Summer Session 2, Scoobying Workshop #4, Afternoon 8/01/2006 (Main Campfire)

[soldtoarmenians]

[Roster]

Xander is standing in front of the unlit campfire holding up a book in one hand. He's being careful not to get soot on it because yo, Tev'Meckian/English Dictionary. In hardback. Plus it was a present.

"Hi, my name's Xander and I'm -- prepare yourselves -- a geek. But despite the huge pains I take to hide that fact, I felt I should confess it today for the good of studentkind, since sometimes it actually comes in handy."

He coughs, then says in a gravelly voice, "Pef trom grabthar, kep mok frutwux!"

"Okay, a real Tev'Meckian would totally laugh at my accent, if there were real Tev'Meckians. But who else besides them or a bunch of Questarians -- who are pretty rarely evil -- are gonna have a clue what I just said?"

He waves the book. "This is a totally invented language, which means the speaking population is limited to... well, geeks. That makes it really useful for talking in front of people you're pretty sure aren't. Real languages are great too, if you happen to be lucky enough that your whole team speaks one that most people around you don't, but the made-up ones are a lot easier to come by.

No, I'm not gonna make you learn Tev'Meck. It's three hundred pages long and just reading a translation of The Cat In The Hat almost gave me laryngitis once. But there are other invented languages that are a lot easier to learn, and I've got a worksheet for you on one of them.

It sounds simple, but when you speak it fast enough it's pretty much just, well. Gibberish. Except to you and whoever you're talking to. If you practice enough, you can rattle off an entire conversation in front of your teacher without her realizing you're planning on sneaking out to giant irradiated Kep Mok blood ticks during the filmstrip --- which, uh is bad and you should totally not do mm'kay -- and if they start to catch on, at that point you'll probably be good enough at it that you can invent your own."

Xander grins. "So today you can spend the whole workshop yakking to each other about anything you want to yak about -- but the catch is, you have to do it in Gibberish."

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[Open! Posted early because I'll be afk all morning teaching stuff that is sadly less fun.]

Comments

Talk Amongst Yourselves

[soldtoarmenians]

"But in Gibberish, Oh Em Gee. If you're looking for a topic and don't have one, there's always stuff you learned from the radio last night. Or since I know from experience that people can dig up a lot of...interesting...subjects for this one, you could try 'things you've never done.'"

__
[Just your dialogue omg. And no, you don't actually have to say every word in Gibberish; characters can screw it up, or cheat, or totally give up and speak English or Tenktonese if it frustrates them. Just play with it as much or as little as you like.]

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

As if English wasn't hard enough! Before trying to tackle Gibberish, though, Sakurazaki just starts babbling about the price of tea in China in Japanese to see who can really tell the difference anyway.

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander can, not that he speaks Japanese, but he grins and keeps his mouth shut to see if anybody calls her on it.

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[lilpunkinbelly.livejournal.com]

Dawn spoke a little Japanese, and was more than happy to discuss the price of tea in China. Oolong was her favorite.

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

Sakurazaki grins, informing Dawn that she personally prefered green tea. First in Japanese, and then, cautiously, in Gibberish.

"Gridigeen tidigea?"

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker raised an eyebrow, and replied, "//But we import it from Ceylon. So what's your point?//" in Japanese.

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[bound2blade.livejournal.com]

Sakurazaki chuckled a bit, shrugging. //"Conversation?"//

But she had been found out, so, for good measure, she tried it in Gibberish, too.

"Umm...Cidigonveridigs..."

Okay, no. English, hard enough. The end. She shrugged again.

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker grinned. "//Right there with you. Ack.//" She cocked her head. "//*Do* you speak Chinese at all?///"

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[chasingangela]

Angela sighs a little at the workshop topic. She confuses herself with Pig Latin, and this is completely new to her. "Idig hidigaveig no .. nidigo idigdidigeaidug .... and I just screwed up."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[soldtoarmenians]

"You had the idea on no, though," Xander told her, giving her a thumbs-up.

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[chasingangela]

"Yidigay midige," Angela cheered with little enthusiasm, fanning herself. "Hey, Xander? If it stays this hot can we have class someplace with air conditioning?"

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker sighed. "I'veidig neveridig watchedidigy Galidigaxidigyidig Questidig."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[soldtoarmenians]

"Yidigou spidigeak whidigat - fidigive lidiganguidigidgediges?" Xander asked, grinning. "Edigenglidigish widigith adiga cidigoupidigle edigextridiga sidigylladigabidigabidbableidles thridigown idigin sh--" He blinked. "Wow did I ever screw that up."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker snickered. "Sixidig. Andidig yesidig, youidig did. Heee." She took a breath. "My tongue hurts."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[ihatedenmark.livejournal.com]

Hamlet rolled his eyes. "Pidigeopidigle midigust hidigave fidigar tidigoo midiguch tidigime odigon thidigeir hidigands idigif thidigey cidigan midigake udigup idigididigiotidigic lidigangidiguadigages sidiguch adigas thidigese."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[chasingangela]

"Idig oidignlydiig unidigdidigerstidigood hidigalf of thidigat? Bidigut Idig thidigink you're right."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

"Idigi'm nidigot sidiguidigre idigif Idigi'm doidigidiging thidigis ridigight, bidigut idigitidig's kidigind odigof fidigun."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"You'reidig soidig weirdidig, Broots." Parker made a face. "Rathidigeridig speakidig Russidiganidig."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

Broots shrugged. "Thidigis idigis fidigun, adagalmidigost lidigike cidiodidiging, adigand nidigot adigall odigof udigus spidigeak Ridigussidigian. Odigor adigany odigothediger fidigoriedigiegn ladigangudiguage. Adigand yidigour fidigirst sidigentidigance widigas odigoff."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel raised an eyebrow. "Idig kidigidnidigapped yidigour fidigrog. Pidig midige cidighocidiglidigate."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[soldtoarmenians]

"P you chocolate?" Xander asked, pretending to be deeply confused. "And at the top of the list of talents Xander doesn't have..."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Pidigay me chocolate," she laughed. "This is harder then it looks at first."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[swerval_zero]

"Bidigut Gidigibbidigeridigish idigis bidigoridiging. Didigown widigith thidige sidigystidigem!"

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Que dicho' Cero."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[swerval_zero]

"Whidiat didigid yidigou sidigay?"