HFQ Official Snippet #5

Weird Harold wrote:

n7axw wrote:Why would you assume there was a Spanish download at all for that trip?

Why would there not be? With the capability to download complete fluency in a matter of seconds via NEAT implants, it would be a simple precaution to add for an "extreme sports holiday" with the possibility of landing a hang-glider away from the local tourist venues.

You might be right, although even today English useage is common in all but fairly isolated areas. Using my radio, I talk pretty much up and down the Andes in English. But not too much can be assumed from that since the presense of an amateur radio transciever implies a certain amount of affluence.

If she didn't do a Spanish download, it would be because she didn't find it necessary for the occasion. The world is continually growing smaller due to communication. Projecting a few centuries and I would assume it even more so than today.

Another thought. Nimue could have known Spanish well prior to her holiday. IIRC, she is a Brit and it is very common for Europeans to know several languages. Knowing only one language tends to be an American thing.

Sooo... who knows?

Don

Weird Harold wrote:Shan Wei, and presumably her sleepers, new that Nimue's PICA was going to awaken. Jeremiah Knowles left information that would prove Nimue/Merlin's Identity. One of the things Shan Wei and Pei Wei knew about Nimue's PICA was that her last upload was for a vacation in the Andes -- Where Spanish is the primary language. The choice of Spanish is either a incredible coincidence or a deliberate choice aimed at passing information to Nimue's PICA.

The sleepers shouldn't know about Nimue and even if so the choice of language should be of no matter because OWL can translate every language in no time. If we assume the sleepers knew this little detail that Nimue was in the Andes the last time on earth then it'll be safe to assume they knew that a highly sophisticated computer system is waiting for Nimue too.

Wow some of you are building a huge edifice on a one liner in the first book. It could be a plant by RFC, of course, but I don't see what it gains him or us very much for all that planning.

There is no evidence whatever that Khody was consciously writing for posterity rather than journalling to get his thoughts straight in his head. Nynian, who is the only one 'on stage' so far who knows the whole English contents of the journal , thinks that is what he was doing.

We have no evidence Khody knew anything about Nimue and lots of evidence that he shouldn't have done.

Above all, it's completely and entirely unnecessary to the plot that Nimue herself knows anything about Spanish. OWL could read the Journal through her eyes and give her a running translation by Com whatever TF language it was written in. (I see Boronian has nailed this one while I was typing.)

The Spanish needs some explanation, but the kind of conspiracy theory some are spinning sounds wildly unlikely to me.

Several months of intensive study for a 'limited' degree of proficiency? The mind boggles. Anyone of normal intelligence who understands their own language's grammar is capable of picking up basic conversational proficiency in a new language within days, and intensive study should give that person a complete grasp of grammar within a few weeks - definitely not months. After that it's just a matter of leaning new words as they come along. Mind you, I _did_ say 'who understands their own language's grammar' - maybe some people don't do that so can't learn a new language.

Cheers

John

InvisibleBison wrote:Why is everyone assuming Kohdy learned Spanish through a NEAT? We don't know how long the "demon" held him prisoner; perhaps he learned Spanish the old-fashioned way. As I understand it, you can gain a limited degree of proficiency in a foreign language with a few months of intensive study. I don't see how teaching Kohdy Spanish, in addition to whatever other revelations the "demon" made, would be useful, but we have very little actual information about these events - just hundredth-hand hearsay, really.

One thought on Khody's use of Spanish.

Native English speakers call it Spanish but to native Spanish speakers call it "Español".

To me that says that Khody learned it from a native Spanish speaker, either as a child on Earth or as an adult on Safehold.

???

Kohdy calls it Español in his journal. It's us who switched it to Spanish.

Boronian wrote:The sleepers shouldn't know about Nimue and even if so the choice of language should be of no matter because OWL can translate every language in no time. If we assume the sleepers knew this little detail that Nimue was in the Andes the last time on earth then it'll be safe to assume they knew that a highly sophisticated computer system is waiting for Nimue too.

The sleepers don't need to know about Nimue or her holiday plans ... They just need to be taught Spanish and told that "normal" people won't be able to understand it (though obviously angels, archangels and other sleepers will).

DrakBibliophile wrote:One thought on Khody's use of Spanish.

Native English speakers call it Spanish but to native Spanish speakers call it "Español".

To me that says that Khody learned it from a native Spanish speaker, either as a child on Earth or as an adult on Safehold.

It's very likely that Kohdy is one of the crew that got his mind wiped of all memories of high-tech which would explain his knowledge of spanish. See option A in RFC's post in the thread "Langhorne's big mistake" (which I posted about earlier in this thread).

PalmerSperry wrote:The sleepers don't need to know about Nimue or her holiday plans ... They just need to be taught Spanish and told that "normal" people won't be able to understand it (though obviously angels, archangels and other sleepers will).

Well then it is pretty useless as a secret language in a time full with angels and archangels. They even could give out translators to their own sejins.
IMO there isn't some big plan or conspiracy behind Kohdy using Spanish.

Interesting is the question how the Order got hold of Kohdy's diary. Nobody at the temple saw or read it otherwise it would have been destroyed. Did he just leave it in his home and nobody checked it for dangerous items or did he hide it with someone he trusted? This has some impact on the question if Kohdy used his diary to give information to Nimue (or someone else or whatever).

But I still think there is no deep connection between Kohdy and Nimue.

Agree that we started calling it Spanish but I'm wondering why he called it Español.

Duckk wrote:???

Kohdy calls it Español in his journal. It's us who switched it to Spanish.