Challenge #01802-D341: Communication Breakdown
Aliens who don't realise the importance of body language -- TheDragonsFlame
Humans are especially hard to understand, according to some species. Humans have traditions like ablaut reduplication and repetitious emphasis which make the words, "Like, like-like like," a valid portion of an explanation. And then there's the fact that they use their manipulating limbs to express themselves.
It was one of the finer points that the Cho'mago missed during their first few encounters with Humans. They were an insectoid species and, since they were dark-dapted, visual methods of communication were low priority as far as their evolution was concerned. The Cho'mago had famously bad eyesight and didn't always 'get' anything beyond a certain distance. They'd only gone to the stars because of some really obvious features in their stellar neighbourhood.
And it lead to a lot of misunderstanding.
"And it's sort of like," said Human Steve. "You know?"
"I do not," said Cho'mangi Stiiv. "You left half of your sentence unsaid."
"But I showed--" The human stopped in mid-argument. "Oh. Right. Y'all can't see gestures. Fish swimming upstream? Uh... wait, that's not a good metaphor for you guys... Flying against the wind?"
"Oh! An enormous struggle. Now I understand."
Interplanetary relations can become strained when one has to slow down and explain what you just said about thirty times per conversation.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / sequential]
If you like my stories, please Check out my blog and Follow me.
Send me a prompt [12 remaining prompts!]