Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Alien Linguists
"It doesn't prove anything," Meyer said.She managed to calm down.
"This proves that we can't immediately deny that Mao Mao has the ability to speak," Holloway said. "This is not trivial, this discovery is very important."
"You can also teach them to make those sounds," Meyer said.
"Are you implying that I have concocted an extremely intricate con to teach animals to make noises that no one can hear?" Holloway said. "For what, Ms. Meyer? If it was to tease Isabel, I clearly failed." Yes, because she only found out a few minutes ago."
"This scam was designed to cause financial loss to the Zara Group," Meyer said.
"This scam has also cost me money, and once Momo was identified as an intelligent being, I lost billions," Holloway said. "I had pretty definite reasons for wanting Momo to be an animal."
Mayer opened his mouth and Holloway held up his hand. "I know what you're going to say," he said, "and the only way I'd profit from it was if I managed to short Zara shares and profit from the drop in the price. In order to avoid this suspicion, I am willing to let Judge Soden thoroughly clean up my trading data and financial situation in the past few years. She can definitely ask forensic experts to search for evidence of my attempt to manipulate the stock price of Zara Group. But I can tell you now She couldn’t find it. The only assets I currently hold are mine income that Zara Group automatically transfers to my Zara Group bank account, and I remember that I receive 0.5% per year.”
"But we can't confirm that these voices are language." Meyer said, "You are just a surveyor, not an expert on extraterrestrial intelligent life. And we have confirmed that Dr. Van Gar has not received special training in identifying extraterrestrial intelligent life. You Neither can make an educated judgment about the nature of the sounds."
Holloway saw Isabel's eyes widen, and she knew Mayer had fallen into a trap.Holloway smiled. "You're right, Ms. Meyer," he said, "so I recommend an expert opinion from someone who can make a well-founded judgment. I recommend subpoenaing Arnold Chen."
"Who?" Mayer said.
"Arnold Chen," Holloway repeated, "has a Ph.D. Mistakenly assigned to Zara 23. Luckily for us, he happens to be here."
"Is that so?" Soden asked Meyer.
"I don't know," Mayer said.She was completely bewildered by the sequence of events.
"Sorry to interrupt, Your Honor," Isabel said, "Jack is right. Dr. Chen is an expert on extraterrestrial languages and is most likely in his office right now."
"What exactly is he doing?" Soden said.
"That's a good question, Your Honor," said Isabelle. "I'm sure Dr. Chen also wants to know what he should do."
"Bring him," said Thorden.
"Allow me to make another suggestion, Your Honor, ask one of your clerks to bring him, not the Zara Group," Holloway said.
"What does that mean?" Mayer asked.
"I think in this case, maybe someone would instigate perjury by experts," Holloway said. "I have experienced that myself."
Meyer was silent for a moment, her lips tightened.
"Okay," Soden said.
"I would also recommend that Dr. Chen not be told why he was summoned," Holloway said, "and that he watch the tape without presuppositions."
"Well," said Thorden, a little crossly, "do you have any other suggestions as to how I should be a judge, Mr. Holloway? Or have you finished?"
"I'm sorry, Your Honor," said Holloway.
Thorden shot Holloway angrily, then said to Mayer, "Have you finished questioning this expert witness?"
"I have nothing else to say to Mr. Holloway," Mayer replied.She glared at Holloway with the disgust of a dead bug.
"Mr. Holloway, you may leave the witness box," Thorden said. "We will adjourn for fifteen minutes until my clerk brings Dr. Chen." She got up and went back to the judge's office.Meyer grabbed her file and threw it on the assistant, before angrily disappearing outside the courtroom, with the assistant hastily picking up the file and following.Holloway discovered that Langdon was missing too, and must have tipped off his boss.
Holloway stepped off the witness stand, surprised to find Isabel standing in front of him. "Hi," he said.
Isabelle suddenly hugged him tightly.Holloway stood in a daze and was embraced by her on the spot. He hadn't had any physical contact with her for a long time, except for a polite face-to-face greeting.Indeed, after Isabel let go of him, she pressed a kiss on his cheek again, not just out of etiquette, but a kiss symbolizing friendship.
"I accept your apology," she said, stepping back.Sullivan also walked behind her at this time.
"Okay," said Holloway, "if you don't accept it this time, I'll give up."
"Thank you, Jack," said Isabel, "thank you very much."
"Don't thank me yet," Holloway said. "If Fluffy turns out to be an intelligent being, I'll be broke and unemployed, and Carl and I will show up at your door."
"I will take Carl in and give him a warm home," Isabel said.
"Oh, that's great." Holloway then sighed at Sullivan, "See what rewards do good deeds have?" Sullivan smiled and said nothing, he looked a little absent-minded.Isabel pressed Holloway's face again, kissed Sullivan, and left the courtroom.
