⊱ 1 | audio

[phonetical]

[ANTI-KHAN FILTER]

Hi, I want to introduce myself. My name is Uhura. Apparently, I've been here before, but I have no memory of that, so I feel like it would be best to start from the ground up. I apologize if I have forgotten something important about you.

I do have a question for everybody: what languages do you know other than the one I'm speaking in now?


[PRIVATE | STARFLEET COMM FREQUENCY]

Lt. Uhura of the USS Enterprise, reporting in and hailing any and all Starfleet personnel. Please respond.


[ooc: She's already read most of the network and studied almost everybody since that is what she does. The Eye of Nyota is always watching. Or the ear. Whatever.]

Comments

Audio

[recognize_an_opportunity]

English, but I guess that goes without saying. Yiddish. Russian. Enough Italian to get by. Some Polish. Why?

[phonetical]

[She could answer in Federation Standard, but it's more fun to reply in Russian.]

Pure curiosity. I have a love for linguistics.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[Russian's easy enough to switch to, so he does.]

Does that mean we get to ask you what else you speak, too?

[phonetical]

Swahili, Russian, Farsi, and some Japanese. My fluency varies in the last two, though.

[And the list is longer than just four, but Uhura will just run with that.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

That's an impressive variety. There're a fair number of people around here who speak Russian, but I'm not sure about the others.

[phonetical]

Thank you. And yes, I've noticed. It's a wonderful language so there's no surprise.

Is it your native tongue?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Yiddish and Russian are my native languages. English was a later acquisition. And you?

[phonetical]

Swahili. I learned the rest on my own and in my spare time.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Does your work involve languages, or is it mainly a hobby?

[phonetical]

[She could be honest and say both, but that'll open herself up to questions she's not allowed to answer.]

More like a passion. I've always loved words.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I'm the same way. Maybe not to the same extent -- I wouldn't say any of the languages I know are as difficult as the ones you do, but still, it's nice to meet someone with a similar interest.

[phonetical]

Difficulty is relative, I think. If you want it, it's easy to get.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Fair enough. As far as learning other languages go, the City wouldn't be a bad place to do it in. People know quite the variety.

[phonetical]

It seems just as many people speak Latin as they so Russian. [Why? But Uhura is rolling in the dead languages like a cat in catnip.] I wonder when and where they find the opportunities to use it.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Around here, I'm sure they find ample ways to use it. You've probably realized this city isn't exactly normal.

[phonetical]

My point is I want to know how and why. It's not enough to just know that they do.

And yes, along with being told so, I've realized that. Even if normal is relative.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Normal's relative, sure, but one thing we all have in common around here is that none of us think this place is normal. I'm sure you could find people here who speak languages neither of us have ever heard of.

[phonetical]

[Oh, Meyer. If only you knew that list she gave out isn't a quarter complete.]

I'd love to meet them.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I'm sure you will. You ask a question like that, that encourages people to talk about themselves, they'll be falling all over themselves to tell you exactly what languages they know.

[phonetical]

For once, I'll encourage bragging.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Someone could make decent money offering language lessons around here, I'd think. Surprised no one's done it yet.

[phonetical]

[The past her apparently did.]

I already offered to teach something conversational Swahili, but I don't plan on charging her.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

That's extremely generous of you.