the events of HL1 and HL2 that anyone could learn a new language, specially such intelligent creatures as vortigaunts.

#7

That and the fact they’ve some sort of telepatic abilities.

#8

Yeah, that helps too.

#9

I posit that they’re still speaking the same language in HL2 (when they’re not speaking the player’s set audio language) as in Half-Life. It’s just different words. “Ooweeja, oweejya” could just be different words, such as “I’m in attack mode, don’t fuck with me” than “Gala lung” which could mean something like, “I’m calm and relaxed.”

#10

Could someone tell me how the niahlinth came to be an ex-human? I missed this tidbit somewhere along the way.

#11

Didn’t even spot that. Yeah, he’s definitely never been Human.

#12

Who even told you that shit?

Nihilanth and Humanity are about as similar as a crab and a bird.

#13

Whoa, how did I skip past that, too?
And more importantly, where the hell are you getting it from? Is this more Ronster WTF?

#14

Who said the language they speak in hl1 isn’t the same one they speak amongst themselves in hl2? Different voice doesn’t mean different language. At the end of the day it’s still just made up gibberish.

#15

I saw it on some youtube video this guy has a theory that Niahlinth used to be human once… I did not make it up.

I am happy with flatlines explaination on the collar because what ever you throw at it, it does not fall down, and it kind of nips it in the bud for me.

#16

Learn to read.

Why is there any reason for the Vorts to know English during the events of Half Life? Even if they did know English, the first thing I’d be saying if I got shot through a teleport would not be my minimal knowledge of an alien language.

#17

found the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6dKM7xHuGU

He was saying about all the surgey he seems to have gone through and trying to warn gordon about being decieved, gordon is the replacement for the nihianth

vorts knew how to say “DIE!”

#18

There is no in-universe support for the claim that Nihilanth was once human.

As for the vorts shouting “DIE!”, it may have sounded like “die” to us English speakers, but it’s possible that the word was something else in Vortigese.

#19

There is not many concrete answers to a lot of what is in half life, that is part of the fun I guess, but I think it needs to have a proper conclusion and wrap it all up. Atleast this plotline.

#20

Just because something’s unclear doesn’t mean you should find wild, off-the-wall ideas and assume they are true.

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.