Holloway turned to Sullivan and said, "She's not mad at me anymore."
"If only you could have been like this while you were still together," Sullivan said.
"Well," agreed Holloway, "let my misfortune serve as a lesson to you, Mark."
"Jack, we need to talk," Sullivan said.
"About Isabel?" Holloway asked.
"No, not about Isabel," said Sullivan, "about everything else."
"Wow, that's enough," Holloway said. "I don't think I'll be able to talk about anything but Isabel for the next five or ten minutes."
"There's more to talk about," Sullivan said. "Let's talk after this farce is over."
"Farce?" Holloway put on a look of shock. "I've used my legal wisdom to the fullest."
Sullivan was amused. "I'll admit it was nothing like what I expected," he said.
"I guess you're not alone in thinking that," Holloway said.
One of Thorden's clerks led Dr. Chen into the courtroom.The extraterrestrial linguist looked puzzled. From the perspective of others, he was either just waking up or a little drunk. "Dr. Arnold Chan?" Judge Sowden asked. "Huh?" Chen responded. "We're calling you to testify about a video because you may have insight into what's in it," Soden said. "Is it something that happened that night?" Chen quickly explained, "I admit that I drank too much, but I didn't participate at all in what happened next." "Dr. Chen, what are you talking about?" Judge Sodden asked after a minute. "Oh, it's all right." Fade Chen quickly denied. Soden squinted at Chen for a while: "Did you drink today, Dr. Chen." "No," Chen looked embarrassed, "I, what—" Thorden looked at the clerk questioningly. "When I saw him, he was dozing off on his desk," said the clerk. "Did you sleep late last night, Dr. Chen?" Thorden asked. "A little bit." Chen admitted. "Can you think now?" Thorden asked. "Your brain is not under the influence of alcohol, medical drugs or stimulants. Can it function normally?" "Yes, sir," Chen said, "er, your honor." "Please take a seat on the witness stand, Dr. Chen," Thorden said.Chen sat down.Soden turned his eyes to Holloway. "It's your turn, Mr. Holloway," she said. Holloway stood up, borrowed Isabel's information board again, and started the data connection connected to the screen. "Dr. Chen, I'm going to show you a video," Holloway said. "Don't worry, it has nothing to do with that night." Chen looked at Holloway in bewilderment. "Just tell us your impressions while watching the video," Holloway said.He pointed out the video of Mao Mao's father, mother and grandpa eating pendi together. "What are these?" Chen asked, staring at the still images. "Is it a monkey? Or a cat?" "You'll find out later," said Holloway.Start playing. Chen looked at it for a while, completely puzzled.Then for a split second it was as if a fifty-thousand-watt light bulb went on above his head. Chen looked up at Holloway. "Can I hold it?" he asked, gesturing to the information board.Holloway questioned Soden with his eyes, and she nodded in approval.He handed the information board to Chen.As soon as the alien linguist grasped it, he played back the video and started from the beginning.He turned up the volume and listened carefully, playing it over and over for several minutes. Finally he looked up at Holloway again. "Do you know what they're doing?" Chen said. "You tell me, Dr. Chen," Holloway said. "They're talking!" Chen said. "My God, they're really talking." He turned to the screen. "What kind of animals are these? Where did you find them?" "Are you sure they're talking?" Meyer asked from behind her desk. "Um, not 100 percent sure," Chen said, "I can only infer from the video you guys showed me. I'll need to watch a few more to be sure. But, look—" He paused the video and rewinded a bit Play again. "Listen to what they're doing, the phonological changes in the sounds are not random." "What does that mean?" Holloway asked. "Let's put it this way." Chen's drowsiness disappeared before he came in, "For example, birdsong. They repeat and rarely change. From the perspective of rhythm, this kind of sound is single, not in our usual sense. Language. Language uses limited phonological units—phonemes, which can generate almost infinite combinations according to the respective morphology of each language. This is what I mean by being rich in variety but not random.” Chen pointed at the Mao Maos. "These little guys make exactly this form of language. If you listen carefully, you can hear the repetition of syllables. Here—" Chen cuts the film to another segment, where Papa Fluffy is speaking, "—this' The pronunciation of che' is often repeated, but it is also combined with other syllables. Like certain phonemes that we often use every day, especially like vowels in our language." "So it's a vowel?" Holloway asked. "Maybe," Chen said, "it could also be a prefix. Listen, it often appears before other sounds. I can't tell you what it means yet." "Then it's also possible that it's a nonsensical noise," Meyer said, "like a cat meowing or a bird chirping." "Ah, birds and cats don't just vocalize for the sake of vocalization." Chen's voice sounded a bit arrogant, and Holloway snickered.After several miserable years of doing nothing, Dr. Chen's brain is back with a vengeance. "Also, I don't think the two are the same thing. Your cat will meow differently to say 'I'm hungry' or 'I want to go out,' but it definitely doesn't have