Introduction
Language has always served the purpose of communication between people from the same country and different nationalities. However, in a science-fiction film, Arrival, the communication between humans and aliens is depicted. To be more specific, not the communication but the ways of building and further developing it are the focus of attention in the film directed by Denis Villeneuve in 2016. The professor hired to do the highly complicated job of creating contact with the aliens and finding out the purpose of their arrival is a linguist. Although some analysts believe that a cryptographer should have been used, it is evident that this claim is illogical since cryptographers can work only with known languages while linguists work with unknown ones.
Human-Alien Communication in Arrival
The professor of linguistics, Dr. Banks, uses the typical techniques for learning and communication, but she has to do it much slower than one would do with another human being. This is explained by the complications manifested in the lack of body language, sign language, or any other typical means of communication two humans would use if they did not know each other’s languages. Hence, while language is central to how people communicate (Anderson et al. chapter 2), Dr. Banks couldn’t use it initially. However, gradually, she manages to overcome the barriers, sets a way of explaining words to aliens, and even starts receiving some responses.
The difficulties of the linguist’s work do not seem understood or tolerated by the military staff coordinating the operation. For instance, Colonel Weber is frustrated with Dr. Banks at one point because she communicates with the aliens on too simple terms. He demands her to ask them what their purpose on Earth is, but the linguist explains in detail why it is impossible. To understand such a question, one must be taught what a question mark is, what a pronoun means, and many other crucial concepts (Anderson et al., chapters 1, 6, 7).
Therefore, asking questions with intent and teaching higher-level sentences is impossible for those who are only starting to understand the language (Arrival 00.42.00). Other issues mentioned in the movie that are associated with course material include the question of the correlation between what a heptapod says and what it writes (Arrival 00.54.06-00.54.10)and the concept of conveying meaning (00.54.30). Overall, from the linguistic point of view, the movie reflects the work of a specialist in linguistics in quite a realistic way, and I cannot see anything crucial missing.
Meanwhile, when analyzing the linguist-cryptographer debate, the second option seems illogical. A cryptographer is a specialist working with a known language. Even if one does not know much of that language, its mechanisms, vocabulary, and other essential points are known and available. Moreover, the latter must be encrypted for someone to decrypt a language or code, which was not the case in the movie.
Conclusion
To conclude, a linguist’s importance in learning an alien language in Arrival cannot be overestimated. In the film under discussion, the linguistics professor was able to create and maintain communication with the aliens, which resulted in positive consequences for humanity. While the study of languages may seem easy to some, especially those not engaged in it, true professionals realize the degree of responsibility their work requires.
Works Cited
Anderson, Catherine, et al. Essentials of Linguistics. 2nd ed., eCampusOntario, 2022.
Arrival. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Paramount Pictures, 2016.
Loading...
