Alien language: If we met extraterrestrials, could we talk to them?

Source dated October 2023

Alien language: If we met extraterrestrials, could we talk to them?

So, what if we do discover life on another planet? And if it turns out to be intelligent, how might we communicate with our cosmic neighbours? Scientists are already beginning to ask what alien language might be like and if our species could ever hope to understand each other.

Arik Kershenbaum, a behavioural ecologist at the University of Cambridge, UK, believes evolutionary challenges are truly universal, and that the evolutionary forces that shape life on Earth will produce many similar features in extraterrestrial life. If he's correct, it would mean life – and language – throughout the cosmos may share certain features.

Even human language, explains Roberts, comprises much more than just speech – we communicate through writing, body movements, drumming, whistles and more. "What's really remarkable about human language is that whatever form it's carried in, it has fundamentally the same properties," he says. "It's interesting to question: we have a good idea what human grammars look like, so what might alien grammars look like?" Intelligent exo-beings, says Roberts, might externalise their language in ways that we can't yet imagine, "through pheromones, magnetic fields – who knows what? But if we could decode that language, we would find it to be very similar to human language."

To begin with….I think 1) a smile, 2) a friendly hand wave gesture, and 3) an vocalized “hello” ….in a face to face meeting would help to break the ice….

Given in some African tribes…they speak in “clicks”……..we should just sample the aliens language and let AI find a possible match in a master world wide database of earth languages. Then take it from there. Otherwise like the movie Arrival….it’s gonna take some time.

👽

a reply to: Ophiuchus1

We have yet to learn to speak to other species on our own planet... dolphins come to mind.

In your examples, the baring of teeth is something only humans do as a friendly gesture.... and only certain portions of humans. To the rest of the animal kingdom, that is seen as a sign of aggression.

I was in Saudi Arabia as a woman once and am left handed. Using your left hand to shake to a native there was a double insult for them... one that I was a woman and was overstepping my cultural boundaries to be considered equal to a man and second that a left hand shake is an insult because that is the hand they wipe their asses with.

A vocalized "hello" would probably mean the same thing to aliens as what we hear dolphins say...

a reply to: Lumenari

You make a good point……but we got to start somehow.

Well, perhaps if they are so “advanced” they will either have their form of universal translator gizmo or communicate telepathically of sorts…

👽

Former Director of National Intelligence John Radcliffe said one of the most frustrating and scary things about the UFOs is how they don't respond to communication attempts. He feels either they are unmanned, or don't want to communicate.

Carl Sagan done a great job with the Arecibo message to help start some communication based on numbers and graphics of some fundamental attributes. SETI used it when beaming signals into space to see if anything is out there.

With what happened at Chilbolton, SETI could not find intelligence if they tripped over it in their own back yard. Link

originally posted by: WeMustCare
Former Director of National Intelligence John Radcliffe said one of the most frustrating and scary things about the UFOs is how they don't respond to communication attempts. He feels either they are unmanned, or don't want to communicate.

What is more frustrating is how humans silence, ridicule and stick their heads in the sand when attempts are made.

originally posted by: Ophiuchus1
a reply to: Lumenari

You make a good point……but we got to start somehow.

Well, perhaps if they are so “advanced” they will either have their form of universal translator gizmo or communicate telepathically of sorts…

👽

Start with mathematics.

If aliens exist in the same reality as us, we share the physics of this real universe, and therefore a comprehension of at least some of the mathematics that underlay those physics.


Once a correlation, based on primary mathematic principles (addition, subtraction, Fibonacci sequences, recursion, etc) has been established, a "grammar" can be synthesized to facilitate communication.


ETA:

An important point to consider regarding the movie "Arrival" (one of my favorite films, BTW!);

The alien's language was revealed to be not merely a means of communication, but also (and I would argue Primarily) a catalyst which laid the basis for humans to expand their concept and understanding of Time (and thus Reality) beyond the linear we consider intrinsic, to the "Non-linear", or even the "globular" ("every-when", all-at-once).

a reply to: WeMustCare

Or perhaps, the objects we have encountered so far, are not designed to communicate "with the natives".

Much in the same way the surveillance cameras, and even "animatronic" decoys, we use to study other terrestrial species are not designed to communicate with the animal subjects under observation.

a reply to: Ophiuchus1

You don't watch Star Trek do you? The first Klingon war was because a human smiled at them. Showing teeth is a sign of aggression. Never smile at first contact. Act as neutral and uninterested as possible. The lives of everyone on Earth are at stake.

I seriously doubt that humans have adiquit scent glands and chromatophores to actually communicate well.

a reply to: Ophiuchus1

Never encountered the “Other”, huh?

I would say it is like being an individual aware that they are in the Borg collective! Words are useless. Emotions are useless. If they (specifically the Greys) want to push a thought into there is little or nothing you can do. That is why owls are convenient “cover” memories we all what an owl is and if you freak out because a little bird turns into an owl and stares at you then you just had a bad dream!

I think that the Greys use technology to make them a collective. That is why they move in threes: spatial triangulation.

Since they are a collective, individual characteristics like “gentle” and “humor” do not exist. So smiling or talking ain’t gonna do squat (about the only thing that does work is anger… if you are not sh!tting yourself in fear. Ask Whitley Strieber about screaming!)

I love these “Well if I ever saw an alien….” type questions because you melt down to basic fight-flight response. Me? Think I was abducted after rounding a trail, seeing a duo of short greys by a river, then slowly walking away (they came to me a few years later). That happened twice and I freaked out on my last partial encounter: sweat, hyperventilating, tears, adrenaline, full out panic attack.

As a matter of fact the last thing I remember is telling myself, “don’t look at them! They remind you of giant bugs” before a crystal wand thing touched my forehead. I heard a loud crunch, woke up an hour or so later, in the above state turning on all the lights in the house, locking the doors and shutting the curtains.

