============================================================================== FINAL FANTASY X - AL BHED KIETA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ · Version 17.00 [04/08/08] · This document is copyrighted © 2009 by Lynn Brown A.K.A. enigmaopoeia http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/3667.html O============================================================================O | [00] TABLE OF CONTENTS | O============================================================================O · [01] INTRODUCTION · [02] LANGUAGE VS. CIPHER VS. DIALECT · [03] JAPANESE DECIPHERING GUIDE - AL BHED TO SPIRAN / SPIRAN TO AL BHED · [04] ENGLISH DECIPHERING GUIDE - AL BHED TO SPIRAN / SPIRAN TO AL BHED · [05] THE STRUCTURES TO THE AL BHED LANGUAGE · [06] AL BHED PRIMERS: LOCATIONS · [07] AL BHED PRIMERS: RELOCATIONS & EXCLUSIVES · [08] RANKINGS & REWARDS · [09] AL BHED COMPILATION SPHERES · [10] FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS · [11] REVISION HISTORY · [12] LEGAL INFORMATION · [13] SPECIAL THANKS [NOTE: Please use CTRL + F to navigate through my guide better!] O============================================================================O | [00] TABLE OF CONTENTS | O============================================================================O "Famlusa du so kieta uh dra Al Bhed myhkiyka!" The Al Bhed are a species originated in Final Fantasy made by Square Soft for the PlayStation 2. The Al Bhed also made a reappearance in the sequel, Final Fantasy X-2. They are known for their distinctive clothing; their unique, swirly pupils; but most of all, for the cipher they speak and write. I wrote this guide because the Al Bhed are an interesting group of characters, and I find myself relating more to them than any of the other races in the Final Fantasy series. This guide mainly focuses on the unique "language" of these Al Bhed. All references to the Japanese or English language will be referred to as the Spiran language, Final Fantasy X's term of the native language. If you are here to quickly translate Al Bhed without reading a comprehensive guide on it, please use: http://pixelscapes.com/twoflower/albhed.html The Japanese version of the Al Bhed Translator can be found at: http://www.geocities.jp/jitohjp/hanapota/anime/albhonyaku.html O============================================================================O | [02] LANGUAGE VS. CIPHER VS. DIALECT | O============================================================================O I know this has been on the minds of everyone... [AL BHED IS NOT A LANGUAGE?:] · A language is "a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols". English and Spanish are considered languages, not Al Bhed. Fictional languages like Klingon in Star Trek and Sindarin in Lord of the Rings have their own unique sentence structures and speech, therefore they can be called actual languages. Al Bhed is based around a mixture of letters to produce a secret method of writing known as a cipher. A cipher is "a message written in a secret code " Al Bhed is exactly that, a "secret code" written and spoken only by the Al Bhed. [ISN'T AL BHED A DIALECT?:] · A dialect is "the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people". Therefore Bronx is a dialect of English and Kansai is a dialect of Japanese, but Al Bhed is not a dialect of Japanese or English. What some may consider is a dialect is actually their accent. [WHY DO YOU CALL AL BHED A LANGUAGE IN THIS GUIDE?:] · Mostly due to habit, since the Japanese version of Final Fantasy X calls their cipher as "Aru Bedo go" which translates into "Al Bhed language". Al Bhed cipher would have been rendered as "Aru Bedo angô". I believe Square Soft of Japan's reasoning to call it a "language" due to one definition that states, "a race, as distinguished by its speech". And that holds true because the Al Bhed were recognized by their unique "language". While I do understand the more politically correct term for Al Bhed is a cipher, my personal preference is to refer to it as a "language" in my guide. And remember "Cbayg Al Bhed yht cbayg ed bnuit!" ~ Jason Donohoo O============================================================================O | [03] JAPANESE DECIPHERING GUIDE - AL BHED TO SPIRAN / SPIRAN TO AL BHED | O============================================================================O This is the deciphering guide for the Japanese version, this list shows how to translate from Al Bhed [Katakana] into Spiran [Hiragana]. The characters are written out in Rômaji, there's no need to encode this document into Japanese (Shift-JIS). You read this list as "A = KA" meaning the Katakana "A" in Al Bhed translates into the Hiragana "KA" in Spiran, and vice versa. I space the Japanese in my guide because while written Japanese does not actually use spaces, I do this for the sake of clarity and that it is much easier to read. There are no translation for Tokushuon characters such as F's and V's. o------------------------------------------------------------------o | AL BHED TO SPIRAN | o------------------------------------------------------------------o +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | SEION: | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | A = KA | I = MI | U = RU | E = RE | O = NO | | KA = WA | KI = SHI | KU = FU | KE = HE | KO = MO | | SA = TA | SHI = NI | SU = NU | SE = TE | SO = TO | | TA = YA | CHI = KI | TSU = MU | TE = KE | TO = O | | NA = RA | NI = RI | NU = SU | NE = E | NO = RO | | HA = NA | HI = CHI | FU = U | HE = SE | HO = SO | | MA = HA | MI = I | MU = WO | ME = NE | MO = YO | | YA = MA | | YU = TSU | | YO = KO | | RA = SA | RI = HI | RU = KU | RE = ME | RO = HO | | WA = A | | WO = YU | | N = N | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | DAKUON: | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | GA = DA | GI = JI | GU = DU | GE = ZE | GO = DO | | ZA = BA | JI = GI | ZU = BU | ZE = BE | ZO = GO | | DA = GA | DI = BI | DU = GU | DE = GE | DO = BO | | BA = ZA | BI = DI | BU = ZU | BE = DE | BO = ZO | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | HAN-DAKUON: | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | PA = PU | PI = PO | PU = PA | PE = PI | PO = PE | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | VOWELS & SOKUON & SMALL VERSIONS "Y": | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | a = a | i = i | u = u | e = e | o = o | | ya = ya | tsu = tsu | yu = yu | | yo = yo | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | YÔON: | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | KYA = SHA | | KYU = SHU | | KYO = SHO | | SHA = NYA | SHI = NI | SHU = NYU | SHE = CHE | SHO = NYO | | CHA = KYA | CHI = KI | CHU = KYU | CHE = SHE | CHO = KYO | | NYA = RYA | | NYU = RYU | | NYO = RYO | | HYA = CHA | | HYU = CHU | | HYO = CHO | | MYA = Iya | | MYU = Iyu | | MYO = Iyo | | RYA = HYA | | RYU = HYU | | RYO = HYO | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | YÔON - DAKUTEN: | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | GYA = JA | | GYU = JU | | GYO = JO | | JA = GYA | | JU = GYU | | JO = GYO | | (JA) = BYA | | (JU) = BYU | | (JO) = BYO | | BYA = (JA) | | BYU = (JU) | | BYO = (JO) | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | YÔON - HANDAKUTEN: | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | PIya = POya | | PIyu = POyu | | PIyo = POyo | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ o------------------------------------------------------------------o | SPIRAN TO AL BHED | o------------------------------------------------------------------o +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | SEION: | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | A = WA | I = MI | U = FU | E = NE | O = TO | | KA = A | KI = CHI | KU = RU | KE = TE | KO = YO | | SA = RA | SHI = KI | SU = NU | SE = HE | SO = HO | | TA = SA | CHI = HI | TSU = YU | TE = SE | TO = SO | | NA = HA | NI = SHI | NU = SU | NE = ME | NO = O | | HA = MA | HI = RI | FU = KU | HE = KE | HO = RO | | MA = YA | MI = I | MU = TSU | ME = RE | MO = KO | | YA = TA | | YU = WO | | YO = MO | | RA = NA | RI = NI | RU = U | RE = E | RO = NO | | WA = KA | | WO = MU | | N = N | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | DAKUON: | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | GA = DA | GI = JI | GU = DU | GE = DE | GO = ZO | | ZA = BA | JI = GI | ZU = BU | ZE = GE | ZO = BO | | DA = GA | DI = BI | DU = GU | DE = BE | DO = GO | | BA = ZA | BI = DI | BU = ZU | BE = ZE | BO = DO | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | HAN-DAKUON: | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | PA = PU | PI = PE | PU = PA | PE = PO | PO = PI | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | VOWELS & SOKUON & SMALL VERSIONS "Y": | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | a = a | i = i | u = u | e = e | o = o | | ya = ya | tsu = tsu | yu = yu | | yo = yo | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | YÔON: | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | KYA = CHA | | KYU = CHU | | KYO = CHO | | SHA = KYA | | SHU = KYU | | SHO = KYO | | CHA = HYA | | CHU = HYU | | CHO = HYO | | NYA = SYA | | NYU = SYU | | NYO = SYO | | HYA = RHA | | HYU = RHU | | HYO = RHO | | MYA = Iya | | MYU = Iyu | | MYO = Iyo | | RYA = NYA | | RYU = NYU | | RYO = NYO | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | YÔON - DAKUTEN: | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | GYA = JA | | GYU = JU | | GYO = JO | | JA = GYA | | JU = GYU | | JO = GYO | | (JA) = BYA | | (JU) = BYU | | (JO) = BYO | | BYA = (JA) | | BYU = (JU) | | BYO = (JO) | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | YÔON - HANDAKUTEN: | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ | PYA = PEya | | PYU = PEyu | | PYO = PEyo | +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+ O============================================================================O | [04] ENGLISH DECIPHERING GUIDE - AL BHED TO SPIRAN / SPIRAN TO AL BHED | O============================================================================O This is the deciphering guide for the American version, this list shows how to translate from Al Bhed to Spiran [English]. You read this list as "A = E" meaning the "A" in Al Bhed translates into "E" in Spiran, and vice versa. +-------------------------------+ +-------------------------------+ | AL BHED TO SPIRAN: | | SPIRAN TO AL BHED: | +-------+-------+-------+-------+ +-------+-------+-------+-------+ | A = E | B = P | C = S | D = T | | A = Y | B = P | C = L | D = T | | E = I | F = W | G = K | H = N | | E = A | F = V | G = K | H = R | | I = U | J = V | K = G | L = C | | I = E | J = Z | K = G | L = M | | M = L | N = R | O = Y | P = B | | M = S | N = H | O = U | P = B | | Q = X | R = H | S = M | T = D | | Q = X | R = N | S = C | T = D | | U = O | V = F | W = Z | X = Q | | U = I | V = J | W = F | X = Q | | | Y = A | Z = J | | | | Y = O | Z = W | | +-------+-------+-------+-------+ +-------+-------+-------+-------+ o------------------------------------------------------------------o | THE AL BHED ALPHABET | o------------------------------------------------------------------o "Y-P-L-T-A-V-K-R-E-Z-G-M-S-H-U-B-X-N-C-D-I-J-F-Q-O-W" T.J. Sorrell told me of an easier way to remember this seemingly impossible chain of letters above. Basically, you have to break them into three separate parts: · "Yiple-Tav-Kree". · "Zigm-Shub-Xinc". · "Dij-F-Quow". Once you memorize these three parts, you can remove the placeholder letters inbetween marked in parentheses [ () ] below: . Y(i)PL(e)-TAV-KRE(e). . Z(i)GM-SHUB-X(i)NC. . DIJ-F-Q(u)OW. And before you know it, you now know the full Al Bhed