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Theoretical situation for you here...

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posted on Sep, 23 2003 @ 05:42 AM
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Let's say it's the year 2103. For the past century, we've managed to reduce greenhouse gases, invent anti-gravity generators, and create a cheap and expendable fuel source.

We've just built and launched our first starship, based around the theory of folding space to cut travelling times in half. With this system, we reach a new solar system outside our own in only 3 days. Using a type of radar, we determine there are sentient beings on a somewhat large planet a bit away.

We land nearby a large concentration of these beings. They're unlike anything we've ever seen before. Short, with two buggy yellow eyes on their bellies, a flexible mouth, three toes, hands that have a long dinosaur tooth-like finger and two smaller fingers, and a large eyestalk with a gazing eye at the end.

We both admire eachother with awe and wonder. Who are these creatures? Do they understand us?

Now, the situation is: How are we going to contact these creatures and either let them learn our language, or learn their language, if they have a language at all, and get in good relations with them? This is a just-for-fun situation, I'd like to just read everyone's thoughts on the matter.



posted on Sep, 23 2003 @ 05:49 AM
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i think we would have to communicate thru objects such as flowers and drawings etc. also maybe through showing them our daily lives. if i met an alien the first thing id show it was this site



posted on Sep, 23 2003 @ 06:14 AM
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to them we would look as bizzare to them as they look to us. But I bet we could use some form of Visual communication(assuming that they see or light waveliengths) or tones(assuming they can hear). my mone would be teaching them a tone laungauage that we both could understand.



posted on Sep, 23 2003 @ 06:20 AM
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I know that if i was an alien and came to Earth i would turn my ship around and find more worthy beings.......Now i'm not blaming humanity but things have gotten out of hand.
However just for humor, if I went to an alien world, apart from having a ball, i would try to learn thei language as i tought them ours.
But if it was a planet not yet passed the "dark ages" i couldn't help but play God!!.....kinda like the gods of the old world eh?



posted on Sep, 23 2003 @ 06:24 AM
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Mathmatics would be an obvious place to begin. The movie "Contact" hit the nail on the head, assuming that what we already 'know' about physics and maths is indeed correct (on the scale of things!) it could be used as a common language on which you could perhaps begin to build a vocabulary.



posted on Sep, 23 2003 @ 12:41 PM
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Originally posted by UniversalFiction
Mathmatics would be an obvious place to begin. The movie "Contact" hit the nail on the head, assuming that what we already 'know' about physics and maths is indeed correct (on the scale of things!) it could be used as a common language on which you could perhaps begin to build a vocabulary.

The flaw in this of course is assuming that our system is universal, which seems rather egocentirc an idea to say the least.
I think visual communication is the way to go.



posted on Sep, 23 2003 @ 12:59 PM
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I definitely think mathematics would be the thing to use,
BUT
the main problem would be the numerical scale, whether or not they use 0-9, or perhaps different systems, for example hexadecimal counting systems (0-G?)
Perhaps to get around this, you would use simple mathematics to display things
e.g. have the number 1, then put a bead in a container below it
then the number 2, put 2 beads in the container below it
do this up until 0 (e.g. 1, 2, 3... 9, 0)
then display simple addition (e.g. 1 bead + 1 bead = 2 beads)

However, we cant assume that they have similar theories to ours (E.g. pythagoras), or that they have even wanted to contemplate mathematics..
the crucial thing would be to treat them as we would a teacher to a child, to ensure we take things right to the basic, so that they can comprehend what we use for foundations



posted on Sep, 24 2003 @ 06:28 AM
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Originally posted by NephraTari
The flaw in this of course is assuming that our system is universal, which seems rather egocentirc an idea to say the least.
I think visual communication is the way to go.


A valid point, although I think that whilst our system itself would more than likely not be universal, the basic fundamentals of maths would remain, i.e. 1+1=2 no matter what way you look at it.

Would that not be a fair assumption? I suppose there's a much bigger picture here, and I'm no mathematician



posted on Sep, 24 2003 @ 09:49 AM
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How did a Spaniard ever speak to a South American initially?

Simple, gradually, through using visual tools, etc. we'd learn each other's lingo...

*points to himself...* "Gaz...rock"
*alien points to himself...* "Narf!"




posted on Sep, 24 2003 @ 09:55 AM
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Narf..nice lol.

Actually I would have to say music.
Music is not only the uniersal language, it is the universal culture.
Every nation uses music, every state uses music, everyone uses music.
Probably some old-school classical like Mozart or Bach.
Plus I'd offer them an apple and hope they were herbivorous...lol
- Tass



posted on Sep, 24 2003 @ 11:44 AM
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The point is, we would need to develop a basis for communications to build off.
Mathematics is a very good way of doing this..
Music not quite so, because maybe they dislike music, or dont have the same tastes in it as us, or havent discovered it yet (e.g. that 256 Hz is middle C)... Or perhaps they have different hearing ranges, etc.

The problem with languages is that they may/will probably have a COMPLETELY radically way of communication, to the extent of telepathy, possibly, or might not even use descriptors and things like we do...
Perhaps they dont have an alphabet?
Perhaps they dont even have a language, but instead speak mathematics?

We simply wont know



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