Gallifreyan (language)
From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
Various forms of written Gallifreyan have appeared. By the time of the Doctor, the archaic Old High Gallifreyan language spoken in the days of Rassilon had given way to a more contemporary form of the language. (DW: The Five Doctors) This later "vulgate" was presumably the Doctor's native language.
Examples
Old High Gallifreyan
- Main article: High Gallifreyan
- The Eleventh Doctor once found a Home Box in a museum with symbols carved into it, which he described as Old High Gallifreyan. He states the message reads "Hello Sweetie". (DW: The Time of Angels)
Modern Gallifreyan
- Two Time Lords looked at a visual archival of information on the Third Doctor which displayed both a photo and writing. (DW: Colony in Space)
- A vaguely Arabic-looking script, in a letter written by the Fourth Doctor to warn the High Council of an assassination. (DW: The Deadly Assassin)
- The Seventh Doctor left a note for the Supreme Dalek in a script other than English. This included the Doctor's "name" Theta Sigma in Greek. (DW: Remembrance of the Daleks)
- This implies that the Renegade Daleks knew how to interpret Gallifreyan writing.
Circular Gallifreyan
- A complex system of interlocking circles was used by the Doctor's TARDIS output screens in "coral desktop theme" mode and was the one seen in the notes that the Doctor scattered around the console room. (DW: Rose onwards) Previous to this, we had seen the TARDIS' displays, when they appeared, in English.
- Simpler handwritten circles appear on The Doctor's Betamax tape used to trap the Wire, and are scribbled over, presumably saying what the contents of the tape were at one time. (DW: The Idiot's Lantern)
- The Visionary wrote interlocking circles, which Rassilon and the other Time Lords could understand. One of the words was "Earth" (DW: The End of Time)
- Text in circular Gallifreyan was seen carved into the Doctor's cot. It was implied that the writing was his name. (DW:A Good Man Goes to War)
