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The High Speech is the language used by the gunslingers of In-World. It is an ancient language spoken by gunslingers and those who remember the time before the world moved on. It is instinctively understood by Eddie Dean, Jake Chambers and Susannah Dean; it is implied that this understanding is telepathic through Roland Deschain.

The opposite is the Low Speech, very similar to a bastardized form of English. Most of the signage and day to day interactions in In-World are in the Low Speech.

Very few people speak the High Speech during the series due to "the world moving on".

Glossary[]

A-E[]

An-Tet

"The Field of None"

—An intimate emotional link among those linked by the same destiny, or close conference
—Can also imply sexual intimacy
Anti-Ka
—A force that works against one's destiny
Aven Kal
—Literal: lifted on the wind, carried on the wave
—What happens when a Beam wants to communicate with someone
Aven-Car
—Carrying a kill and preparing it into something else
Aye
—An affirmative response; yes
Bondsman
—One who is bound to serve their dinh or ka-tet
Can Callah
—Angels
Canda
—The distance which assures a pair of outnumbered gunslingers will not be killed by a single shot
Can-Char
—Death Gods
Can Ka-No Rey
—The field of roses surrounding the Dark Tower.
Can-tah
—Little gods, tiny stone carvings
Can-tam
 —Doctor-bugs
Char
—A root word meaning death
Charyou Tree
—Root word char. Human sacrifice to punish sins and bring good crops
See main article: Charyou Tree
Commala
—Celebration of the harvest season (also has many non-High Speech slang meanings)
Chassit
—An old High Speech word for the number nineteen (19)
Chissit
—An old High Speech word for the number eighteen (18)
Chussit
—An old High Speech word for the number seventeen (17)
Dan-Dinh
—To turn over one's insoluble problems to one's dinh
Dan-Tete
—Little savior
Dash-Dinh
—Religious leader
Delah
—Many
Dinh
—Lord, leader

F-J[]

Gan
—The creator of the universe, analogous to God
See main article: Gan
Glammer
—Enchantment or magic
Gook
-A deep well
Graf
—A strong apple beer
See main article: Graf
Gunna
—All of one's worldly possessions
See main article: Gunna
Heartbox
—The internal box which produces all of man's feelings of love and sadness, joy and regret
Hile
—A formal Mid-World greeting or summons
Irina
—The healing madness that comes after loss

K-O[]

Ka
—Destiny or fate
See main article: Ka
Ka-Dinh
—Leader of ka-tet
Kal
—More forceful version of "kas", hurricane or tsunami
Ka-Mai
—Ka's fool, someone with hope but no real choices; also, "fool of ka-tet"
Ka-Me
—Opposite of ka-mai, ka's wiseman
Kammen
—Chimes
Kas
—Wind
—Wave
Ka-Shume
—Feeling that ka-tet is about to break
Ka-Tel
—Class of apprentice gunslingers
Ka-Tet
—A group of people summoned and bound by ka
See main article: Ka-Tet
Kes
—Strength
Ki'Box
—The internal box which houses all of man's selfish drives, petty jealousness, and the nastiest, darkest secrets of their souls
Khef
—Water of life
—The sharing of thoughts between members of ka-tet
—Life force
Manni
—A religious group
See main article: Manni
Ma'Sun
—War-chest; a collection of weapons
Mia
—Mother

P-T[]

Popkin
—Sandwich
Prim
—The sea of primal chaos that the universe arose from. It has receded since the universe has progressed
See main article: Prim
Rustle
—To take a woman by force, to rape
-sai
—A polite suffix meaning Sir or Ma'am
Seppe-Sai
—The death-seller
Sh'veen
—Side-wife
-soh
—A polite suffix directed to younger persons, similar to the Japanese -chan; used in place of -sai
Te-ka
—Destiny's friend (only used in Low Men in Yellow Coats)
Telamei
—To gossip about someone whom one shouldn't
Tet
—A group of people with the same interests and goals; abbreviation of ka-tet
Tet-fa
—A friend of a ka-tet, but not an actual member
Tet-ka can Gan
—Navel
Thankee
Thank you
Thinny
—A "weak spot" in reality where the barrier between worlds has grown unstable
See main article: Thinny
Thoughtbox
Colloquial: The internal box which hatches all the head's ideas and dreams
Twinner
—A doppelganger of a person found in a different level of the Tower
See main article: Twinners

U-Z[]

Uffi
—A shapeshifter
See main article: Uffi
Urs-A-Ka Gan
—The song of the Bear; the cry or scream of the Bear
Ves'-Ka Gan
—The song of the Turtle
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