Thread: What is name 'Slartibartfast'?

In the film 'The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy' one of the characters names 'Slartibartfast'. What does it mean anything?

Douglas Adams writes in the notes accompanying the published volume of original radio scripts that he wanted Slartibartfast's name to sound very rude, but still actually be broadcastable. He therefore started with the name "Phartiphukborlz", and changed bits of it until it would be acceptable to the BBC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slartibartfast

And Russian version of same here:
В своих заметках ко второй части оригинальной радиопостановки Дуглас Адамс писал, что он хотел сделать так, чтобы имя Слартибартфаста звучало очень грубо, однако не настолько, чтобы попасть под цензуру. Для начала он хотел назвать его именем «Фартифукборлцз».

Спасибо за вопрос!
Одна из моих любимейших книг. И когда я играл в Lineage, я именно это имя хотел взять для своего персонажа. Но оно показалось мне слишком длинным, и я оставил из него Bart, даже не понимая, значит ли это что-то.

Извините, что по-русски. Мне пока так проще.

Originally Posted by oldboy

In the film 'The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy' one of the characters' names is 'Slartibartfast'. _Does it mean anything?

Originally Posted by quartz

Originally Posted by oldboy

In the film 'The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy' one of the character's names is 'Slartibartfast'. _Does it mean anything?

quartz, thanks.

quartz, and in this case, must not "names" be without "-s" in the end?

Originally Posted by oldboy

Originally Posted by quartz

Originally Posted by oldboy

In the film 'The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy' one of the character's names is 'Slartibartfast'. _Does it mean anything?

quartz, thanks.

quartz, and in this case, must not "names" be without "-s" in the end?

Good question! My mistake. It should be "one of the characters' names" (the possessive s can be dropped after a plural that ends in s).

Originally Posted by quartz

Good question! My mistake. It should be "one of the characters' names" (the possessive s can be dropped after a plural that ends in s).

I am whole confused )))
I think it should be "one of the characters' name_ is 'Slartibartfast'". A name (Slartibartfast) is one (singular), you know. How come 'names' rather than 'name'?
'one of the characters' name' = 'name of one of the characters'? isn't that so?

Одно из имён (многочисленных) героев фильма
Одно из имён героя фильма
В русском логика такая же, как ни крути: одно из многих (one of the many).

Originally Posted by oldboy

Originally Posted by quartz

Good question! My mistake. It should be "one of the characters' names" (the possessive s can be dropped after a plural that ends in s).

I am whole confused )))
I think it should be "one of the characters' name_ is 'Slartibartfast'". A name (Slartibartfast) is one (singular), you know. How come 'names' rather than 'name'?
'one of the characters' name' = 'name of one of the characters'? isn't that so?

one of the characters' names = "one of the (many) names of the (many) characters" = Одно из имён (многочисленных) героев фильма (as alex said)
Characters here is adjectival noun. One here goes with "names". You need plural noun with the phrase "one of ..."

"name of one of the characters" is different -- one here goes with "characters" (имя одного из многих персонажей)

Originally Posted by alexB

Одно из имён (многочисленных) героев фильма
Одно из имён героя фильма
В русском логика такая же, как ни крути: одно из многих (one of the many).

'one of the characters' name' = "имя одного из персонажей"
а если с "names" ('one of the characters' names'), тогда получается "имена одного из персонажей", что неправильно!
Или я где-то торможу?

Originally Posted by oldboy

Originally Posted by alexB

Одно из имён (многочисленных) героев фильма
Одно из имён героя фильма
В русском логика такая же, как ни крути: одно из многих (one of the many).

'one of the characters' name' = "имя одного из персонажей"
а если с "names" ('one of the characters' names'), тогда получается "имена одного из персонажей", что неправильно!
Или я где-то торможу?

If with "names" -- One of the characters' names -- one goes with names
it means, "oдно из имён", and not "одного из персонажей"

'one of the characters' name' = "имя одного из персонажей" -- Not exactly. See my post above.

Originally Posted by quartz

If with "names" -- One of the characters' names -- one goes with names
it means, "oдно из имён", and not "одного из персонажей"

'one of the characters' name' = "имя одного из персонажей" -- Not exactly. See my post above.

It come home to me now! All is correct, quartz, alexB.
'one of the characters' names' = "одно из имён персонажей". I thought 'names' goes with 'one of the characters'' but that isn't correct.
I simply have translated no correct...:fool"

Thanks once again.

P.S.: I wanted to say "...one of the characters [s:3k2e8pxm]names[/s:3k2e8pxm] is called 'Slartibartfast'" primordially.

quartz, incidentally, and what rude are in names 'Phartiphukborlz' and 'Slartibartfast'?

Originally Posted by oldboy

quartz, incidentally, and what is rude in the names 'Phartiphukborlz' and 'Slartibartfast'?

Seriously?

Phartiphukborlz sounds like "fart-f**k-balls"
the second one is the altered version

Originally Posted by oldboy

I simply have translated incorrectly...:fool"

Thanks once again.

P.S.: I originally wanted to say "...one of the characters [s:3ggy2q20]names[/s:3ggy2q20] is called 'Slartibartfast'" [s:3ggy2q20]primordially[/s:3ggy2q20].

Originally Posted by quartz

Phartiphukborlz sounds like "fart-f**k-balls"
the second one is the altered version

O_o ))

Originally Posted by quartz

Originally Posted by oldboy

quartz, incidentally, and what is rude in the names 'Phartiphukborlz' and 'Slartibartfast'?

I simply have translated incorrectly...:fool"

P.S.: I originally wanted to say "...one of the characters [s:3j1dlgs2]names[/s:3j1dlgs2] is called 'Slartibartfast'" [s:3j1dlgs2]primordially[/s:3j1dlgs2].