Language Summary

The Guardians used a single language across their species comprising of written, spoken and gestural forms. The only variations were in accent and regional dialect. The written language is comprised of glyphs representing whole words. These glyphs derived from their sign language, and retained characteristics of the physical form in their format, and the use of movement. Spoken language used similar sounds to human speech, and altered meaning through word order and tonality. There are some emotive concepts present in speech, not present in the written form, suggesting a more social role to vocal communication.

Entries:

Language 1/21
This is fascinating! The obelisks are clearly some form of data storage, but so far I haven’t been able to determine what other purposes they might have had. I am very much indebted to you commander for searching for the information I need, although I wish I could see the obelisks for myself. Perhaps closer proximity would inspire greater understanding! Unfortunately my responsibilities here preclude me from such adventure. I believe these are the first clues to understanding the alien language.

Language 2/21
I’m not disheartened, our early interactions have provided the basis for my research. The illuminated patterns are of obvious importance, and I believe represent a form of writing. Their illumination and movement suggest some additional meaning – so much so that I can’t accept that they’re merely signs or labels. There is a definite structure here, one that I intend to decipher. The more data you can collect the more I can correlate in the hope of assembling a kind of Rosetta Stone for their language.

Language 3/21
It appears I was correct in my theory that the delta-pattern data was the key to unlocking the language of this dead race. Sometimes you have to operate on intuition, but this data you’ve uncovered makes a connection between some of the glyphs on the obelisks and the forms in the data you have provided. I believe the delta patterns could be the building blocks of a lexicon.

Language 4/21
From the data packet you’ve discovered here I’ve gained a sense of a very cooperative society – one in which all elements worked in unison towards a common purpose. I also believe they shared an expectation of mutual protection. I’m still delving into these mysteries, but I believe ‘Guardians’ would be a good name for this species.

Language 5/21
It’s dawned on me that the task ahead of us is colossal, and one I eagerly throw myself into. With the help of brave pilots like you, my analysis has revealed there is variation in the data blocks which you are discovering, which I think represents their equivalent of words. This indicates that their language was almost a universal one, which will make my efforts to understand it easier.

Language 6/21
This data packet indicates that the guardians used two different forms of communication with the same – or at the very least similar – language constructs, its slow but fascinating work, using this data i believe i can establish a rudimentary understanding of the oldest two forms – verbal communication. like us they had a vocal language, and the range of sounds appears to be similar to that used in human vocalization.

Language 7/21
This is a great find commander. According to this data I’ve been able to deduce that verbal communication emerged early in their history. The scale of the archaeological sites suggests a social society with large populations. There is some supposition on my part, but the data you just found seems to support this contention

Language 8/21
Excitingly, this group of delta-pattern recordings contain audio data. Not only will this help me establish the range of sounds they could make, it has should also allow me to confirm that they spoke with accents, as there are regional variations in the sound of their words.

Language 9/21
The decoder is having a problem deciphering this data packet and is running slower than I’d hoped. The data is formulated in such a way that individual constructs are easily extracted, but there seems to be stopping the decoder putting it all back together. I had assumed it would be simpler to establish a list of words even if I didn’t know the meanings. The relationship between the audio data and the constructs, which I belive to represent their written form, Has revealed to be more complicated than I originally thought. Here is comes. This data seems to suggest that their spoken language was of a tonal form, similar to some human languages, meaning that the exact meaning of a word was determined by how it was said.

Language 10/21
With this data we’ve made a significant advancement. I believe we have just identified what might be full sentences for the first time. Words are only fragments of a language – sentences illustrate the rules of it. It’s only natural that an alien language would be structurally different to human ones. I’m realizing that what I’d deciphered from the previous data packets I’ve received were simply nouns. So I decided they must be lists, and looked for other more varied forms. Unfortunately I met with no success, until now.

