All Comments on 'Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 18'

If vocal communication is out, why not try writing? Some sort of pidgin can be developed, with the use of either a linear or ideogram writing system. Implication is that the felines use a linear style writing like humans. Hints are there some sort of writing on the abandoned buildings, but nothing revealed in any detail. But it is a possibility.

Thank you for sharing more of this excellent story. I look forward to reading more.

Developing a Sign language mixed with spoken words might be helpful

Happy to again be reading this fine story.

Thanks for sharing.

Really enjoy yourcstory

I look forward to reading this story every day when I get home from classes

All storyies have pause in them. Its good to see your doing more writing.

There are some tribes in south America that speak in clicks and whisles. That also have some sign language involved. There just needs to be some middle ground. Plus lots of patients to get it correct. Some things could also be done in pictogragh. If used right most thoughts will be convaded. Please continue frequint updates. Long waits drive me buggy when a good story is in writng. Hope life treat you well and be safe.

Will be waiting for more...

Ghost

Yep, pictographs/hieroglyphics/symbols (w/e you feel inclined to identify them as) were the first idea that came to mind.

It would be REALLY handy if they had some type of tablet (sufficiently futuristic, of course), or, at the very least, flat stones that could be easily marked with something to draw shapes on them.

It might take a LONG time, (and they might be teach the tribespeople writing, I dunno), but it would be the only way I can think of (due to anatomical limitations) for them to actually be guaranteed a method of communication after investing enough time in it.

Having to invent a new language to communicate with another species would be difficult, sure, but I would imagine it would be far easier if both species were not only sentient, but also WANTED the communication to happen.

/geekyintellectualbraindump

*Off-topic:

I wish the html tags for italics/bold/underline worked in the comment section. Would let me emphasize w/o using capitals all the time.

Make that "anon who commented just before me" -- forgot the comment order gets flipped around between viewing & posting comments.

Before this line of comments about the language barrier gets any further with speculation and suggestions for how to resolve it, I'm going to step in. I hate doing this, but I really hated all the comments questioning Liam's reasoning in chapter 17.

Yes, the castaways could use sign language or picture writing to communicate with the Fauns. They certainly could do that. Absolutely, yes. However, since the Humans have solved the problem of people being deaf, sign language is not taught to anyone anymore. Deaf jZav'Etch either are euthanized at birth or if the condition develops later in life they are fitted with implants and therefor the jZav'Etch do not have sign language anymore either.

The combination of hand signals and vocalization is much more efficient than carrying a pad of paper and drawing pictures. Drawing pictures or writing in order to communicate would require something to draw on and something to draw with. The castaways don't have anything like that at the moment.

I have had to work with people who did not speak English and I did not speak more than a few words of their languages (French and Spanish). We communicated with single words and hand gestures, usually by holding up an object and saying its name (cup, screw, panel, etc.). It works. It's not efficient, but it works. Given a long enough period you can learn what sounds mean. How many of you know what your dog wants just by the sound of its bark?

Keep in mind that this is not a major plot point in the story. I just felt it was appropriate that the Fauns would have a language the castaways could not readily understand and adapt to. I also thought it would be fun to have a 'Star Wars' reference.

Thank you for another submission! I have enjoyed every addition you have made. I start my days looking/hopping to find another piece of this wonderful story. That last wait was tough. Ignore the critics, you have this well under control. Looking forward to what you add next. Thanks for the awesome escape from every day!.

P.S. This is the first time I have ever felt the need to comment on any thing I have read here.

I have to say that this is a gift. A wonderful story about castaways. It has everything, action, sex, mystery, and wonder.

Thank You again. I am having a great time

AMerryMan

Excellent story that I have just consumed in it's entirety in one night. Great characters, great setting, wonderful moods and some truly intense sexy situations. You've balanced all the elements extremely well. Even in break chapters like this I don't remotely lose interest or feel the direction is wobbling. Keep up the incredible work and I eagerly await the next chapter.

This is one of the most well thought out stories I have ever read, here or anywhere else. Details are the building blocks of a good series. Can be overlooked somewhat in a one or two page short, but have to be consistent with the story as well as the characters. This is spot on. Take for instance the language barrier. Could write, could develop a sign language, but this is a hand on existence. They have to be able to communicate while working, hunting or fighting. The solution here is ingenious and probably has been used between people since the beginning of time. They don't have to be able to write sonnets to one another, just function. So, critics, get a grip, let the author tell his story. This is like sitting in a rocking chair on the back porch. Smooth and easy to get the rhythm of the read and just let the story flow.