I heard a voice telling me, “calm down. Turn on the TV. There is some music you like”. And yeah, MTV had Bowie, the Who, Quiet Riot, and U2 on which helped calm down.

Say what you want but until you look into the black eyes of an alien being you don’t know crap!

-peace

Derpa durpa doo

That's hello in alien.

a reply to: Ophiuchus1

Supposedly extraterrestrials been visiting earth and have the tech to travel light years. But haven’t translated our language?

A lot of contactee accounts say they communicated telepathically, and I was thinking about this in relation th the Flatwoods Monster, and how it was said that their head glowed... Hear me out on this, the pineal it similar to ocular sensors and is not there to receive light, its to emit it for instant communication across vast distances of space, or just across the table.

I dont think we need to go all linguistics on this, but there is this hot as fk chick round the corner from me who has a phd in linguistics if like you want me to hook up with her--ya know for science, I'll try.

Any species intelligent enough to locate and travel to another species within this universe should at the very least be smart enough to surveil and study the species being visited long enough to determine the safety and viability of the mission.

Think about if we, as a species, managed it. Would billions of dollars of investment be risked by just landing blindly and naively on a distant planet.. I doubt that!

originally posted by: BeTheGoddess2
A lot of contactee accounts say they communicated telepathically, and I was thinking about this in relation th the Flatwoods Monster, and how it was said that their head glowed... Hear me out on this, the pineal it similar to ocular sensors and is not there to receive light, its to emit it for instant communication across vast distances of space, or just across the table.

I dont think we need to go all linguistics on this, but there is this hot as fk chick round the corner from me who has a phd in linguistics if like you want me to hook up with her--ya know for science, I'll try.

In the name of science, go forth and copulate

a reply to: Ophiuchus1

I think that's what forgotten language is dealing with.

Inter species communication is nearly impossible. It's definitely not us that should initiate communication as we are absolut idiots at inter Species communication... We haven't cracked any animal language, allowing us to communicate.
We'd better focus on that, but allas the alien language has to be out there...

Language is so much more that just words and their meaning. Languages are concepts of reality, if their concept of reality is diffrent than ours, communication is up to impossible...

a reply to: Ophiuchus1


It is always amazing how a discussion from any earthly source approaches the situation on a 50-to-50 basis. Meaning an equality of points of view, manners and methods. Bear in mind that is the position that a far-less accomplished member will always wish for in an exchange with a far superior force. Good luck with that.

The ETs have given evidence that they will not play house. They have a mission, a very, very basic concept for humanity to learn and while they probably know our whole being and come speaking our language, don't for a second assume that we are in any way equal to them. They, the explorers, in their achievement of reaching us in remarkable, here-to-fore denied ships, is enough to school us on where we stand. And we stand not at all, but knee in total submission.

As I've frequently implied and stated on ATS, the ET's come with a cosmic doctrine that works between them all, and it will be fitted around the neck of earth's peoples. No doubt they fully understand our ignorance of what a cosmic form of law and order would and should be. We see it already being formed from some of our own efforts by visionaries over the centuries. But we much prefer the clout of personal power assisted by mass control with a club,

The ET's will speak to you in whatever language you wish, but their entire philosophy of existence will be alien to most human ears. Your first education and acceptance will be that very old joke, "We come in peace," which is quite true, but the upshot of that will be that the NWO is a must and will be about the first order of business. Look around you, nationalism is being destroyed every day around the world in one form or another, especially in the West. In the hinderlands that have little world power, the changeover will be easier and a vast new advantage of equality, equity and whatever.

If I speak "woke," sorry. It is not entirely my own doing as a registered Republican, It is just simple reality being expressed.

a reply to: Lumenari

We have yet to learn to speak to other species on our own planet... dolphins come to mind.

I guess you've never been to SeaWorld, where people speak to dolphins and the dolphins obey their commands.

Communicating with other species goes far beyond trying to correlate sounds for words.
Animals being able to sense fear, is one good example. Another example is, a horse that's being ridden, understands kicks and directional pulls to it's reigns.

a reply to: Ophiuchus1

They have already sent a clear message to us by showing us they can turn off every countries nuclear war machine? Perhaps the only reply they want to see now is action towards world peace, not words. Actions speak louder than words.

a reply to: IndieA

Few people know that the recently deceased John Lilly was an earlier explorer of communication with dolphins. In fact, it went far, far deeper than that. A group of specialized scientists was formed to study the situation. One member of the group was Carl Sagan. It is unknown exactly what they learned, but whatever the results, the leader of the group has gold label pins fashioned for the about a dozen members. He felt that their efforts had been successful. Sagan, a secret believer in UFOs, would later embark on a career of denying the reality of UFOs here at earth but strongly supported other beings elsewhere. Lilly later wrote several books about his work and investigations between the minds of dolphins and humans. Later, he became addicted to ketamine.

originally posted by: Mantiss2021
Start with mathematics.

Why not start with VISUAL communication for a connection first. Very typical of a human to presume a channel is automatically available to use. I blame mobiles for that.

Like our friend Lumenari above says about the bearing of teeth, perhaps the closing of the eyes in a LONG BLINK just like cats, who do this to show a sign of non-aggression and offer a feeling of security to the other party. (Try this with a cat).

Have those trying to communicate with UFOs ever tried anything other than DIRECT communication?

SOUND and/or LIGHT is perhaps the only Universal language and any communication would depend on it for the initial connection.

Flashes of light and sounds, perhaps trying different frequencies in colour and timing and incorporating prime numbers for the handshake. Like an old modem.

** *** ***** *******
** *** ***** *******
** *** ***** *******
would be a good start maybe and eliminate the ignorance of language difference from all parties.

Try MUSIC?