Time Travel and Language Drift

[Tetsubo]

With the new Time Machine opening next Friday (the 8th) I've been thinking about
time travel. Specifically how language would change over time. The trailer for Time
Machine has the good Doctor talking to a Morlock beneath the Earth. After 800,000
years how do the two of them communicate? Even with written English to refer too the
spoken language would have changed beyond recognition. I know this is a Hollywood
movie, but this just seems to be glaring to me.

 

[Gargoyle]

Perhaps they've got some sort of item in the movie to suspend our disbelief that isn't evident in the trailer. Maybe he's got a universal translator or something.

In any case, I think I can stretch my suspension of disbelief a bit for a movie featuring time travel...

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I think the scene where Microsoft takes over the English language in 2011 got left on the cutting room floor.

 

[Frostmarrow]

They handled this pretty good in the 13th Warrior. Antonio Banderas' character learns Scandinavian by the camp fire. They don't tell you how many nights the process takes but as the journey is complete Antonio has learned the tongue. And thus henceforth everybody speaks English.

 

[Gargoyle]

They handled this pretty good in the 13th Warrior. Antonio Banderas' character learns Scandinavian by the camp fire. They don't tell you how many nights the process takes but as the journey is complete Antonio has learned the tongue. And thus henceforth everybody speaks English.

Yes, that was excellent. "How did you learn our language?"

"I listened."

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Salutations,

The original book dealt with this issue, but theoriginal movie did not and I suspect the movie will not do so either.

The first director of the movie is H.G.Well's great grandson, but he dropped out when he found himself over his head.

Amusing side note- they filmed parts of the movie at my place of employment.

They extras were quite funny- asking the passerbys for alms for the poor and mocking those with mental delusions that forced them to talk to little boxes they carried around.

Sadly- the movie does not look very entertaining.

FD

 

[Scarab]

They handled this pretty good in the 13th Warrior. Antonio Banderas' character learns Scandinavian by the camp fire. They don't tell you how many nights the process takes but as the journey is complete Antonio has learned the tongue. And thus henceforth everybody speaks English.

I really liked the fact that they actually bothered to find actors who could speak the actual language - if that is what it was, to me it sounded like an archaic form of Danish, I could understand parts of it. Well, pretty much of it, actually.

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Yes, that was excellent. "How did you learn our language?"

"I listened."

Salutations,

Actually, I disliked that part of the movie- it seemed pretty weak to me that he could pick up the language by merely listening.

The book is very good though, and one of the few Crichton novels that read well through out its whole.

FD

 

[Frostmarrow]

I really liked the fact that they actually bothered to find actors who could speak the actual language - if that is what it was, to me it sounded like an archaic form of Danish, I could understand parts of it. Well, pretty much of it, actually.

Different actors actually spoke different languages. You can hear Swedish, Norweigian and Danish spoken throughout the picture.

Actually, I disliked that part of the movie- it seemed pretty weak to me that he could pick up the language by merely listening.

Kids do it everyday. Seriously, perhaps Antonio already knew lots of languages. If you know several languages picking up a new one becomes increasingly easy. I found it was nice to see Hollywood make an effort when it comes to languages.

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Seriously, perhaps Antonio already knew lots of languages. If you know several languages picking up a new one becomes increasingly easy. I found it was nice to see Hollywood make an effort when it comes to languages.

Ok, I can agree it was nice to see the effort made, but the explanation was lacking. IIRC, Antonio's character was a spoiled noble who slept with another noble's daughter and went on the trip to avoid being gutted. heh. It has been a while since I read the book or seen the movie.

FD