Mike Storm – Universal Grammar (mp3)

Perhaps the best place to start is considering what is essential for a language, and what an alien might leave out of theirs. We suggests that a language only really needs two things: a symbolic system that can be recombined to represent meaning, and some method of conveying those symbols.

Alien languages might not necessarily be audible or based on an alphabetical or logographic visual element. It could be the transmission of light, sound or chemicals. If the language was somehow hardcoded into the alien DNA or genetic analogue (assuming their biology includes a concept similar to genetics), the language would not be learned through culture, and therefore far less adaptable to situations like meeting another species. This line of thought is admittedly close to the edge of what might be considered language but is interesting to consider nonetheless.

So, if communication through written language and deciphering an alien one could prove impossible, could a new language be created for the specific purpose of talking to aliens?