Shyriiwook/Legends

"It isn't an easy language to learn, what with all the growls and howls. Big Z told me the whole point was to make it difficult for outsiders to understand."

- Mission Vao

Shyriiwook, also known as Wookieespeak, was the main trade language of the Wookiees. In Basic, Shyriiwook translates to "tongue of the tree people". It was not the only Wookiee language, but, being the main trade language, it was the language understood by most non-Wookiees who understood "the Wookiee language" &mdash; in fact, most non-Wookiees were unaware of the existence of multiple Wookiee languages.

Description
To outsiders, this language usually sounded like mere animalistic barks, roars, growls, and moans, conveying little more than emotion. However, Shyriiwook was in fact just as much an intelligent language as Basic.

The unique design of the Wookiee throat made Shyriiwook a very difficult, even impossible language to speak for most non-Wookiees; presumably the word Shyriiwook itself, as well as other Wookiee words or names, were transliterations of the original Wookiee sounds into a form more easily pronounced by others. No tongue or lip movement was required to speak Shyriiwook; the jaw was typically locked open, with sound emanating from the throat and back of the mouth.

It was also incredibly difficult, if not impossible, for most Wookiees to learn to speak Basic. As a result, most inter-species communication involving Wookiees had to be carried out in a bilingual format, usually with the Wookiee speaking Shyriiwook and the other party speaking Basic.

Leia Organa Solo encountered a Wookiee with a speech impediment which conveniently rendered his Shyriiwook pronunciation much easier to understand by Leia, who was learning the language at the time.

Shyriiwook had over 150 words for 'wood', depending on content, grain, moisture and underlying structure. It also had fifteen separate words meaning 'violence'.

However, standard Shyriiwook was considered lacking in suitable terminology, and perhaps semantic precision, for many technical subjects. Accordingly, when Wookiees talked about topics such as starship maintenance, the Thykarann dialect was often preferred, with many Wookiees capable of switching between the two with relative ease.

Another Wookiee language, Xaczik, was indigenous to the Wartaki Islands on Kashyyyk and several outlying coastal regions. While Shyriiwook remained the common language of Wookiee trade and travel, the much rarer Xaczik language became the secret language of the Wookiee underground when Imperial forces took over their planet.

Examples

 * Wyaaaaaa. Ruh ruh. ("Hello. How are you?")
 * Huwaa muaa mumwa. ("Can I buy you a drink?")
 * Wua ga ma uma ahuma ooma. ("I think my arm has been pulled out of the socket.")
 * Youw. ("Goodbye.")
 * Kabukk ("Ancestor", "councilor", or "guide"; a common suffix to many Wookiee names.)
 * Wyogg, ur oh. ("I am well, thank you.")
 * Ruh gwyaaaag. ("I am a friend.")
 * Roooarrgh ur roo. ("I have a bad feeling about this.")
 * ''Hnn-rowr yrroonn nng rarrr!' ("Long live the New Republic!")
 * Rrargrarg? ("Can I ask another favor?")
 * Rowr ahragh awf ahraroww rowh rohngr grgrff rf rf. (approximately: "He says he's a Jedi Knight now.")

Common words

 * haaag ("doorway")
 * awa ("go")
 * yo agaaha ("headache")
 * yaag ("how")
 * muawa ("no")
 * ohh haa ("okay")
 * wuahh ("what")
 * huaahh ("when")
 * muaahh ("who")
 * ah wu aaa ("why")
 * uma ("yes")
 * hrrrrrnnnn ("right")
 * ur oh ("thank you")
 * yuow ("good-bye")
 * kourasaa ("coruscant")
 * oid ("droid")
 * yurinal ("journal")
 * muaarga ("peace")
 * rooohu ("you")
 * wwrcahwowhwa("friend")

Counting in Shyriiwook

 * (1) ah
 * (2) ah-ah
 * (3) a-oo-ah
 * (4) wyoorg
 * (5) ah wyoorg
 * (6) hu yourg
 * (7) muwaa yourg
 * (8) ah muwaa yourg
 * (9) a-oo-mu
 * (10) a-oo-mu wyaarg

Notable non-native users of Shyriiwook

 * Revan
 * Jedi Exile
 * Mira
 * 4-LOM
 * Elegos A'Kla
 * Callow Batta
 * Depa Billaba
 * Noa Briqualon
 * Lando Calrissian
 * Tenel Ka
 * Durga the Hutt
 * Kyp Durron
 * Shran Etison
 * Borsk Fey'lya
 * Groex Gal
 * Pash Galae
 * Faltun Garr
 * Gilflyn
 * Tinian I'att
 * Ikrit
 * Wes Janson
 * Qui-Gon Jinn
 * Shotarr Kass
 * Graxol Kelvyyn
 * Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Dayla Kev
 * Hereven Kev
 * Plo Koon
 * Jaden Korr
 * Traest Kre'fey
 * Eryk Kroogar
 * Garik Loran
 * Gallo Memm
 * Mika the Hutt
 * Mon Mothma
 * Shalla Nelprin
 * Nim'Ri
 * Nien Nunb
 * Bail Organa
 * Leia Organa
 * Dia Passik
 * Yarael Poof
 * Rekkon
 * Rinn Renado
 * Profex Rynalla
 * Horox Ryyder
 * Tyria Sarkin
 * Fenn Shysa
 * Luke Skywalker
 * Han Solo
 * Jaina Solo
 * Jacen Solo
 * Anakin Solo
 * Bultar Swan
 * Kell Tainer
 * Elassar Targon
 * Bria Tharen
 * Raynar Thul
 * Tu'rsc'yulir
 * Finis Valorum
 * Mission Vao
 * Velsey
 * Volhei
 * Mace Windu
 * Cala Worner
 * Yoda
 * Zonnos the Hutt
 * C-3PO

Appearances

 * ''Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
 * ''Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Star Wars Journal: The Fight for Justice
 * Battlefront
 * Battlefront II
 * Republic Commando: Triple Zero
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars 7: New Planets, New Perils
 * Rebel Dawn
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and novel
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and novel
 * To Fight Another Day
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and novel
 * The Prize Pelt: The Tale of Bossk
 * A Forest Apart
 * Tatooine Ghost
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
 * Before the Storm
 * Shield of Lies
 * Tyrant's Test
 * Young Jedi Knights
 * Star Wars: Chewbacca
 * Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial
 * Inferno

Behind the scenes

 * Shyriiwook having 150 words for 'wood' may be a reference to the popular misconception on Earth that 'the Inuit have 100 words for "snow"'.