Alien language

Alien language is a generic term used to describe a language originating from an alien species. The study of such a language has been termed xenolinguistics, though alternative terminology such as exolinguistics and astrolinguistics have found their way into use through the medium of science-fiction.

While the nature and form of such languages remains purely speculative, the possibility of future contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life makes the question of alien language a credible topic for scientific and philosophical speculation.

In addition to creating academic debate, the potential nature of an alien languages has also been tackled by science fiction writers. With some creating fictional languages for their characters to use, and others circumventing the problem by writing in translation devices or by creating a universal language that all involved species can speak. In a few cases the problem of communication with aliens has played a large part in a science fiction plot.

Academia

The question of what form an alien language might take, and as to whether humans would recognize it as a language if they encountered it, has been tackled from several fronts, and forms part of linguistics and language studies at some universities. [http://personal.bgsu.edu/~swellsj/ Course] notes by assistant professor Sheri Wells-Jensen, Bowling Green State University]

Life on Earth employs a variety of non-verbal methods of communication, and these might provide clues to alien language. Amongst humans alone, these include many visual signals such as sign language, body language, facial expression and writing (including pictures), and it is possible that some extraterrestrials species may have no spoken language. Amongst other creatures, there are other which use more exotic forms of communication - cuttlefish and chameleons which can alter their body colour in complex ways as a method of communication [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/camo/change.html] , and honey bees and ants which use pheromones to communicate complex messages to a hive colony.

In relation to the question of languages Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote that "if a lion could speak, we would not be able to understand him." On the other hand, many referentialist and verificationist accounts of language would make this gap seem more bridgeable. Willard Van Orman Quine also advanced the thesis of the indeterminacy of translation, according to which any hypothesis of translation could be defended only by appeal to context, by determining what other sentences a native would utter. If aliens have evolved under pressure of natural selection they will have the same drive to survive, reproduce, help relatives to reproduce that we have. Perhaps this can help form a basis for communication.

To date, SETI do not maintain programs to speculate on their possible makeup.

Science fiction

The first alien language in a work of science fiction may have been Percy Greg's Martian language in his 1880 novel "Across the Zodiac"Ekman, F: "The Martial Language of Percy Greg", "Invented Languages" Summer 2008, p. 11. [http://www.glossopoeia.org Richard K. Harrison] , 2008] . As the science fiction genre developed, so did the use of alien languages. Sometimes these are explicitly detailed, as in Greg's work, at other times they are implicit.

Some science fiction works operate on the premise that alien languages can be easily learned if one has a competent understanding of the nature of languages in general. For example, the protagonist of C. S. Lewis's novel" Out of the Silent Planet" is able to use his training in historical linguistics to decipher the language spoken on Mars. Others work on the premise that languages with similarities can be partially understood by different species and thus can be used to form the basis of understanding, such as in Philip K. Dick's "Martian Time Slip" where speakers of a Martian dialect that resembles an indigenous Australian dialect are able to speak pidgin English. Ursula K. Le Guin's short story, "'The Author of the Acacia Seeds' and Other Extracts from the Journal of the Association of Therolinguistics" (anthologized in 1984's "The Compass Rose") imagines a scholastic study of literature and language as experienced in different taxonomic classifications (plant and animal kingdoms) on Earth.

In some cases authors avoid linguistic questions by introducing devices into their stories which seamlessly translate between languages to the point that the concept of different languages can largely be excluded from a franchise. Notable examples include Douglas Adams's babel fish, the TARDIS from Doctor Who, the translator microbes in Farscape and the universal translator from Star Trek. In other cases, the question of language is dealt with through the introduction of a universal language via which most, if not all, of the franchises species are able to communicate. In the Star Wars universe, for example, this language in known as Basic and is spoken by the majority of the films' cast, with a few notable exceptions.

Some fictionalized alien species take advantage of their unique physiology for communication purposes, an example being the Ithorians of the Star Wars universe, who use their twin mouths, located on either side of their neck, to speak in stereo.

In some franchises this universal language is an intermediary language; one that different species can easily translate to and from their own languages, thus allowing simple communication between races. Examples of this approach include Interlac from the Legion of Super-Heroes, and Stargate, later, Babylon 5.

In the Uplift Universe, the numerous sapient species use at least twelve "Galactic" languages; each version is used in communication between species that can articulate it, and that find it useful in expressing their concepts.

Not all of these universal/intermediate languages take the form of spoken/written languages as it is recognized in the real world. In the film and book "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" scientists use a language based on musical tones while in the film and book "Contact", aliens send the instructions to build a machine to reach them through Mathematics, which the main character calls "the only universal language". Similarly, in Stargate SG1 the protagonists encounter a galactic meeting place where different races communicate with one another using a language based on atomic structures which is "written" in three dimensions rather than the normal two.

A number of long running franchises have taken the concept of an alien language beyond that of a scripting device and have developed languages of their own. Examples of which included the Klingon Language of the Star Trek universe, a fully-developed constructed language, and DC Comics Kryptonese, for which there exists an alphabet and language glossary.

The existence of alien languages and the ease/difficulty of translation is used as a plot device or script element in a number of franchises, sometimes seriously, and sometimes for comedic value. In the film "Mars Attacks!" the language spoken by the Martians appears to consists only of the words "ack!" and "rack!" spoken at different pitches and volume. The film's universal translator consistently translates these as being offers of friendship despite the fact that the aliens' actions are anything but friendly.

C.J.Cherryh's "Chanur" series of books heavily relies on linguistic and psychological problems of communication between various alien races. Some examples include usage of obscure languages and cultural references to conceal information from others, imperfections of computer translation, use of pidgin and linguistic barriers, psychological concepts which do not have matches in other races' languages, and a race so alien that it cannot be understood at all without a translation by another race which itself can be barely understood due to manifold meanings in each message. Conversely, in the Simpsons the fact that English is mutually understood by the show's human and alien characters is noted as being "an astonishing coincidence".

Some stories, however, have alien beings speak near-unpronounceable tongues. H.P. Lovecraft in one correspondence mentioned that the name "Cthulhu" was a feeble attempt at human transliteration of the creature's original name. Clark Ashton Smith, in one tale, has the sorcerer Eibon struggle to articulate the name of an alien, Hziulquoigmnzhah.

Yet other science fiction stories imagine communication through telepathy. There is for example the Vulcan mind meld in Star Trek.How an alien brain can communicate with a human brain is not discussed.

See also

* Codename
* Asemic writing
* Lincos (language)
* SETI

External links

* [http://www.seti.org/site/pp.asp?c=ktJ2J9MMIsE&b=179195 Interstellar Message Composition (SETI)]
* [http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/lingo.html A Primer In SF XENOLINGUISTICS] , by Justin B. Rye
* [http://tenser.typepad.com/tenser_said_the_tensor/2004/02/omnilingual_by_.html "Omnilingual", by H. Beam Piper] by Tenser, said the Tensor
* [http://personal.bgsu.edu/~swellsj/xenolinguistics/ "ENG 480/580; Extraterrestrial Language"]
* [http://www.laetusinpraesens.org/docs/alien1.php "Communicating with Aliens: the Psychological Dimension of Dialogue"]
* [http://www.orionsarm.com/xenos/Daharran_grammar.html "A Booklet on Daharran Grammar"] from the Orion's Arm Universe Project

References

Further reading

* McConnell, B.S., 2001. "Beyond Contact: A Guide to SETI and Communicating with Alien Civilizations" ISBN 0-596-00037-5
* Meyers, W.E., 1980. "Aliens and Linguistics: Language Study and Science Fiction" ISBN 0-8203-0487-5