• morhp@lemmy.wtf
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    1 year ago

    I mean, they seem to have basic grammar for items and people and actions (“eyes”, “walls”, “fell”), it’s possible that they only use that weird allegory reference pattern when speaking formally to strangers or whatever. It’s also possible that their language in the original version makes more sense and is more practical and it just gets mangled by the universal translator.

    • Olgratin_Magmatoe@startrek.website
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      1 year ago

      it’s possible that they only use that weird allegory reference pattern when speaking formally to strangers or whatever

      It seems like an awfully bad idea to use a communication method that doesn’t transfer what you mean if you have a better option available.

      It’s also possible that their language in the original version makes more sense and is more practical and it just gets mangled by the universal translator.

      I doubt that’s the case. I don’t see how a non-metaphor based language would get turned into a metaphor based one through a software bug. Some big hand waving would need to happen for that.

      IMO the Tamarians probably have brains that are structurally different such that their metaphors come far more naturally.