Languages

[adyc]

Afternoon all,

I have a problem, no not that one.

In my story I have a world that is populated with a diverse and mutually exclusive group of races. They have developed to be completely suited to their environment; sea, air, and a variety of land based beings. The problem is how they will communicate with each other as I pull their stories together as the plot develops. I was considering using the written word because at some point in their past they did trade and cohabit.

Anybody have any comments or alternative ideas??

Adyc

 

[Pyar]

Language is a huge part of any race's culture. So this all depends on how different these races are, how they developed, where the live, what is their relationships with each other? How long have they been in coexistance or known about each other? Maybe a universal language has developed or there are special translators that exist and travel race to race, helping where they are needed. Or if the races have existed long enough, maybe their language might differ only in the dialects like American and UK English differ. Maybe there is no way these races can communicate verbally and that causes much tension and misunderstanding, creating more conflict in the story. They could communicate physically though some sort of special ritual or as you said it could be written communication. But then again you run into the problem of each race having a different written language as well. You could have a universal written code or something made specially for communication with other races. I'm just throwing out ideas so take what you want.

 

[Xelebes]

We have issues. How alike are the races? Are they basically man and dog/cat or are they merely Sub-Saharan African and European in difference?

If the former, they'd be relying on body language.

If the latter, then it would either be body (sign) language (re: Native Americans), pictograph (re: China) or through interpreters (re: Europe.)

 

[clippedwolf]

And remember, unlike Tolkien, in the real world languages are not separate from each other. They will barrow words and phrases from each other. A conquered people will learn their occupiers' language. Language gets spread around through trade and conflict.

 

[chrispenycate]

I've read the bit in critiques, and they are different species. It is not even clear they have common ancestry, and almost certain their vocal capacities will be extremely different. Similarly, they are physiologically different enough that straight body language will have a very limited overlap in concepts, and sign? Well, they will presumably all have some manipulatory organs, but dissimilar enough that recognising the symbols with such an "accent" will be slow and cumbersome.

And since language is the framework on which abstract thought is hung, any concept more complex than "don't hurt me" is likely to come out as a very different symbol from the different races.

If they have a common origin; a single intelligent race that evolved, or was evolved, to fit the various ecological niches, there is a hope for an underlying communication logic which they can build on; if, however, they have converged on sapience from different origins, they are unlikely ever to truly understand each other; what would an intelligent cephalopod have to say to us?

Writing develops late in a culture, after the basic symbolic forms are already set; we couldn't expect all the different races to bend their thought forms to one, so expect a band of earnest diplomats to develop a brand new 'pigin', independent of all the original forms.

Assuming writing starts as pictograms (not a safe assumption, by any means) and that the visual abilities of the multiple races are more or less equivalent (neither is that, though Dra'qua seems to use sight rather than sonar for distance viewing), some concepts would be relatively easy – numbers, in particular, and some nouns – while verbs would already be more complicated, as theychange with time, while the picture is static.

Again, assuming the language separates nouns and verbs, which isn't even true for all Earth-human tongues.

Some adjectives would come across; colours, if the two races communicating had reasonably similar vision, comparative sizes, weights and temperatures (easier to explain "bigger" than "big", and just as useful), while others, more abstract, would disappear. I suspect adverbs woud all go, making "I swim fast" "Me water go quicker"; inelegant but comprehensible.

A trading language, surgically removing the inessential, minimising and lowest-common-denominatorising though patterns. Almost certainly, those with vocal languages and similar sound production capabilities would work out time-saving auditory equivalents, and those with similar physiologies signs, and long term trading partners would learn each other's subtilities, but the essential symbol set – a hundred, perhaps two hundred words – would be engraved on stone, static and very, very limited.

And lacking in poetry.

 

[adyc]

Hmmm.

Alot to consider.

I have tried to put together the first moments of interaction between Dra'qua and Doomat. Basically, Dra'qua comes a cropper during the Narwhale hunt and ends up being washed up on a beach where Doomat is fishing. Dra'qua is injured so Doomat takes him back to his house for treatment.....


Dra’qua was so deep in his own thought that he had not realized that his hosts had stopped talking and were looking at him now.
He watched as Doomat approached the tub and patted his broad chest before raising his hands over his head and rotating them, looking to the ceiling as he did so.

“Soonom” He said. The vowels seem to drag themselves from his mouth.
It took a moment for Dra’qua to realize what he meant.
The word ‘Soonom’ must mean house or home. Doomat was indicating that the room they were in was ‘Soonom’. Dra’qua nodded.
Doomat pointed a thick finger at the Adite.

“Et?” He said.
Dra’qua fully understood that the word was a question, the inflection left him in no doubt. He repeated the word over and over, under his breath, while he thought what it could mean. Of course; it meant ‘You’.
Dra’qua got quite excited by this and waved his fin gleefully in and out of the water, splashing his hosts.

“Yes, Yes!” He shouted. “My home is over the ocean, a cave below some cliffs. Are there any cliffs nearby?”
The female stepped back again. There was obviously something about his voice that she did not like, but Doomat stood his ground although he did wince. Dra’qua realized that they understood nothing of what he just said.
Taking a deep breath he tried again.

“I live…my soonom, is far away.” He gestured expansively with his arms towards the door. He noticed Doomat nod cautiously. That was encouraging, he thought.
“My soonom is below tall rocks.” He lifted his hands as high above his head as he could. “Do you know where they could be?”
They looked at each other and shrugged.

“Maroo.” Doomat made a wave motion with his hands. Now we are getting somewhere, Dra’qua thought. ‘Maroo’ must mean sea or ocean. He nodded encouragement.
“Toofaa.” Doomat pushed at the air, his palm outstretched towards the west.
Dra’qua tried to stay calm. This was frustrating but he had to give it time, he could not afford to make these people angry. He nodded again. Doomat smiled, obviously pleased with his progress. The female patted him hard on the back, muttering her appreciation, he assumed.

Dra’qua gambled.
“Maroo toofaa…..high up.” He once again lifted his hands above his head. The gesture was met with blank expressions. He found that even with just these few words his jaw and throat were beginning to ache. Getting his mouth to form the long vowels of this strange language was difficult. The challenge of communicating with these land creatures was going to be taxing both mentally and physically. After a moment he held his webbed hands up in front of his face and shook his head. He hoped that they did not misinterpret the signals as insulting; he thought it prudent to rest for a while as he gathered his thoughts and wrestled with the problem of communication.

They appeared to understand and retreated from the room. Dra’qua slid into the water until it covered his head. Unconsciously his breathing switched from lung to gill. The beat of his heart seemed to echo from the sides of the bath, it soothed his mood and before long he had drifted off to sleep.

I think this works to a point but I have no idea how Dra'qua is going to tell Doomat where his home is!!?

Adyc