Language 11/21
This Data is just what I’ve been looking for. I had been in a deadlock until the pattern-recognition software highlighted some repeating motifs in this data package. Delving deeper, I think I can establish that not only did variance in sound produce different meanings, but that the placement in relation to other words also altered the meaning. This is a real breakthrough!

Language 12/21
This data package is huge. I could all too easily be distracted by the wealth of audio data in these delta patterns. To actually hear the Guardians’ language as it would have been spoken proving too great a temptation. But this data reveals that the formal basis of their communication was visual rather than verbal. This seems logical, as the written word has more portability and permanence than speech. I plan to dig deeper into the information collected by you and other explorers to learn the visual form, which I believe originated much earlier in the Guardians’ development than I originally thought.

Language 13/21
This data proves a theory I had that the written form of the Guardians’ language is based around glyphs, with each glyph representing a single word. Once I’ve fully identified these, the process of separating tonal meanings should become much easier. The glyphs seem to be able to be combines to describe complex concepts, but also communicate additional layers of meaning through the inclusion of movement. each glyph is a symbol. They are more abstract than pictorial hieroglyphics, but it’s possible to identify a simplistic reference to the shape of the thing being described – for example, the glyph for ‘moon’ incorporates the waxing and waning as it would have appeared from the Guardians’ homeworld.

Language 14/21
This data contains the most amazing revelation. It appears to be the key to tracing the origins of the language, embedded in the glyph formats. It’s almost as if their glyphs contained a form of version control that represented the glyphs’ evolution, and this has given me a glimpse into their history. These glyphs actually evolved from a form of sign language that the Guardians developed when hunting. The guardians were originally pack hunters, and this sign language functioned as a stealthy means of communication.

Language 15/21
Judging from the shape and movement of these primitive glyphs, I have surmised the Guardians had tremendous dexterity and freedom of movement in their forelimbs and hands, and this has provided the first real glimpse of their physiology.

Language 16/21
The data here contains details of how the glyphs evolved into a formal form of communication, but there appears to be a conceptual gaps between speech and the glyphs. From the results of your scan, I can see that while all glyphs have a matching vocalization, not all vocalizations have a matching glyph. Although the dictionary is still quite sparse there is evidence to suggest that particular vocalizations were for emotive terms. With this in mind, I think the Guardians’ spoken language was used primarily for social bonding.

Language 17/21
This data regards the markings on the obelisks. These were the starting point for my research into the Guardians’ language as explorers documented them, so it’s fitting that I’ve come full circle and now have a better understanding of those markings. I’ve already established that the written form of the Guardians’ language evolved from the sign language they developed during their pre-history as pack hunters.

Language 18/21
The data you’ve extracted from delta patterns has granted me further insights – so much so that I’m confident I can establish a proper dictionary for future research. The limited understanding I’ve derived from their language reveals a fascinating species. Although the written glyphs share the shape and motion of the original sign language, they also evolved in response to new media, such as electronic representation. The glyphs on the obelisks and other structures provided the primary mechanism for recognizing the patterns, and also gave me clues as to what the other data patterns might contain.

Language 19/21
The data contained in this obelisk talks about the history of the Guardians’ language. They started to transcribe their signs in pictorial form very early in their development – something akin to the cave paintings from humanity’s early history – although it’s clear that even at an early stage their communication was more sophisticated than ours. This clearly speaks of a people with high intelligence and a keen desire to share information. Even though my research has barely begun, I believe we have much to learn from this magnificent people.

Language 20/21
This data contains information regarding the formal nature of their written communication and has reinforced what I’ve learnt about its use so far. As well as the obelisks, it was used for ceremonial and decorative purposes. I’ve also gained the impression that they found their glyphs aesthetically pleasing.

Language 21/21
As is always the case with research of this nature, finding answers tends to raise further questions. I’ve found references to another form of communication in this data packet, but not one used by the Guardians, or not all of them, at least. As far as I can tell it references some kind of foe or adversary. Combined with the devastation seen at a number of sites, it indicates the Guardians may not have been the cause of their own demise.