Sorry about expounding on you language solutions. I read the comments yesterday before you posted and just came back tonight and wrote my comments. Then I found your explanation and felt I owed an apology for writing what you had already written.

Oops!

I'm really enjoying this series....I check everyday, looking for the latest chapter.

I simply love your characters. I would favorite this wonderful story again if I could :)

Jason

Love the reference to Star Wars

" "You know, my grandfather used to love ancient movies. He had a big collection of them. Made me watch dozens of the things when I would visit. One of them was this ridiculous fantasy about a farm kid going off and defeating an evil empire by blowing up this big space station shaped like a ball."

"I'm sure it was very entertaining, but how does this relate to our communication difficulties?" M'pel E'kmel asked, puzzled.

"I'm getting there," chuckled Liam. "The farm boy met up with a pair of smugglers who took him to where he was going. They ended up becoming friends. Anyway, these smugglers were a human and a big harry thing that couldn't speak English. The human just talked to it and it would moan and yodel and growl and the human understood him." " -end quote

*Star Wars theme song plays in the background*

Love it! My favorite moment in the story!

I had a dog once, we were both deaf, but it took no time at all for the dog to start understanding sign language. We got along as well as non deaf, so any language barrier can be breached. These nomads sound an awful lot like the tribe that resides in the Serengeti in Africa. They speak with whistle and clicking sounds

my life have come to me through 'circumstances', rather than deciding "Let's get a dog."

One of the last two came along a number of years ago when my youngest daughter was still at home, and we decided to get a cat.

Off to the Humane Society Shelter we went to find a cat. Well, we came home with a 18 month old Golden Retriever. He adopted us that day. I had never been around a Golden before, and had always heard they weren't real sharp.

So it was the first 6 months. I've had a lot of experience training dogs; it's always been easy, but I couldn't get this dog to learn ANYTHING based on a verbal command. Then, one night as I was thinking about what life was going to be like for the next ten+ years with a 'stoopid' dog, I thought back to the overwhelming amount of things the Humane Society had told me about him. I thought I recalled something about training, but couldn't quite remember.

The next morning I called the Shelter to see if they still had any info about our new family member. After a few minutes, sure enough, they did. Yes, the family who gave him up for adoption had went to 'dog lessons' with him, and he was fully hand siignal trained.

I then did some research, (early/pre-Internet, so it was off to the library), and got some info about hand signals with dogs.

It was an amazing transformation that Golden made; I learned hand signals, and HE suddenly became an incredibly intelligent dog. Funny how that works, sometimes. LOL

It did turn out, though, everything I had heard about Goldens being not too sharp was completely wrong. He turned out to be the most intelligent, communicative dog I've EVER had. By the time he died almost 15 years later, the hand signals were no longer important. He KNEW what I wanted, and DID it, well before I had to tell him.

I've had a few flashes of him while reading RipperFish's descriptions of Rover.

Really wish I could give more than 5 stars!!

If Liam knows about “Star Wars”, then he may also have seen “The Gods must be crazy”, a movie set in Botswana, the area of Africa populated by Bushmen, whose language would appear to be similar to that of the High Grass folk. Clicks & whistles.

I have been fascinated by this story, which I only came across last week, and commend RipperFish on his imagination, and inventiveness of plot line.

By the way, small typo in this chapter: Chewbacca was “hairy” not “harry”.

5* nevertheless. Looking forward to the concluding chapters.

Roger

No doubt about it, you are gifted.

Working in Luke and Chewbacca was delightful, thank you😀

Part of this stories appeal is the teasing going on between the characters. Got to love that.

6 stars out of 5 so far!

You are also good ar building suspense - and I`m still hopping, we - as a species - will survive our attempts to kill ourselves. If we succedes in that endeavour, I just hope our soldiers will have the ethics of `sergeant`; he really is an outstanding soldier, even though he's tactics are a little flawed at times. Who cares: this a Very Well written story.

Thank you for sharing this with us!