alphabet! O============================================================================O | [05] THE STRUCTURES TO THE AL BHED LANGUAGE | O============================================================================O This is a listing of the five structures which makes up the Al Bhed language and the basics for anyone wanting to speak or write it. Remember that these structures aren't written in stone and are subject to change! o------------------------------------------------------------------o | STRUCTURE RULE #1 - WHAT CAN AND CANNOT BE TRANSLATED! | o------------------------------------------------------------------o Not everything is supposed to be spoken or written in Al Bhed! [WHAT CAN AND MUST BE TRANSLATED:] · Honorifics; examples are Father/Mother, Brother/Sister, and Mister/Miss. In the game, Rikku and Brother both refer Cid as their "Vydran" ["Father"]; Brother calls Rikku his "cecdan" ["sister"]; and the Al Bhed Psyches call Yuna the "myto summoner", "myto" meaning "lady". · Nouns; examples are neighbors, window, happiness, or negotiation. In the game, a sign states "Uycec yrayt" ["Oasis ahead"]. · Pronouns; examples are I, You, He/She, Him/Her, It, They, This, and Who. In the game, Brother said "E femm cruf oui!" with "E" meaning "I". · Verbs; examples are action verbs, linking verbs, and auxiliary verbs written in past, present, or future tense. In the game, Brother said "Gaab vmoehk! Gaab vmoehk!" with "vmoehk" ["flying"] being an action verb. · Prepositions; examples are "through the window", "written by me", "in the garden". Or "as in", "on", "by", "to", and "since". In the game, Eigaar said "Pid E cyf res eh Luca." with "eh" meaning "in". · Exclamations; examples are usually a cry of approval, dissatisfaction, or expressions. In the game, Cid cheered with "Oaaryy!" ["Yeehaa!"] and also Brother exclaimed "Fruy!" ["Whoa!"] [WHAT SHOULD AND COULD BE LEFT UNTRANSLATED:] · Proper nouns; examples are names of people and places. In the game, Rikku was never referred to as "Neggi", which would have been her name translated into Al Bhed. Eigaar also said "Druca Guado!" with Guado not translated into "Kiytu". A sign stating "Drec fyo du Home.", but Home was not read as "Rusa". And an Al Bhed said "Uhla dra Calm lusac" with Calm, a major event, not translated into "Lyms". · Titles; examples are occupations. In the game, Yuna was always refer as a "Summoner", not as a "Cissuhan". · Subjects; examples are most proper nouns and some honorifics. In the game, Brother said "Ouin bnaleuic Magic yht Aeons yna caymat!" With Magic and Aeons being the subjects, Magic was not translated into "Sykel" nor Aeons into "Yauhc". · Objects; examples are some nouns. In the game, an Al Bhed cried "Y fiend! Eh risyh teckieca!" with "fiend" not translated into "veaht". o------------------------------------------------------------------o | STRUCTURE RULE #2 - TRANSLATING | o------------------------------------------------------------------o While this may be the easiest rule of all, however most people screw up on this. If you cannot properly translate, you will end up with gibberish which may resemble Al Bhed, but is actually complete nonsense. [ENGLISH SPIRAN TO AL BHED:] write it out first into English and then translate it into Al Bhed. For · If you want learn how to write an Al Bhed word in Spiran, is to make sure to example, if we want to know what "cat" is in Al Bhed, we will have to look up the letters C, A, and T. We see that C = L, A = Y, and T = D, therefore "cat" ends up translating into "lyd" in Al Bhed. To ensure the translation is correct, translate "lyd" into Spiran and we see that L = C, Y = A, and D = T. We see that it spells out "cat", thus "cat" in Al Bhed is "lyd". [JAPANESE SPIRAN TO AL BHED:] · Remember the Japanese language does not have the same alphabet as the English. Therefore "cat" is "neko" in Japanese. Using the same method to find "cat" in English, we see that NE = ME and KO = YO. Thus "neko" ends up translating into "MEYO" in Al Bhed. Translating it back with ME = NE and YO = KO, we see that we end up with the word "NEKO" again. [IMPORTANT NOTE!:] · One common problem some people face with Al Bhed is that they try to put it through "Al Bhed - Spiran" first into a translator. The result is that they get some bizarre word which looks Al Bhed, but it's actually mumbo jumbo. Remember to translate using "Spiran - Al Bhed" first; you are trying to translate a Japanese/English word into Al Bhed after all! o------------------------------------------------------------------o | STRUCTURE RULE #3 - QUICK TRANSLATION FORMULA | o------------------------------------------------------------------o Here is how to read and translate Al Bhed on the fly! [MEMORY IS VITAL!:] · If someone has told you "Dryhgc!" and you want to know what it means without having to rely on an Al Bhed translator. Here is a quick way to translate it all done by memory because the key to learning Al Bhed is to remember words little-by-little. Easy words one can remember are "cunno" ["sorry"], "oui" ["you"], "fyed" ["wait"], and "risyh" ["human"] because these are the words Rikku said to Tidus in the beginning of the game. Since you know what those translate into, you already know C = S, D = T, E = I, F = W, H = N, I = U, N = R, O = Y, R = H, S = M, U = O, and Y = A. See, that's already 12 letters out of 26 in the alphabet! Apply those and you can easily translate words such as "fyn" ["war"], "ynnuf" ["arrow"], and "unworthy" ["ihfundro"]. It takes practice, but you'll get a hang of it after a while. Remember that the vowels are grouped together, while the consonants are scrambled amongst each other and the same also applies to the Japanese version. Now taking "Dryhgc!" back into account, remember that D = T, R = H, Y = A, H = N, and C = S. Even though we don't know what G means, we'll use