First Contact Survival Kit - learn an undocumented language from scratch

[@tomforde6696]

You might add to your kit - "talk to the children." If that is culturally acceptable but you won't know that until you try. "Talk to children" was the advice I got from a guy who learnt Italian in Italy in three weeks (he's one of three people I know who is sickeningly fluent in numerous languages while I am barely intelligible in one). Why "talk to children"? According to my friend: They have more patience for repetition than adults and are less easily offended. They enjoy teaching adults and love the attention you give them. They have a smaller and more common vocabulary. The adults get to laugh when you use language only children use!

[@sabikikasuko6636]

That actually makes sense :0

[@Eisenwulf666]

This is a brilliant idea, though like you wrote nowadays one must approach with caution and with the approval of adults.

[@carlavlund5841]

This is exactly what I did when I went to Japan :-) I already knew a good chunk of Japanese that I had learned from self-study, so I could get by alright with that I already knew. The family I stayed with had a daughter of 8 years, and it was from her that I learned the most! I even still use the cutesy dialectal word ちっちゃい “chicchai” instead of standard Japanese 小さい “chiisai” (“small”). Whenever I say “chicchai”, everyone laughs because it kinda makes me sound like a rural child

[@idraote]

As long as they are more than 8/9 y.o. though, as before they could lead you on the wrong path as they still haven't mastered the language themselves. And frankly, unless your friend is really a genius, I doubt he did actually learn a language in three week. He might have learned to get by with some basic sentences and vocabulary - which takes us normal humans a year to do while going to class.

[@zergreenone8111]

@@idraote It's also possible that they already knew several other romance languages, so they were able to obtain some level of fluency with relatively little effort

[@ceruchi2084]

About "pointing at objects," here's a pitfall to avoid: "I remember during our first weeks pointing to various objects with my index finger and asking in simple Gebusi 'What is it?' _(ke ka-ba)._ But no matter what I pointed to, the answer I got was always the same, _'dob.'_ I was royally perplexed. But the mystery was explained when I learned the meaning of _dob._ _Dob_ was the finger I was pointing with!" Bruce M. Knauft, The Gebusi (2005) Not all cultures point with their fingers. Some just gesture with their heads!

[@Forlfir]

It should be obvious that if someone is pointing next to a different object each time and asking for the name they aren't really talking about their fingers. I think most people would understand if someone gestured with their head or even their feet lol

[@robertobahamondeandrade]

In some Spanish speaking cultures pointing with fingers is too rude, people prefer to point with head and lips.

[@elcarrerdelsgaivots1152]

@@robertobahamondeandrade In Spain it's rude to point someone with a finger, at least where I live. Pointing at things with your finger may look a bit untrefined in certain situations. I thought that was common to most cultures, at least in the West.

[@devtogoru]

In western java, we point with our thumb to make it more polite 😊

[@elcarrerdelsgaivots1152]

@@devtogoru I use my whole hand instead of a finger. Seems less aggressive, idk haha

[@NordboDK]

This explains why there are so many mountains labelled in local languages as "Your finger, you idiot"

[@mwanikimwaniki6801]

😂😂😂😂😂WTFFFFFF

[@kohakuaiko]

I see you've read some Discworld.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Sahara means desert

[@shneancy220]

I love it when you try to figure out what a name of a river, a mountain or a town means it it just kinda translates to - river, mountain, town. I always find it hilarious, as a person who occasionally dabbles in writing I find it difficult to come up with good names for things and the whole of history is just like "we call our local river the river"

[@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714]

But humans also give very discriptive names. Lielupe means Grateriver, and Jaunpils means Newcastle.

[@J.o.s.h.u.a.]

This is really useful. I'm currently on North Sentinel island trying to learn the language of the nat

[@tibethatguy]

Well, that explains the skull emoji in your name.

[@rajdeepvijayaraj4243]

Good luck lol. May the Lord Almighty be with you...ahem

[@Kalleosini]

@@rajdeepvijayaraj4243 he already died

[@rzeka]

another one bites the dust : (

[@eggpoacher2025]

I’m ashamed it took me so long to get it

[@sutematsu]

I'm in the middle of learning my tribe's indigenous language, and your question, "How does the language survive you?" hit me really hard. Thanks for the acknowledgement that even in linguistics, observation alone can change the course of the observed.

