Part 17 (1/2)

”Farce?” Holloway said, mock shocked. ”This is a sober application of judicial wisdom.”

Sullivan cracked a smile at this. ”I don't mind admitting to you that this is going differently than I expected,” he said.

”I don't think you're the only one thinking that at the moment,” Holloway said.

Dr. Chen was ushered into the courtroom by one of Soltan's clerks. The xenolinguist looked confused, and depending on one's observational inclinations, either freshly awoken from a nap or slightly drunk.

”Dr. Arnold Chen?” Judge Soltan asked.

”Yes?” Chen said.

”We are calling you to give testimony on a video that concerns a subject you are knowledgeable about,” Soltan said.

”This is about the other night, isn't it?” Chen said. ”I admit I drank too much, but I didn't have anything to do with the rest of what went on.”

”Dr. Chen, what are you talking about?” Judge Soltan said, after a minute.

”Oh, nothing,” Chen said, hastily.

Soltan peered at Chen. ”Have you been drinking today, Dr. Chen?”

”No,” Chen said. He looked embarra.s.sed. ”I was, um.”

Soltan looked over at her clerk. ”He was asleep at his desk when I found him,” said the clerk.

”Late night, Dr. Chen?” Soltan said.

”A bit, yes,” Chen admitted.

”But you are able to think think right now?” Soltan asked. ”Your brain processes are not currently compromised by alcohol or any other drug, recreational or pharmaceutical?” right now?” Soltan asked. ”Your brain processes are not currently compromised by alcohol or any other drug, recreational or pharmaceutical?”

”No, ma'am,” Chen said. ”Your Honor. Um.”

”Have a seat at the witness stand, Dr. Chen,” Soltan said. Chen took a seat. Soltan glanced over at Holloway. ”You're up, Mr. Holloway,” she said.

Holloway stood and borrowed Isabel's infopanel once more, and opened a pipe between it and the monitor. ”Dr. Chen, I'm going to show you a video,” Holloway said. ”Don't worry, the events of the other night aren't on it.”

Chen looked at Holloway blankly.

”Just watch the video and give us your impressions of it as it goes along,” Holloway said. He queued up the video of Papa, Mama, and Grandpa Fuzzy eating the bindi.

”What are those?” Chen asked, looking at the still image. ”Are those monkeys? Cats?”

”You'll see,” Holloway said, and started the video.

Chen watched for a minute, thoroughly confused. Then it was like a 50,000-watt light went on in his head.

Chen looked up at Holloway. ”Can I?” he asked, motioning to the infopanel. Holloway glanced at Soltan, who nodded. He handed the infopanel to Chen. The xenolinguist grabbed it and reversed the video and played the first parts again. He turned up the volume to hear better. He moved the video back and forth for several minutes.

Finally he looked up at Holloway. ”You know what they're doing,” Chen said.

”You tell me, Dr. Chen,” Holloway said.

”They're talking!” Chen said. ”My G.o.d. They're really talking.” He looked back at the monitor. ”What are these things? Where did you find them?”

”Are you sure they're talking?” Meyer asked from her table.

”Well, no, I'm not one hundred percent one hundred percent sure,” Chen said. ”I'm just going from what you're showing me here. I'd need to see much more to be certain. But, look-” He paused the video and backed it up slightly, and ran it again. ”Listen to what they're doing here. It's phonologically varied but it's not random.” sure,” Chen said. ”I'm just going from what you're showing me here. I'd need to see much more to be certain. But, look-” He paused the video and backed it up slightly, and ran it again. ”Listen to what they're doing here. It's phonologically varied but it's not random.”

”What does that mean?” Holloway asked.

”Well, look,” Chen said. Whatever sleepiness he'd had in him was well and truly shaken off now. ”Take birdsongs. They repeat with very little variation. Phonologically they're very consistent. They're not what we typically consider language. Language uses a limited number of phonological forms-phonemes-but then it uses them in an almost infinite number of combinations, according to the morphology of the language. So, varied but not random.”

Chen pointed to the conversing fuzzys. ”What these little guys are doing is like that. If you listen, you can hear certain forms used over and again. Here-” Chen moved the video to another portion, where Papa Fuzzy was speaking. ”-that tche- tche- sound. It comes up a lot, but it's joined to other sounds as well. Just like we use particular phonemes over and again, particularly ones that represent vowel forms in our language.” sound. It comes up a lot, but it's joined to other sounds as well. Just like we use particular phonemes over and again, particularly ones that represent vowel forms in our language.”

”So this is a vowel?” Holloway asked.

”Maybe,” Chen said. ”Or maybe a prefix, since just listening here it always seems to precede other sounds. I couldn't tell you what it means or represents.”

”So it could just be noises they make,” Meyer said. ”Like a cat's meow. Or a birdsong.”

”Well, neither cats nor birds vocalize just to vocalize,” Chen said, sounding slightly snotty. Holloway grinned. After years of having not a G.o.dd.a.m.n thing to do, Dr. Chen's brain was back with a vengeance. ”And no, I don't think so. Your cat has a different sound for 'I'm hungry' and 'I want out of the house' but its vocabulary is not what you would call complex nor does the sound in itself convey complex meaning. Same with birdsongs. What these creatures are doing-the variation but apparently within a system-suggests that the sounds are words in themselves.” Chen looked up. ”Is there more video?”

”Lots more,” Holloway said.

Chen looked like a kid getting a puppy for Christmas. ”Excellent,” he said.

”Dr. Chen,” Soltan said. ”Is this language? Is this speech?”

”Are you asking for a determination?” Chen said. ”Because I don't have enough data.”

”Guess, then,” Soltan said.

”If I had to guess, then, yes, sure,” Chen said. ”And not just because of phonology and apparently morphology. Look at how the creatures react and respond to each other in this video. They're clearly listening attentively and responding, not with rote or instinctual sounds, but with new patterns of sound. If it's not language-if it's not speech-then it's something very close to it.”

”Does it warrant further study, in your opinion?” Soltan asked.

Chen looked up at the judge like she was stupid. ”Are you kidding?” he asked.

”You're in my courtroom, Dr. Chen,” Soltan growled.

”I apologize,” Chen said. ”It's just that this is tremendously exciting. This is the sort of thing that you pray for as a xenolinguist. What are these things? Where are they from?”

”They're from here,” Holloway said.

”Really?” Chen said. Then it hit him. ”Oh,” he said, looking around the room. ”Oh. Wow.”