common sense into equation. We can easily translate "Dryhgc!" into "Than_s!", just by looking at it. It's obvious the G in Al Bhed must be translated into K to result in the word "Thanks!" There, now we just learned 13 letters! o------------------------------------------------------------------o | STRUCTURE RULE #4 - HOW TO WRITE IN AL BHED | o------------------------------------------------------------------o Because the majority of us would most likely write it rather than speaking it. [ENGLISH IS CASE SENSITIVE:] · Self explanatory, English Al Bhed is case sensitive. So you write it like how you would with regular English sentence structures and rules. The rest of these applies to the Japanese version: [JAPANESE IS NOT CASE SENSITIVE:] · Japanese Al Bhed is a whole another story when it comes to case sensitivity. I capitalize the words because it would differentiate between the Katakana from the small versions. The ONLY time you would have to use lowercase is when you're indicating the long vowels. [WHEN JAPANESE CAN BE CASE-SENSITIVE:] · When writing out keywords, be sure to leave them case sensitive. An example is the term "Aru Bedo Zoku" ["Al Bhed"], it should not be written as "Aru Bedo ZOKU". It misleads others into thinking "ZOKU" should be translated as "gofu" ["talisman; amulet; charm"], a completely different word from "zoku" meaning "tribe; race". [WHEN IT COMES TO THE CHÔONPU IN WORDS:] · Chôonpu, the stress which indicates a long vowels, can be hard to write in Japanese Al Bhed if you don't know how to properly write them. An example is the word "mâketto" ["market"], it has the long vowel of "a". You wouldn't want to write it out as "YAWATESSO" because in English terms, it's like writing down "market" as "marrket". Also writing it down as "YAATESSO" would make one translate it into the nonsense word, "makaketto". So next time be sure to either lowercase the last vowel or put a circumflex ( ^ ) over the vowel or put a dash after the vowel to indicate the long vowel sound. Thus the correct way to write "mâketto" would be either "YAaTESSO", "YÂTESSO", or "YA-TESSO". And most importantly... [STICK TO YOUR OWN LANGUAGE!:] · If you are fluent in English, please stick to writing or speaking in English Al Bhed. Don't try to assume that you know Japanese because you may make mistakes with their version of Al Bhed. So please use the language you are most familiar with. The same goes for someone who knows Japanese and is trying to use the English Al Bhed. o------------------------------------------------------------------o | STRUCTURE RULE #5 - PRONUNCIATION MAKES THE LANGUAGE AUTHENTIC! | o------------------------------------------------------------------o Stefan Gagne who coded the Al Bhed Translator with Phonetics told me in an e-mail, "Pronunciation is the key to actually USING the language." Anyone can write Al Bhed, but what separates them are those who can speak it! [JAPANESE AL BHED IS EASIER TO PRONOUNCE:] · The Japanese are unable to produce accents like those heard in the American version, they actually voice their Al Bhed in a slightly different tone. Since the Japanese language is phonetic, it makes things easier for anyone to pronounce regardless if they have no knowledge of Al Bhed. The clever way they use rearranged consonants to produce a pronunciation, possible only with the Japanese language. Thus their Al Bhed could actually be learnt and spoken normally with practice! Now with the American version... [PRONUNCIATION IS KEY!:] · The Al Bhed language is spoken mostly with a Slavic accent in the American version. Since there are no set pronunciation, the American version had to compensate by creating made-up sounds for the words. Square Soft of America have stated they mixed accents and pronunciations from languages such as Welsh, Hawaiian, and German to finalize the sound of Al Bhed. [ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION GUIDE:] · The letters in-between the square brackets [ ] are an idea of how they are pronounced. Like with the common "toe'may'toe" vs. "toe'mah'toe" debate, Al Bhed too falls under this. They too pronounce words that ends the same differently, a reason why this pronunciation guide is not 100% correct. In the game, Nedus pronounces "taydr" as "tay'durr". When Rikku says "fedr", which also ends in "-dr", she pronounces it as "ff'ed". If Rikku were to pronounce it like how Nedus did, she would have said "fe'durr" instead. +---+----------------+--------------------------------+ | - | PRONUNCIATIONS | EXAMPLES | +---+----------------+--------------------------------+ | A | "al" or "ah" | [a]lphabet, f[a]ther, hurr[ah] | | B | "bae" or "ay" | [bay], g[a]il, ob[ey] | | C | "koo" or "coo" | [coo]p, [coo]l, [coo]per | | D | "'d" or "ed" | we[d], [d]ay, fa[d]e | | E | "ea" or "ay" | [a]ny, s[ay]s, qu[ay] | | F | "fae" or "fe" | [fa]iry, [fa]vorite, [fa]il | | G | "ge" or "gae" | [ga]y, [ga]ze, [ga]te | | H | "ha" or "'h" | [h]am, [h]it, be[h]ave | | I | "ee" or "ei" | s[ee], b[ee]n, [e]ngland | | J | "jay" or "jae" | [j]ay, sa[g]e, fud[g]e | | K | "cch" or "kh" | [k]orea, [ch]aracter, ba[ck] | | L | "lu" or "loo" | [loo]p, [lo]vely, water[loo] | | M | "mm" or "mh" | paradig[m], cal[m], ha[mm]er | | N | "nn" or "n" | [n]o, [n]ot, ru[nn]er | | O | "oh" or "oo" | [o]nly, br[oo]ch, t[o]e | | P | "pe" or "pae" | [pa]y, [pa]ve, [pa]ir | | Q | "quh" or "kwo" | [quo]rum, [qu]estion, [cu]pid | | R | "ra" or "rii" | [r]ye, [re]birth, [ri]ddle | | S | "see" or "si" | [se]a, [se]at, [see]k | | T | "te" or "th" | [te]chnique, [th]yme, [te]a | | U | "oo" or "u" | [u]kulele, [u]niverse, [u]nity | | V | "fuu" or "f" | [foo]lish, o[f], [f]un | | W | "wuh" or "wou" | [wo]man, [wo]lverine, [woo]l | | X | "zih" or "zee" | [z]it, [z]ipcode, [zi]ther | | Y | "ae" or "ee" | [ae]on, halleluj[a]h, [e]asy | | Z | "zah" or "za" | [za]p, [za]nder, [za]ck | +---+----------------+--------------------------------+ O============================================================================O | [06] AL BHED PRIMERS: LOCATIONS | O============================================================================O Here are the primary locations of the Al Bhed Primers around Spira. When you collect a Primer, it will automatically decipher one character of the Al Bhed language for you. Thus leaving the translated dialogue in red and the untranslated dialogue in blue. You can view screenshots of these Al Bhed Primers over at Split Infinity's FAQ/Walkthrough @ http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/6434.html [LEGEND:] · "ABG = SPI" [JPN] and "A = S" [ENG] means Al Bhed to Spiran. +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | VOL. | ABG = SPI | A = S | LOCATION | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | I | WA = A | Y = A | Al Bhed Salvage Ship. When you board the | | | MI = I | | Salvage Ship, search the upper right-hand | | | FU = U | | corner of the deck next to the crane. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | II | NE = E | P = B | Besaid Village - Crusader's Lodge. Check the | | | TO = O | | counter on the right-hand side of the Lodge, | | | | | Luzzu is covering up the Primer. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | III | A = KA | L = C | S.S. Liki - Engine Room. Enter the bridge and | | | CHI = KI | | while facing O'aka, head south to the Engine | | | | | Room. The Primer is hidden in the lower right | | | | | corner. You can also find it later on Bikanel | | | | | Island inside a tent by the oasis. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | IV | RU = KU | T = D | Kilika - Tavern. Search the counter of the | | | TE = KE | | bar, it's to the right of the tavern's owner. | | | YO = KO | | | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | V | RA = SA | A = E | S.S. Winno - Bridge. On the boat to Luca, it | | | KI = SHI | | is around the middle of the Bridge where the | | | | | green carpet is. You can also find it later | | | | | at the Luca Docks if you missed it. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | VI | NU = SU | V = F | Luca Stadium - Basement B. Go left from the | | | HE = SE | | Besaid Aurochs' Locker Room, and the next | | | HO = SO | | stairway down to the opposing team's Locker | | | | | Room marked Basement B. It is behind the foot | | | | | of the Blitzer wearing green pants. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | VII | SA = TA | K = G | Luca Theater - Reception. After saving Yuna, | | | HI = CHI | | return to the Theater Lobby to find it on the | | | YU = TSU | | floor on the left on the red carpet. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | VIII | SE = TE | R = H | Mi'ihen Highroad - Rin's Agency. You will | | | SO = TO | | automatically get this from Rin. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | IX | HA = NA | E = I | Mi'ihen Highroad - Newroad, North. Travel | | | SHI = NI | | north from the Traveling Agency to where | | | | | Shelinda is at. It's on the ground, just | | | | | below a blue pillar. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | X | SU = NU | Z = J | Mushroom Rock Road - Precipice. Near the | | | ME = NE | | mechanical lift where the road turns, on the | | | O = NO | | upper left-most corner. Basically at the | | | | | upper end tip of the "C" on the map. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XI | MA = HA | G = K | Djose Highroad. When you see two treasure | | | RI = HI | | chests, move across the path from the first | | | KU = FU | | chest and search behind the spiky rock. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XII | KE = HE | M = L | Moonflow - North Wharf. After crossing the | | | RO = HO | | Moonflow via Shoopuf. Go left once and it is | | | | | on the platform just above O'aka. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XIII | YA = MA | S = M | Guadosalam - House. Go inside the house that | | | I = MI | | has the treasure chest with 3000 Gil. It's to | | | | | the back left, hidden behind the big tree. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XIV | TSU = MU | H = N | Thunder Plains - Rin's Agency. When Rin asks | | | RE = ME | | about Tidus' studies, reply with the top | | | KO = MO | | positive option and he'll give you a Primer. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XV | TA = YA | U = O | Macalania Woods - Lake Road. It's to the | | | WO = YU | | ground path on the right, across from O'aka. | | | MO = YO | | | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XVI | NA = RA | B = P | Lake Macalania - Agency Front. Under the left | | | NI = RI | | side at the front of Rin's Traveling Agency | | | | | where Clasko is at. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XVII | U = RU | X = Q | Sanubia Desert - Central. Go to the western | | | E = RE | | area left of the sign in Al Bhed warning you | | | NO = RO | | about the monsters ahead. Check inside the | | | | | ruins to the west exit. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XVIII | KA = WA | N = R | Sanubia Desert - Central. After finding Vol. | | | MU = WO | | XVII, go to the Save Sphere and head north to | | | | | find it on the ground near a signpost. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XIX | N = N | C = S | Al Bhed Home. After finding out who Cid is. | | | | | Search to the left of the Save Sphere. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XX | DA = GA | D = T | Al Bhed Home - Living Quarters. After the | | | JI = GI | | battle, descend the stairs. When the screen | | | DU = GU | | shifts, go up the stairs and through the hall | | | DE = GE | | to enter the Quarters to the left. After that | | | ZO = GO | | battle, search to the right of the right-most | | | | | treasure chest for it. The same room has two | | | | | treasure chests that are password protected. