# Firefly dialect **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2006, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379 "2006-08-12T00:26:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Analogue\_Skywalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Analogue\_Skywalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Analogue_Skywalker)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/1 "2006-08-12T00:26:34Z")
What dialect is used by the folk in Firefly? I wish to study to learn to talk like this. Is it a variation on early western american? Canadian? made up? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/2 "2006-08-12T00:51:16Z")
Learn [Mandarin Chinese](http://fireflychinese.home.att.net/), then get Joss to write all your dialogue. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/3 "2006-08-12T01:26:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Learn [Mandarin Chinese](http://fireflychinese.home.att.net/), then get Joss to write all your dialogue. 😃 Thanks. There was/ is a thread about cussing without cuss words (paraphrase) and I said I wanted to use something like these guys do. Now, for some practice. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/4 "2006-08-12T01:52:13Z")
It appears to be fashioned after US Civil-war-era modes of speech, which seems likely since the visual theme of the show is based on that period and because Mal is a veteran of, well, a civil war. I’m not a linguist (cunning or otherwise), however. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/5 "2006-08-12T02:15:24Z")
I reckon a fella could watch a mess of ol’ westerns and getcherself helluva start. ---
**Author:** ![Analogue\_Skywalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Analogue\_Skywalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Analogue_Skywalker)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/6 "2006-08-12T21:45:55Z")
> [@Bobotheoptimist](#): > > I reckon a fella could watch a mess of ol’ westerns and getcherself helluva start. sounds like a start!. i hope to have itdown before halloween ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2006, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/7 "2006-08-12T22:25:02Z")
I already use several of those phrases in my everyday conversation, in addition to my classroom. The kids last year very quickly got used to me asking “Dong ma?” at the end of a lecture. I _hope_ they didn’t figure out what “Ta ma de!” means. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/8 "2006-08-13T00:00:34Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I’m not a linguist (cunning or otherwise), however. …how sad for any lady in your life. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/9 "2006-08-13T00:26:12Z")
My baby (yes, the one named after the mechanic on Firefly), named her first doll “Mei mei” (“little sister”). _sniff_ We’re so pround of that little Browncoat! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/10 "2006-08-13T02:03:08Z")
> [@Analogue Skywalker](#): > > sounds like a start!. > > i hope to have itdown before halloween So … which character will you be playing? And, more importantly, will we get to see pictures? 🙂 If you want to learn some of the more colorful phrases from the show, try the [Firefly-Serenity Chinese Pinyinary](http://fireflychinese.home.att.net/). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/11 "2006-08-13T02:06:50Z")
> [@ladybug](#): > > If you want to learn some of the more colorful phrases from the show, try the [Firefly-Serenity Chinese Pinyinary](http://fireflychinese.home.att.net/). Or, he could look up at Post #2. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/12 "2006-08-13T15:11:25Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Or, he could look up at Post #2. 😃 Doh! Serves me right for not checking the links before I posted. :smack: I still want details about the costume, though. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/13 "2006-08-14T03:40:54Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > My baby (yes, the one named after the mechanic on Firefly), named her first doll “Mei mei” (“little sister”). > > _sniff_ > > We’re so pround of that little Browncoat! > > 😃 I think you got a lock on the True Fan award this year, **WhyNot**. I hope she turns out as sweet as the original. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-dialect/368379/14 "2006-08-14T04:37:26Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I think you got a lock on the True Fan award this year, **WhyNot**. I hope she turns out as sweet as the original. Why, thank you. She already does the Kaylee nose wrinkle. Can you believe I forgot my sig in this thread? Why, neither can I, except that I hardly ever use it. But it seems fitting now.