Read Online The Whale Song Translation: A Voyage of Discovery To Neptune and Beyond by Howard Steven Pines - Free Book Online
Authors: Howard Steven Pines
Ads: Link
on the display, Dmitri was reminded of the speech bubbles and thought balloons hovering above the heads of the characters in the comics. When the shape of Javier’s next word gram looked nearly identical to the target, the display lit up like a pinball machine, flashing a colorful smiley face. The boy turned to face Melanie, his face radiant. She squeezed his shoulder.
“Excellent, Javier.”
Dmitri congratulated Javier with the mainlander’s version of the thumbs-up sign and then turned to Melanie. “That was a very impressive demo, Ms. Mari. The visual representation of the target frequencies is very clever. Do you have the time to describe some of the technical details of Speakeasy’s translation from audio to visual mode?”
“I anticipated your question.” She waved across the room, and her young colleague approached them. “I’d like to introduce my associate, Erika. I’m sure you noticed she’s a dynamite speech teacher. Erika, these are the SoCalSci professors I told you about, Dmitri and Greg.”
Dmitri immediately recognized the signs of Greg’s interest in Melanie’s associate, as his gaze fixated on the colorful tattoos of flowers, birds, and butterflies gracing her bare arms and shoulders. The golden ring embellishing Greg’s left ear struck Dmitri as a faint echo of Erika’s sparkling, silvery ensemble: treble-pierced, hooped earrings accented by diminutive lip and nose rings.
“Melanie’s right about your teaching technique.” Greg’s voice bubbled with congeniality. “Your body language is extraordinary. What’s your secret for tickling the children’s funny bones?”
“Humor is a matter of trust.” Erika’s tone was surprisingly businesslike. “They respond when you’re open, not afraid to make yourself vulnerable.”
“How so?”
“I recited examples of embarrassing gaffes I’ve committed when signing.”
“Erika’s going to sub for me with Javier and his group while we have that talk about Speakeasy,” said Melanie. “Thanks, Erika.”
“Nice meeting you.” Erika waved goodbye.
Greg and Dmitri followed Melanie across the room. They stopped and stood in front of a whiteboard mounted on the opposite wall. With Melanie in the center, the two men flanked her with elbow room to spare, close enough for Dmitri to appreciate the fragrant breeze when she shook the tangles from her lustrous, black hair.
“Since you gentlemen are tech-savvy, let’s review the rules for constructing a language. It’s the best way to understand the principles of the Speakeasy system.” With a big smile, Dmitri handed her a marker pen. “Thank you, and please tell me if it’s too tedious.”
“Not at all,” said Dmitri. “It’s been years since my Linguistics 1A course, and I’ve completely forgotten the material. A refresher course is much appreciated.”
“Same for me,” said Greg.
“Okay. The symbols for both written and spoken languages have similar structure and function.” Melanie shook the pen as she punctuated each point. “If we examine the written word first, we can gain insight into the foundations of spoken language. You probably know the human brain processes about twenty times more visual than auditory information?”
Dmitri perked up. “Hey, I know where you gleaned that factoid. Dolphin researcher John Lilly cited the same ratio for dolphins, except the roles are reversed. They process about twenty times as much sound information as visual.”
“Actually, I didn’t know that. It’s curious, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Those ratios indicate that sounds play the same primary role in whale and dolphin communications as visuals do in our own culture.”
“Quit interrupting.” Greg’s tone wasn’t very collegial. “I thought I signed up for Melanie’s Linguistics 1A class.”
Dmitri felt his face flush. Greg’s ultra-arched eyebrow confirmed that he considered whale communications a taboo conversational topic. “Greg’s right.” Dmitri shrugged.
“Excellent, Javier.”
Dmitri congratulated Javier with the mainlander’s version of the thumbs-up sign and then turned to Melanie. “That was a very impressive demo, Ms. Mari. The visual representation of the target frequencies is very clever. Do you have the time to describe some of the technical details of Speakeasy’s translation from audio to visual mode?”
“I anticipated your question.” She waved across the room, and her young colleague approached them. “I’d like to introduce my associate, Erika. I’m sure you noticed she’s a dynamite speech teacher. Erika, these are the SoCalSci professors I told you about, Dmitri and Greg.”
Dmitri immediately recognized the signs of Greg’s interest in Melanie’s associate, as his gaze fixated on the colorful tattoos of flowers, birds, and butterflies gracing her bare arms and shoulders. The golden ring embellishing Greg’s left ear struck Dmitri as a faint echo of Erika’s sparkling, silvery ensemble: treble-pierced, hooped earrings accented by diminutive lip and nose rings.
“Melanie’s right about your teaching technique.” Greg’s voice bubbled with congeniality. “Your body language is extraordinary. What’s your secret for tickling the children’s funny bones?”
“Humor is a matter of trust.” Erika’s tone was surprisingly businesslike. “They respond when you’re open, not afraid to make yourself vulnerable.”
“How so?”
“I recited examples of embarrassing gaffes I’ve committed when signing.”
“Erika’s going to sub for me with Javier and his group while we have that talk about Speakeasy,” said Melanie. “Thanks, Erika.”
“Nice meeting you.” Erika waved goodbye.
Greg and Dmitri followed Melanie across the room. They stopped and stood in front of a whiteboard mounted on the opposite wall. With Melanie in the center, the two men flanked her with elbow room to spare, close enough for Dmitri to appreciate the fragrant breeze when she shook the tangles from her lustrous, black hair.
“Since you gentlemen are tech-savvy, let’s review the rules for constructing a language. It’s the best way to understand the principles of the Speakeasy system.” With a big smile, Dmitri handed her a marker pen. “Thank you, and please tell me if it’s too tedious.”
“Not at all,” said Dmitri. “It’s been years since my Linguistics 1A course, and I’ve completely forgotten the material. A refresher course is much appreciated.”
“Same for me,” said Greg.
“Okay. The symbols for both written and spoken languages have similar structure and function.” Melanie shook the pen as she punctuated each point. “If we examine the written word first, we can gain insight into the foundations of spoken language. You probably know the human brain processes about twenty times more visual than auditory information?”
Dmitri perked up. “Hey, I know where you gleaned that factoid. Dolphin researcher John Lilly cited the same ratio for dolphins, except the roles are reversed. They process about twenty times as much sound information as visual.”
“Actually, I didn’t know that. It’s curious, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Those ratios indicate that sounds play the same primary role in whale and dolphin communications as visuals do in our own culture.”
“Quit interrupting.” Greg’s tone wasn’t very collegial. “I thought I signed up for Melanie’s Linguistics 1A class.”
Dmitri felt his face flush. Greg’s ultra-arched eyebrow confirmed that he considered whale communications a taboo conversational topic. “Greg’s right.” Dmitri shrugged.
Similar Books
