When an Atlantean, a pre-Attila Hun, a medieval Russian and a twentieth century American meet, the American is the only one of the four with the concept, "time travel." The futurian time traveler, Sahir, recognizes Duncan Reid as postindustrial and therefore uses the
mentator to learn his language although not to teach Reid the futurian language. Just as the Hun would take days or weeks to digest an idea like "steam engine," Reid would not know how to use many of the future concepts. After Sahir has died, the four unwilling time travelers use the
mentator to learn the most ancient of their four languages because that will be the most useful when they are.
Wardens and Rangers wear a diaglossa in an ear. Time Patrollers speak Temporal between themselves and get other languages imprinted on their brains. Only the mutant time travelers have no recourse but to learn each new language the hard way.
There was going to be more but this morning breakfast is rushed. Laters.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
It was a little easier for Jack Havig to learn languages because, unlike most of us, he had a knack for languages. Also, he spent time at a university studying the most commonly used ancient and modern languages. But most of the mutant time travelers in THERE WILL BE TIME would not be so systematic.
Sean
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