The Meteor entered an extragalactic planetary system in order to visit a race of hydrogen-breathers but instead crashlanded on another, terrestroid, planet. Captain Argens, with some knowledge of the hydrogen-breathers' language, meets a native who also has some knowledge of that language which comprises gestures as well as sounds.
However:
neither has a large vocabulary;
their common vocabulary is even less;
they know dialects from different periods;
the language of a race different from either of theirs is now filtered through different body types, cultural patterns and even instincts.
This makes communication difficult. I venture that it would make it impossible. The British sf writer, Bob Shaw, once criticized American authors for making aliens speak like Harvard professors, adding that he never presented inter-species conversations in any of his own works.
2 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
As described, it would be almost impossible for humans and nonhumans to develop a language they could use.
But see Anderson's "The Word To Space," for another take on humans and nonhumans colonizing our Earth. And note how the story has a very Holmesian cahracter!
Sean
Second paragraph, second sentence, I meant to write "But see Anderson's "The Word To Space" for another take on humans and non humans COMMUNICATING WITH our Earth." Drat!
Sean
Post a Comment