a teaser
Chapter 7 of "Uncertainty" is up, and I'm hard at work on Chapter 8. Here are a couple teasers (which is a fancy way of saying I wanted to get these ideas down somewhere that isn't a scrap of paper).
"Because of the anatomy of their upper palates, most Vulcans have some degree of lateral lisp. This often goes unnoticed by human students of the language, and in some cases when we notice it, we correct it. However, its absence affects Vulcans' perceptions of fluency."
XxXxX
"Spock, could you demonstrate for us?"
He struggled not to sigh, but nodded his agreement.
"How about giving us some Vulcan first -- like sa-mekh?"
He watched Uhura as he pronounced the word. Her lips moved slightly along with his. "It's extremely slight. Could you do it again?"
He repeated the word, then used it in a sentence: "In the winter time, the wind shear on my father's house rattles the windows."
"Ssssssssa-mekh," she repeated. "Was that close?"
Amanda smiled. "It's hard, isn't it? You sound good, though."
Spock raised an eyebrow at them. "You two and your human palates cannot appreciate the focus that Vulcans must employ to learn to avoid lisping."
XxXxX
There's also a thought I've been wrestling with: Why is Spock in charge of Uhura's assignment in the crisis? Is it related to the fact that Spock, Uhura, and Gaila are all sitting in the same row at Kirk's disciplinary hearing? Hmm....
"Because of the anatomy of their upper palates, most Vulcans have some degree of lateral lisp. This often goes unnoticed by human students of the language, and in some cases when we notice it, we correct it. However, its absence affects Vulcans' perceptions of fluency."
XxXxX
"Spock, could you demonstrate for us?"
He struggled not to sigh, but nodded his agreement.
"How about giving us some Vulcan first -- like sa-mekh?"
He watched Uhura as he pronounced the word. Her lips moved slightly along with his. "It's extremely slight. Could you do it again?"
He repeated the word, then used it in a sentence: "In the winter time, the wind shear on my father's house rattles the windows."
"Ssssssssa-mekh," she repeated. "Was that close?"
Amanda smiled. "It's hard, isn't it? You sound good, though."
Spock raised an eyebrow at them. "You two and your human palates cannot appreciate the focus that Vulcans must employ to learn to avoid lisping."
XxXxX
There's also a thought I've been wrestling with: Why is Spock in charge of Uhura's assignment in the crisis? Is it related to the fact that Spock, Uhura, and Gaila are all sitting in the same row at Kirk's disciplinary hearing? Hmm....