a complex vocabulary or express Complicated meanings. Birdsong is the same. And the sounds made by these creatures, the changes in these syllables are obviously systematic, which means that these sounds are meaningful words." Chen looked at Holloway expectantly, "There are other Is it videotaped?" "A lot," said Holloway. Chen was as happy as a child who received a puppy for Christmas. "Great!" he said. "Dr. Chen," Soden said, "is this language? Can these animals speak?" "Are you asking me for an exact inference?" Chen said, "I don't have enough data." "Guess then," Thorden said. "If I had to guess, of course it's language," Chen said, "not just because of the phonological repetition and obvious language structure, but also because of the behavior of these little guys communicating and responding to each other in the video. Listening carefully and responding, not imitating, not making unintentional vocalizations, but communicating on a regular basis. If this is not language, if this is not conversation, this behavior is also very close." "Do you think further research is necessary?" Soden asked. Chen jerked his head up at the judge, like she was an idiot. "Are you kidding me?" he said. "You are in my court, Dr. Chen." Soden said sternly. "I apologize," Chen said, "I was so excited. This kind of thing is a day and night dream come true for alien linguists. What are these animals? Where did they come from?" "They're the animals here," Holloway said. "Really?" Chen said, and suddenly he understood. "Oh." He looked around the court and subconsciously exclaimed, "Oh, wow." "Yeah," Holloway sighed, "oh wow." Soden looked at Meyer: "Any questions for Dr. Chen?" Meyer shook her head. She knew it was over.Thorden asked Dr. Chen to leave, and Holloway wrestled the information board back from him with all his might. "Based on the evidence and testimony presented in court today, I rule that the existing evidence is not sufficient, and the Zara Group does not need to submit a report on suspected intelligent creatures for the time being," Soden said after Holloway and Dr. Chen returned to their seats, "However, all the evidence Both show that these creatures are not unusual animals. But while I respect the professional opinions of Dr. Vangar and Dr. Chen, no one here can definitely judge whether their intelligence level is comparable to intelligent creatures. This case needs further study." "I will apply to the Environmental Protection Department of the Colony Planet, which is in charge of the identification of alien intelligent creatures, and request to send relevant experts for further research, and then make a judgment on whether Maomao is an intelligent creature. Before the judgment, the Zara Group can continue daily operations, but must comply with CEPA The regulations governing the mining of pending planets. I will release the results of the hearing within today. Ms. Meyer, do you have any objections?" "No, Your Honor," Mayer said. "Then the hearing will be adjourned here," Thorden said, and she stood up and left to go back to the judge's office.
One of Thorden's clerks led Dr. Chen into the courtroom.The extraterrestrial linguist looked puzzled. From the perspective of others, he was either just waking up or a little drunk. "Dr. Arnold Chan?" Judge Sowden asked. "Huh?" Chen responded. "We're calling you to testify about a video because you may have insight into what's in it," Soden said. "Is it something that happened that night?" Chen quickly explained, "I admit that I drank too much, but I didn't participate at all in what happened next." "Dr. Chen, what are you talking about?" Judge Sodden asked after a minute. "Oh, it's all right." Fade Chen quickly denied. Soden squinted at Chen for a while: "Did you drink today, Dr. Chen." "No," Chen looked embarrassed, "I, what—" Thorden looked at the clerk questioningly. "When I saw him, he was dozing off on his desk," said the clerk. "Did you sleep late last night, Dr. Chen?" Thorden asked. "A little bit." Chen admitted. "Can you think now?" Thorden asked. "Your brain is not under the influence of alcohol, medical drugs or stimulants. Can it function normally?" "Yes, sir," Chen said, "er, your honor." "Please take a seat on the witness stand, Dr. Chen," Thorden said.Chen sat down.Soden turned his eyes to Holloway. "It's your turn, Mr. Holloway," she said. Holloway stood up, borrowed Isabel's information board again, and started the data connection connected to the screen. "Dr. Chen, I'm going to show you a video," Holloway said. "Don't worry, it has nothing to do with that night." Chen looked at Holloway in bewilderment. "Just tell us your impressions while watching the video," Holloway said.He pointed out the video of Mao Mao's father, mother and grandpa eating pendi together. "What are these?" Chen asked, staring at the still images. "Is it a monkey? Or a cat?" "You'll find out later," said Holloway.Start playing. Chen looked at it for a while, completely puzzled.Then for a split second it was as if a fifty-thousand-watt light bulb went on above his head. Chen looked up at Holloway. "Can I hold it?" he asked, gesturing to the information board.Holloway questioned Soden with his eyes, and she nodded in approval.He handed the information board to Chen.As soon as the alien linguist grasped it, he played back the video and started from the