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XXI | BA = ZA | I = U | Al Bhed Home - Main Corridor. Exit the Living | | | GI = JI | | Quarters and descend the stairs. Then go | | | BU = ZU | | through the hall, across the intersection, and | | | GE = ZE | | take the very end of the eastern hall. Now | | | BO = ZO | | search the floor left of the door to find it. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XXII | GA = DA | J = V | Bevelle - Priest's Passage. After Yuna's | | | BI = DI | | wedding scene and before the Trials. Check | | | GU = DU | | the floor near the Save Sphere because it's | | | BE = DE | | blended quite well. | | | GO = DO | | | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XXIII | ZA = BA | F = W | The Calm Lands - Central, Northwest Section. | | | DI = BI | | Travel to the extreme northwest corner and | | | ZU = BU | | search near the cliff at the bottom left | | | ZE = BE | | corner. | | | DO = BO | | | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XXIV | PU = PA | Q = X | Remiem Temple. Tame a Chocobo and go to the | | | PE = PI | | southeastern part of the Calm Lands and look | | | PA = PU | | for a Chocobo's feather. When you have | | | PI = PE | | descended, go west to where a lone Chocobo is | | | PE = PO | | at the dead end, the Primer is above. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XXV | a = a | O = Y | The Calm Lands - Cavern of the Stolen Fayth. | | | i = i | | From the first Save Sphere at the dead end, go | | | u = u | | west and search around. | | | e = e | | | | | o = o | | | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ | XXVI | tsu = tsu | W = Z | Omega Ruins. From the entrance, go west and | | | ya = ya | | follow the path up to a dormant glyph on the | | | yu = yu | | wall. Then proceed north to a chamber with | | | yo = yo | | four treasure chests, the Primer is on the | | | | | floor just north of them and beside the | | | | | left-most blue lamp in the background. | +-------+-----------+-------+------------------------------------------------+ O============================================================================O | [07] AL BHED PRIMERS: RELOCATIONS & EXCLUSIVES | O============================================================================O o------------------------------------------------------------------o | RELOCATIONS | o------------------------------------------------------------------o If you have missed certain Primers early in the course of the game, you will find them later buried deep in the eastern part of the Sanubia Desert. +-----------+------------------------------------------------+ | PRIMER | RELOCATION IN THE SANUBIA DESERT | +-----------+------------------------------------------------+ | Vol. I | Search the northeast area of the Oasis. | | Vol. III | Around the front where Wakka is at. | | Vol. V | At the eastern part where Kimahri is at. | | Vol. XIV | The side near the treasure chest in the ruins. | +-----------+------------------------------------------------+ o------------------------------------------------------------------o | EXCLUSIVES | o------------------------------------------------------------------o However certain Primers are only exclusive to a certain location. They are missable if you've forgotten to pick them up. The only means of acquiring them is by using the Compilation Spheres if you gotten them in another save. +-----------+------------------------------------------------+ | PRIMER | REASON FOR DISAPPEARANCE | +-----------+------------------------------------------------+ | Vol. XIX | The Al Bhed Home is destroyed. | | Vol. XX | The Al Bhed Home is destroyed. | | Vol. XXI | The Al Bhed Home is destroyed. | | Vol. XXII | Party forced their way into Bevelle Temple. | +-----------+------------------------------------------------+ O============================================================================O | [08] RANKINGS & REWARDS | O============================================================================O Depending on how many Al Bhed Primers you've collected around Spira, a pop-up window will appear stating your current Al Bhed Rank. Every 3 or 4 Primers you collect, you will advance a rank. There are a total of nine rankings. o------------------------------------------------------------------o | JAPANESE VERSION | o------------------------------------------------------------------o [LEGEND:] · # VOL. = Total number of Al Bhed Primer Volumes collected. · "ABG" is short for "Aru Bedo Go" meaning the language of "Al Bhed". +---------+----------------------+--------------------+----------------------+ | # VOL. | AL BHED RANKING | SPIRAN | TRANSLATION | +---------+----------------------+--------------------+----------------------+ | 1 ~ 3 | ABG SHUFUKONKYA | ABG Nyûmonsha | Al Bhed Novice] | | 4 ~ 6 | ABG KYOKINKYA | ABG Shôshinsha | Al Bhed Beginner] | | 7 ~ 9 | ASAYOSO O ABG | Katakoto No ABG | Broken Al Bhed | | 10 ~ 12 | ABG SANCHI NYUFUDARU | ABG Tanki Ryûgaku | Study Abroad Al Bhed | | 13 ~ 15 | NYUFUHYOFU HA ABG | Ryûchô Na ABG | Al Bhed Profluent | | 16 ~ 18 | ABG PONA-PONA | ABG Pera-Pera | Fluent Al Bhed | | 19 ~ 21 | ABG DENHIGIN HAI | ABG Genchijin Nami | Al Bhed Native | | 22 ~ 25 | YÂZENANU HA ABG | Mâberasu Na ABG | Al Bhed Marvel | | 2 6 | ABG YANUSÂ | Masutâ | Al Bhed Master | +---------+------------------------------------------------------------------+ o------------------------------------------------------------------o | AMERICAN VERSION | o------------------------------------------------------------------o [LEGEND:] · # VOL. = Total number of Al Bhed Primer Volumes collected. +---------+------------------+------------------+ | # VOL. | AL BHED RANKING | SPIRAN | +---------+------------------+------------------+ | 1 ~ 3 | Al Bhed Hujela | Al Bhed Novice | | 4 ~ 6 | Al Bhed Pakehhan | Al Bhed Beginner | | 7 ~ 9 | Al Bhed Typpman | Al Bhed Dabbler | | 10 ~ 12 | Al Bhed Maynhan | Al Bhed Learner | | 13 ~ 15 | Al Bhed Cbaygan | Al Bhed Speaker | | 16 ~ 18 | Al Bhed Hydeja | Al Bhed Native | | 19 ~ 21 | Al Bhed Unydun | Al Bhed Orator | | 22 ~ 25 | Al Bhed Medanyde | Al Bhed Literati | | 2 6 | Al Bhed Sycdan | Al Bhed Master | +---------+------------------+------------------+ o------------------------------------------------------------------o | REWARD | o------------------------------------------------------------------o Once you have collected all 26 Volumes of the Al Bhed Primers, aboard the Airship and you would have an fluent Al Bhed conversation with Rin. Rin then rewards you with 99 quantities of the Key Item called "Underdog's Secret" ["Kyukuten No Kagi"]. You can synthesize 30 of this Key Item into your weapon to grant the ability to do "Double Overdrive" ["Daburu Doraibu"], this allows your Overdrive gauge to rise twice as quickly! You can sell them for 5000 Gil each for a total of 495000 Gil if you are low on cash. You can use also Rikku's "Mix" Overdrive ability to combine them with other items, a full list can be found in CB!'s Mix List guide @ http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/4184.html O============================================================================O | [09] AL BHED COMPILATION SPHERES | O============================================================================O There are blue Spheres located around Spira called the Al Bhed Compilation Spheres. They search through the Memory Cards in your PlayStation 2 and compile any Primers you're missing from the saves stored in it. Then it loads them up to your current game. There are a total of five Spheres: [BAAJ TEMPLE - SUBMERGED RUINS:] · It is due west of the pillar, which has a sign that inscribes, "Eh dra myht frana pumdc uv mekrd emmisehyda dra pmylgacd hekrd fedr Macalania pareht dra vuindr bemmyn oui cekrd muug hud uh dra mavd pid uh dra nekrd." ["In the land where bolts of light illuminate the blackest night with Macalania behind the fourth pillar you sight look not on the left but on the right."] Use this Sphere only if you have finished the game and acquired all of the Al Bhed Primers, that way the Al Bhed dialogue is completely translated for you when you start a new game. [MI'IHEN HIGHROAD:] · Found next to Rin's Traveling Agency. Use this Sphere if you are missing Al Bhed Primers Volumes I - IX. [LAKE MACALANIA:] · Found next to Rin's Traveling Agency. Use this Sphere if you are missing Al Bhed Primers Volumes X - XVI. [AL BHED HOME:] · Found in the process of the Al Bhed migrating from their Home, but you must use this Sphere before the Home is destroyed! Use this Sphere if you are missing Al Bhed Primers Volumes XVII - XXII. [AIRSHIP:] · Found where the Al Bhed Psyches are practicing. Use this Sphere if you are missing Al Bhed Primers Volumes XXIII - XXVI. Even if you used the Compilation Sphere at the Submerged Ruins to entirely translate the Al Bhed dialogue. Tidus will still state in the course of the game that he does not understand their language, even though Tidus has earned the ranking of "Sycdan". Just something minor that Square Enix overlooked. O============================================================================O | [10] FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS | O============================================================================O o------------------------------------------------------------------o | GENERAL QUESTIONS | o------------------------------------------------------------------o [Q: ARE YOU FLUENT IN AL BHED?] · A: Hud naymmo -- uh, not really. In all seriousness, I am not fluent in Al Bhed, but typing up this guide sure helped a lot! [Q: WHAT IS A QUICK WAY TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS NOT USING AL BHED CORRECTLY?] · A: The easiest way to tell is when they say "Ym Prat" instead of Al Bhed. [Q: HOW DO YOU KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT THE JAPANESE AL BHED?] · A: I beaten the Japanese version of Final Fantasy X, before the American version was released, thus basically my love for Al Bhed started there. [Q: WHY DO YOU WRITE THE RÔMAJI OF THE JAPANESE AL BHED ALL IN CAPITALS?] · A: To separate Katakana like "YU" from the small "yu". For example, "SHU" is better recognized when written down as "SHIyu", now we know there's a "SHI" Katakana with a small version of "yu" at the end. [Q: WHY DON'T YOU WRITE THIS WHOLE GUIDE IN AL BHED?] · A: You're kidding, aren't you...? [Q: EVER CONSIDER TRANSLATING AL BHED INTO OTHER LANGUAGES LIKE SPANISH?] · A: No, I will only translate Al Bhed into Japanese and English. [Q: WHERE CAN I FIND AN AL BHED TRANSLATOR ONLINE?] · A: Search for "Al Bhed translator" under http://www.google.com o------------------------------------------------------------------o | GAMEPLAY QUESTIONS | o------------------------------------------------------------------o [Q: WOULD YOU CONSIDER TRANSLATING THE AL BHED SCRIPT IN THE GAME?] · A: This guide is to help understand the language, not a translation of the script. Please read Xythar Darkmoon's Al Bhed Script & Translation at: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/10799.html [Q: WHY DID YOU REMOVE THE AIRSHIP PASSWORDS SECTION OF THIS GUIDE?] · A: I felt it was unnecessary because my guide focuses more on the style, language, and mechanics. Please read Anthony Charles Ambrose's Secrets FAQ at: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/10767.html [Q: WHY ARE THERE NO AL BHED PRIMERS FOR "SHA", "SHU", "SHO", AND ETC.?] · A: You can already translate them by using the combination of the Katakana and the