Blind: part 3

Dr. Strings Etching of the occasion the Lightstruck told him of their superstitions.

I studied to learn the language of the Lightstruck for 21 tides before I even came to live with the Lightstruck. I had listened to their language many times, and found that it lacked many of the concepts that we take for granted as the Blind. Their language is a relic from our past, a less evolved version of our own. For the day to day matters of survival it is quite utilitarian, but the rich harmonies of our grammar are lacking. The language doesn't include even contain the capacity of many speech acts we consider basic; they can't distinguish between possibility and actuality; they can't draw logical inferences; lack a concept of the past or the future; no concept of truth, or distinction of ends and means; they lack even the words to speak about their own language, hell they don't have a word for 'word'; They have no music theory or for that mater logic of harmonics. And yet, for all its simplicity, the Lightstruck are able to interact with one another in ways that I can't understand from their language.

Disturbingly, sometimes when I am preparing to speak (before I have said anything!) they will seem to gather around me and grow quiet. I am fairly confident that it is coincidence, but the effect is disturbing.

~~~

I had a disturbing experience quite recently, and I feel I should put it down now that the memory is fresh, as if I don't I am sure to distort it. An older lightstruck for the last half tide has been listening to me etch these journal entries. And after listening to my previous entry he purred [smiled] and a moment later began speaking to me in the language of the Blind! Included is a transcription:

It's so obvious to you that when we talk there are things important to your people that never come up, and you note that we lack the * possibility* of understanding them. You would say we are of a lower nature. Of course you are the one not using logic. You would then infer, that if your people could talk of things my people don't have words for, then my people might be talking in ways that your people couldn't recognize. Granted, that I never would speak of the 'past' or 'future' an that even those words I only know through borrowing, if I hadn't listened to your concepts I would have never learned of these new types of words that I had never use for. But, maybe if you actually listed to us you would realized that there are things my people do with language that you can't even recognize. Those sounds you dismiss as nonsense are our words for light types [color]. The world is alive with lifelight [bioluminescent] language, and we too emit lifelight, and converse with the other creatures. You know how we know when you will talk? Your words glow on your skin before you speak. Out of kindness we pretend not to understand what you are thinking, and some of it is shameful and sometimes you embarrass yourself, it is fair because of your disability. We speak with each other of things your people could never grasp through out skin, and also with sounds, for even though you hear the sounds you could never understand that with you assume to be nonsense.

At that point he walked away, and turned his face toward the forest again. I admit this is an exciting insight into their mythology, but I am still shaken that a lightstruck was able to emulate our language so well.