beginning.He turned up the volume and listened carefully, playing it over and over for several minutes. Finally he looked up at Holloway again. "Do you know what they're doing?" Chen said. "You tell me, Dr. Chen," Holloway said. "They're talking!" Chen said. "My God, they're really talking." He turned to the screen. "What kind of animals are these? Where did you find them?" "Are you sure they're talking?" Meyer asked from behind her desk. "Um, not 100 percent sure," Chen said, "I can only infer from the video you guys showed me. I'll need to watch a few more to be sure. But, look—" He paused the video and rewinded a bit Play again. "Listen to what they're doing, the phonological changes in the sounds are not random." "What does that mean?" Holloway asked. "Let's put it this way." Chen's drowsiness disappeared before he came in, "For example, birdsong. They repeat and rarely change. From the perspective of rhythm, this kind of sound is single, not in our usual sense. Language. Language uses limited phonological units—phonemes, which can generate almost infinite combinations according to the respective morphology of each language. This is what I mean by being rich in variety but not random.” Chen pointed at the Mao Maos. "These little guys make exactly this form of language. If you listen carefully, you can hear the repetition of syllables. Here—" Chen cuts the film to another segment, where Papa Fluffy is speaking, "—this' The pronunciation of che' is often repeated, but it is also combined with other syllables. Like certain phonemes that we often use every day, especially like vowels in our language." "So it's a vowel?" Holloway asked. "Maybe," Chen said, "it could also be a prefix. Listen, it often appears before other sounds. I can't tell you what it means yet." "Then it's also possible that it's a nonsensical noise," Meyer said, "like a cat meowing or a bird chirping." "Ah, birds and cats don't just vocalize for the sake of vocalization." Chen's voice sounded a bit arrogant, and Holloway snickered.After several miserable years of doing nothing, Dr. Chen's brain is back with a vengeance. "Also, I don't think the two are the same thing. Your cat will meow differently to say 'I'm hungry' or 'I want to go out,' but it definitely doesn't have a complex vocabulary or express Complicated meanings. Birdsong is the same. And the sounds made by these creatures, the changes in these syllables are obviously systematic, which means that these sounds are meaningful words." Chen looked at Holloway expectantly, "There are other Is it videotaped?" "A lot," said Holloway. Chen was as happy as a child who received a puppy for Christmas. "Great!" he said. "Dr. Chen," Soden said, "is this language? Can these animals speak?" "Are you asking me for an exact inference?" Chen said, "I don't have enough data." "Guess then," Thorden said. "If I had to guess, of course it's language," Chen said, "not just because of the phonological repetition and obvious language structure, but also because of the behavior of these little guys communicating and responding to each other in the video. Listening carefully and responding, not imitating, not making unintentional vocalizations, but communicating on a regular basis. If this is not language, if this is not conversation, this behavior is also very close." "Do you think further research is necessary?" Soden asked. Chen jerked his head up at the judge, like she was an idiot. "Are you kidding me?" he said. "You are in my court, Dr. Chen." Soden said sternly. "I apologize," Chen said, "I was so excited. This kind of thing is a day and night dream come true for alien linguists. What are these animals? Where did they come from?" "They're the animals here," Holloway said. "Really?" Chen said, and suddenly he understood. "Oh." He looked around the court and subconsciously exclaimed, "Oh, wow." "Yeah," Holloway sighed, "oh wow." Soden looked at Meyer: "Any questions for Dr. Chen?" Meyer shook her head. She knew it was over.Thorden asked Dr. Chen to leave, and Holloway wrestled the information board back from him with all his might. "Based on the evidence and testimony presented in court today, I rule that the existing evidence is not sufficient, and the Zara Group does not need to submit a report on suspected intelligent creatures for the time being," Soden said after Holloway and Dr. Chen returned to their seats, "However, all the evidence Both show that these creatures are not unusual animals. But while I respect the professional opinions of Dr. Vangar and Dr. Chen, no one here can definitely judge whether their intelligence level is comparable to intelligent creatures. This case needs further study." "I will apply to the Environmental Protection Department of the Colony Planet, which is in charge of the identification of alien intelligent creatures, and request to send relevant experts for further research, and then make a judgment on whether Maomao is an intelligent creature. Before the judgment, the Zara Group can continue daily operations, but must comply with CEPA The regulations governing the mining of pending planets. I will release the results of the hearing within today. Ms. Meyer, do you have any objections?" "No, Your Honor," Mayer said. "Then the hearing will be adjourned here," Thorden said, and she stood up and left to go back to the judge's office.