A quick thought regarding FR vocabulary

[Turbofurball]

This was just a shower thought from the other day, is Immortan Joe's use of "Mediocre" from getting his hands on Dementus' history man by the end of the events in Furiosa?

Would this apply to any other words used within the citadel in Fury Road?

I'm picturing Immortan Joe asking for more information from the history man and then holding onto the words that amuses him and weaving them into his religious cult. This is all based off his son not knowing the meaning of "abundance" when they first encounter one another ... though that could just be from him being stupid.

[Taipan]

I checked the transcript to be sure and it doesn't seem like the History Man ever said 'Mediocre' in Furiosa.

But I do believe some words used by Dementus' people were incorporated into The Citadel's vernacular. For example the Organic Mechanic was using 'full life' long before they stumbled upon the Citadel. He brought it in there and War Boys started calling themselves half lives etc.

[Turbofurball]

I was specifically thinking of it being pointed out that the citadel didn't understand the meaning of the word "abundance", but in Fury road there being a pretty varied lexicon in use. It felt like a little nod to language similar to Beyond Thunderdome's kids having a limited / skewed vocabulary because they'd been cut off for a long time.

Playing with how language might be used or might evolve is one of the little things that keeps the MM films in my head. Over this weekend I've been doing a marathon of the Matrix movies to better enjoy the finer points of the 4th film, and it shares the idea that choosing one's own name with MM, and is also something that tickles my brain.

[Taipan]

I was specifically thinking of it being pointed out that the citadel didn't understand the meaning of the word "abundance", but in Fury road there being a pretty varied lexicon in use. It felt like a little nod to language similar to Beyond Thunderdome's kids having a limited / skewed vocabulary because they'd been cut off for a long time.

This is a super interesting point because you can see how Immortan's empire is falling the more the Citadel is evolving in many aspects.
He started it out with a very basic cult of kids that don't understand basic vocabulary, which is something a cult leader would do in his best interest (dumb kids - easy to manipulate). In the Biodome there were plenty of women and books but I doubt they could even read as there was History Man/Woman to teach them. Perhaps that's why those women wanted to stay - they didn't know any better about any other life outside of the Citadel (Furiosa did, so she escaped).
As far as the Citadel itself - they were planning to show it being built around the time Dementus rolls up. I wish they kept that in too, but instead we're shown Immortan's 'golden age' where they build his flagship rig instead. A vehicle that is completely irrational for the surroundings and the Road Wars that would follow - let's be honest, it's a vehicle that attracts attention.

After Dementus' defeat the Immortan incorporates the History Man into the Citadel and that is the beginning of the end for him because that man brings in the knowledge. So the War Boys are learning new words etc, but the Immortan made an even worse mistake - he started looking for more 'History People'. I believe Furiosa was in charge of finding the History Woman that ended up with the Wives. She taught them about the world and that made them rebel.

So as the knowledge within the Citadel grew, Immortan's health was dwindling and his empire was slowly rotting away. No longer could he afford a shiny Rig, now it's a black Rig full of jagged edges, covered in black pitch. His vehicles are beat down, War Boys are dying (I don't believe they were doing blood transfusions in Furiosa yet...). So there's that co-relation between knowledge and power that I've noticed.

[Turbofurball]

Absolutely, the War Rig in Furiosa felt very "extra" (to use today's vernacular) whereas the Fury Road one only had flourishes that perhaps helped intimidate foes. I thought it was a nice touch that the shiny and chrome rig had nods towards Norse symbology which ties into the War Boys "going to Valhalla" (and of course Norse mythology has been co-opted by many who idolise authoritarianism, to boot). Historically, the slackening of control of information into authoritarian regimes has gone hand-in-hand weakening power so your observation tracks nicely

Regarding the books, I wonder if history men / women can read English but then use code or shorthand in their tattoos so that they don't just get skinned for their knowledge.