Poul Anderson, World Without Stars
The Azkashi are easy to deal with because they have:
"...no obviously alien semantics." (VII, p. 49)
They have individual names, use comprehensible sign language and both accept and bring gifts. When their gifts include an animal that might poison the Earthmen, Valland accepts this gift by burning it. This response is acceptable to the Azkashi.
Caution remains necessary. Valland appears to claim that he has come from the galaxy. To ya-Kela, this implies that Valland has claimed:
"...to be the emissary of God." (VIII, p. 52)
The Azkashi partially resemble kangaroos.
James Blish, Welcome To Mars (London, 1978)
The dune-cat's resting stance is kangaroo-like and he has an abdominal pouch. Each hand has five fingers and a thumb so he counts in twelves.
Communication is difficult. Neither can pronounce the other's language so they develop a pidgin and some information is exchanged by drawing maps and pictures.
Addendum: Only this single post on this blog today. And one more on James Blish Appreciation here.
Note that pidgins have strong similarities -- positional grammar, for example. There's been speculation that they resemble the original language.
ReplyDeleteBefore Babel!
ReplyDeleteKaor, Paul!
ReplyDeleteWith a race as devout as the Azkashi I can see how they would find it acceptable to devote or sacrifice a gift to God by fire.
Not sure I understand re Blish's dune-cats. If they have four fingers and one thumb per hand that looks like five, not six digits to a hand, like ours. And the human preference has been to count using base ten (twice five digits). I don't see how the dune-cats get to using a base 12 count if they only have ten digits.
Ad astra! Sean
5 fingers + 1 thumb. Mistake corrected.
ReplyDeleteKaor, Paul!
ReplyDeleteI was overthinking it, wondering if the dune-cats had an unusual kind of base count.
Ad astra! Sean
Sometimes people count on the knuckles of each finger using the thumb, going up to 12 on one hand. This is probably why eg: English has the words dozen & gross. In a way base twelve has advantages, more factors than for base ten.
ReplyDeleteKaor, Jim!
ReplyDeleteI think, more likely, our use of 12 came from the 12 Tribes of Israel and the 12 of Christ. And hence multiples of twelve.
Ad astra! Sean
Surely it was the Babylonians who counted in sixties because sixty (6x10) is the number at which it is easy to transfer from decimal to duodecimal and the latter is easier for making large calculations because 12 has more factors than 10?
ReplyDeleteYup, it was the Babylonians.
ReplyDeleteSean: Couldn't it be the other way around? 12 was already regarded as a special number so Christ chose 12 apostles & the original Israelis divided themselves into 12 subgroups.
ReplyDeleteKaor,. to All Three!
ReplyDeletePaul/Mr. Stirling: I did think of the Babylonians, but I was not sure what I thought I recalled was correct.
Jim: I agree, 12 was a numinous number for the Jews, for the reason you gave, so it was natural for the Lord to have 12 chief disciples.
Ad astra! Sean
The Church, when it came into existence, was based not on 12 tribes or on 12 lines of Apostolic succession but on imperial provinces with bishops in cities.
ReplyDelete