For the purposes of the story, the character for the most part /doesn't/ want to attempt speech, for the reasons you describe.* But when faced with an emergency situation and nothing to write on at hand...he's going to try something. (late-midaeval fantasy, no sign-language...they might eventually import a type of sign, but he'd never be a fluent speaker because of the late-age learning).
I'd figured bilabials were fair game, but the vowels had me confused. I hadn't figured on how the resonance would change, either - hard to interpret. So in an emergency, he's got m, p, b, f, v, h...(imagine me sitting at my computer singing the alphabet in my head and trying to make all the letter sounds without moving my tongue. I should probably invest in tongue depressors. For research purposes.)
The fantasy tonguless-sterotype that really bugs me, by the way? Hissing. I suppose you could almost open-mouth kitty-hiss, but you couldn't do sibilants!
Thanks!
*I'm honestly not sure whether he felt that way all along or I/he/we just 'realised' it when you pointed it out, but it's very true. He's always been a reserved guy.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-08-05 06:10 am (UTC)For the purposes of the story, the character for the most part /doesn't/ want to attempt speech, for the reasons you describe.* But when faced with an emergency situation and nothing to write on at hand...he's going to try something. (late-midaeval fantasy, no sign-language...they might eventually import a type of sign, but he'd never be a fluent speaker because of the late-age learning).
I'd figured bilabials were fair game, but the vowels had me confused. I hadn't figured on how the resonance would change, either - hard to interpret. So in an emergency, he's got m, p, b, f, v, h...(imagine me sitting at my computer singing the alphabet in my head and trying to make all the letter sounds without moving my tongue. I should probably invest in tongue depressors. For research purposes.)
The fantasy tonguless-sterotype that really bugs me, by the way? Hissing. I suppose you could almost open-mouth kitty-hiss, but you couldn't do sibilants!
Thanks!
*I'm honestly not sure whether he felt that way all along or I/he/we just 'realised' it when you pointed it out, but it's very true. He's always been a reserved guy.