small "ya", "yu", and "yo"; therefore making Primers for them were unnecessary. [Q: WHAT IS THE CORRECT TRANSLATION TO THE TITLE OF TRACK 15 IN DISC 1 FROM THE FINAL FANTASY X ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK?] · A: Track 15 is titled "CHII Wa Aru Bedo Zoku" in Japanese. It has been incorrectly translated as "Al Bhed Tribe's Chi". They do not understand that "CHII" is an Al Bhed word for "kimi" meaning "you". The correct translation is "Oui Are Al Bhed", "oui" is Al Bhed for "you" in English. [Q: ARE YOU GOING TO DO AN AL BHED GUIDE FOR FINAL FANTASY X-2?] · A: No. However the translation of Al Bhed still remains the same in both games, so you can still use this guide to translate it. O============================================================================O | [11] REVISION HISTORY | O============================================================================O · v17.00 [04/08/08] = Revamped the whole guide and fixed a lot of mistakes! · v16.05 [10/24/05] = Updated it a bit and fixed the tables. · v16.00 [08/08/05] = Fixed around some information and changed layout. · v15.50 [04/22/05] = Took down Picture Locations due to broken links, fixed any spelling errors, and correct some information. · v15.00 [12/14/04] = Fixed layout, change e-mail address and content. · v14.50 [01/04/04] = Added links showing the exact locations of the Primers! · v14.00 [01/03/04] = Corrected and changed layout along with information, I also deleted a lot of unnecessary contents. · v13.00 [10/01/02] = Corrected Rômaji, rankings, and the cipher vs. dialect. · v12.00 [08/09/02] = Added more information, corrected and shortened guide. · v11.00 [03/07/02] = Language should be cipher, new slogan, and finished the Airship passwords section. · v10.00 [01/14/02] = Fixed misspellings and sections. · v09.00 [01/09/02] = Forgot one Japanese ranking, created deciphering guide, finished pronunciations, and made some changes. · v08.00 [01/04/02] = Completed the English rankings. · v07.00 [01/02/02] = Got detailed descriptions of Primer locations, I added more structure rules and organized it. · v06.00 [12/30/01] = Added a VERY helpful Link about pronunciations by 2f. · v05.00 [12/27/01] = Edited content for American version. I added more information to the Rômaji-Al Bhed listing. · v04.00 [12/13/01] = Found more new letters, corrected information. · v03.00 [11/28/01] = I thank roadkill for his translator! And I thank Saba Saba for being so helpful to this guide! · v02.00 [11/26/01] = Corrected some stuff, found new letters. · v01.00 [11/13/01] = Created this guide. This is in dedicated to my sister, Karniz Archada. Happy Birthday! O============================================================================O | [12] LEGAL INFORMATION | O============================================================================O [AUTHOR:] · This document is copyrighted © 2009 by Lynn Brown A.K.A. enigmaopoeia · If you have any information you would like to submit to this document, send an e-mail to "enigmaopoeia[at]gmail[dot]com". I will include your submission in the next update with proper credit given. Also due to my busy schedule, I am unable to reply to every e-mail I receive. [DISCLAIMER:] · The latest version of this document can always be found at GameFAQs. This document may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any website or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other website or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. · Final Fantasy © 1990, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002 SQUARE CO., LTD. O============================================================================O | [13] SPECIAL THANKS | O============================================================================O My thanks to the following below who contributed to this document! · GameFAQs @ http://www.gamefaqs.com for hosting my guides. · Ajina, and Jeremy Rutherford for helping me with the structures. · Barak, Stefan Gagne, and roadkill for their translators! · Christopher A Bongaarts, The Cap'n, Casey, Andy Cheng, Jesse Deitsch, Gram, Chung Jaewook, Matt Johnson, Philip Kalata, Sam Kaplan, King Zeal, Mosli, Outiv Te, Deddy Putra, Mark S, Jeremy Stanley, John Townsend, Jeremy Treanor, TYLIEWILIE, and Xaejiin for the Airship passwords and help! · CB!'s Mix List @ http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/4184.html · Daryl @ http://www.ffmusic.info for crediting me in her track information! · Dave, FFX GameFAQs Board members, jaspr, Kouli, Kimari Lonzo, Morelock, Red Moon, roadkill, and Rich Whitehouse for tracking any letters I was missing. · Jason and Matthew B. Monagon for help with the rankings. · Jason Donohoo for his slogan! · Jessica and PessimiStick for their e-mails! · kjiinri, Rinoa, Saba Samakar, and T.J. Sorrell for all their help! · Leonhart for bringing it to my attention that Barak changed his link. · LoudogofLBC and Ian Maxwell for their insight about Al Bhed being a cipher. · Nathan Mallory @ http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jgt8/ffx for their translations of Final Fantasy X before the American version was released! · Natephish for helping me out with pronunciations. · Joey Pruitt for helping me out with the first Compilation Sphere. · ShinLadyAnarki for her Al Bhed font! · Split Infinity @ http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/6434.html for giving me the permission for his guides and images, it helped me out a lot! · TJ for your suggestion of the locations of the Primers. · Xythar Darkmoon for the Al Bhed script. · Anyone who sent me e-mails typed out in Al Bhed and have credited me for using my guide for their translators! You're the best! I also want to thank you for reading this guide! ==============================================================================