(1)
Year one, a large group of linguists traveled with the Atlantis expedition, ready to interpret ancient tomes and translate for natives. Expectations ran feverishly high and all speculated on the language patterns of the Pegasus galaxy.
They arrived and everyone spoke English.
(2)
The linguist department-- a tangle of rooms on the outskirts of inhabitable Atlantis-- has a large cork board attached firmly to one wall. On the board is a list of rules written on spare bits of paper and tacked up. The List has been translated into every language possible, including 1337 and ancient Etruscan. The game is to spot flaws. Entire days pass in debates over the List.
The List includes:
-The Bracelet of Honor (which exempts the wearer from encounters with McKay or Weir) may be bestowed for any deed deemed greater than the current owner's deeds. Successfully stealing coffee from McKay and pinning such a deed upon the anthropologists trumps all.
-Any translations required by anthropologists must take twice as long as translations required for anyone else.
-Dr. Weir, while a very valued person and capable leader, is not allowed access to our labs nor is she allowed to work with new languages (like Wraith, for instance) on her own without consulting us. Languages are our job, not hers.
(3)
In order to combat boredom the linguists are working with the 'gate techies to turn 'simlish' into a complete language. Half analyze the vocabulary, the other half are forming a grammar based upon simlish songs.
They use simlish as much as possible around McKay as doing so apparently drives him nuts.
Some of the Linguists are proposing a campaign to make simlish the new official language of the Athosians.
(4)
Their close contact with the Athosians has allowed the linguists to learn of trading situations Atlantis knows nothing about.
For example: In exchange for boiled water, the Athosians receive a substance very similar to chocolate. Similar enough that the linguists never lack for bribing material or currency on the Lantean black market.
(5)
The linguist-anthropologist rivalry began the first week of Year One.
The anthropologists stole the original linguist lab-- complete with direct hook-up to the Ancient database, claiming that they had a better use for it.
McKay, still weary over the Great Botany Incident, approved the hostile takeover.
The linguists have yet to forgive either party.