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."

__

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

Comments

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

Broots silently handed the worksheet. "Try reading the instructions carefully? Or do it on paper first, it might help. And don't yeah, um, kill me?"

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Too many syllables!" Parker glared at him. "Paper first. Frak it. At languages have *sense* to them. Not just tongue-tying." Resignedly, she took the worksheet and cursed her way through a page of the set-up.

"Idig've nevidiger watchedidig Strifeidig Celidigidigadigl, edigithiger," she said carefully.

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

"Idigit's gidigood. Idigi've midiganadigaged tidigo sidigee pridigettidigy midiguch adigall odigof idigit. Bidigut ydigyou adigare nidigot adiga gidigeek, sidigo Idigi thidigink ydigyou adigare adigallodigowediged tidigo nidigot hidigave sidigeen adigany." Broots was actually doing a decent job at not gloating at Parker about being better than her at something.

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker cocked an eyebrow, and finally got it. Because her mun finally had three minutes to re-read the instructions. "Youidig adigare tidigoo kidigind. Tidigalkidiging lidigike thidigis adigat thidige Cidigentedegre widigould gidiget udigus slidigapped idigin adig cidigell." She took a breath. "So sometime? We'll come up with an alternative."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

"Whydigy? Tidigoo cridigazidigy? Odigor pidigeopidigle widigould thidigink widige widigere hidigididiging sidigomethidiging?"

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Bidigoth." She made a face. "Adigand idigit sidigounds widigeird adigand hidigurts midigy tidigongue!"

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[dorky-broots.livejournal.com]

Broots shrugged. "Idigi adigagridigee widigith thidige tidigongidigue thidiging. Idigit widigould bidige pridigettidigy cidigool jidigust wridigittidigen, thidigough."

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Adigalthidigough yidigou cidigan fidigudigure idigit odigout adigaftedeger adig whidigile." Parker coughed. "Screw that. Point made, point taken. Code good. Opacity better. My tongue un-sprained, best."