[@enricmm85]

What tribe is it? How do you keep the language alive? Do you have any written material? Do you mind if I join the preserving effort?

[@suyashmallik118]

@@enricmm85 dude chill.. lol its gr8 u r so excited by this

[@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714]

Poluting a language with foreign words is nothing to be ashamed of. If the language users allow of it there is nothing you can do, for even large languages will take in foreign words if they are inclined to. I myself always try to talk in pure language not using borrowed words where ever possible, but I can not change the course of the langauges I speak for I am only 1 of many.

[@therealmaskriz5716]

@@baltulielkungsgunarsmiezis9714 Languages will always change.

[@rorysparshott4223]

Quantum language

[@tux1468]

The outro should have been "This message will self destruct in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1" and then it abruptly ends.

[@alexcarter8807]

Weird occurrance: In US Army Basic, they did some testing etc and out of a whole bunch of us they took me and another guy and put us in separate rooms, and taught us this synthetic made-up language. We got out and looked at each other and actually held a little conversation in this fictional language. Nothing much came of it though.

[@wearealreadydeadfam8214]

alex carter That was MKUltra. XD

[@frtard]

k

[@federicovolpe3389]

alex carter was that language Esperanto? I know it was used in some simulations as the language the “enemy” spoke.

[@Marguerite-Rouge]

@@federicovolpe3389 Mi ne sciis. Esperanto estas logika lingvo, do estas adaptita pro la trejnado. Sed esperanto ankaŭ estas paca lingvo ! Mi ne ŝatas ĉi-tiun uson.

[@anonb4632]

@@Marguerite-Rouge It's not *that* logical. A very Eurocentric language.

[@taintedtaylor2586]

I tried doing something like this when I went to La Huasteca in Mexico to “learn” some Nahuatl, I failed completely due to 2 reasons, almost nobody speaks Nahuatl (Macehualli) nowadays, only old people, and secondly, everyone spoke Spanish and my “exercise” turned out to be just uncomfortable for the locals.

[@gustavovillegas5909]

Ahh, that's very disheartening to hear because I had the exact same idea Tlazcamati :)

[@andrewdunbar828]

I've had similar problems trying to find minority language speaking areas in China. Even Zhuang, which is spoken by tens of millions of people. I could find signs on buildings all over the place but I never heard anyone speaking it. In some places there is shame in speaking the local "dialect" or just a lack of pride in the younger generations who don't want to speak a "useless" language. In some places it's only in rural areas. In some places it's in whispers. Zapotecs in coastal Oaxaca can usually speak their language but never seem to speak it loudly. In other places that's not the case. Around Lake Atitlan you'll hear the locals talking about everything in three different Maya languages depending what village you're in. It was easy to find some local people to teach me a few words but not easy to find a language teacher. All the teachers were teaching Spanish (-: Sometimes there's just a mix of languages and dialects. When I was in a Tibetan area of Sichuan, the government classifies the locals as Tibetans but linguists classify their language on a completely different branch. Everybody loved it when I said "hello" in Tibetan but when I asked locals how to say different words it would be "in my village we say this in my wife's village we say that. If you find a rural village where everybody speaks the local language you'll need to be accepted and you'll need a place to stay and might not be any guesthouse. In some countries it's not even legal to just rent a room off any random local. But man would I love to see some KZbinrs try this!

[@lad7534]

if you were there why didnt you try with teenek? for nahuatl i would have tried in the center area of mexico

[@valkeakirahvi]

It's a good idea to make contacts with local activist beforehand. They'll know the one guy in town who ownes a store, likes to talk and makes you drink too much vodka (or what ever the local drink is XD)

[@anonb4632]

I tried to do the same with Sercquais, the language of Sark, only to be given a long lecture on how it was a "patois" and no one could write it down (even though people already had).

[@NativLang]

While I stay inside, I'm animating about people going and getting all muddy for language. Yeah, the "check-yourself"s at the end may be especially relevant during this time.

[@NativLang]

I reused footage from an older video about Kwaio taboos. Which other past videos feel relevant after watching this "kit"?

[@wpprodpyc9266]

Papi

[@ManuelEFigueroa]

Dear NativeLang, I wish I had seen this video 10 years ago when I travel to Bangladesh and I came in contact with the Deaf community in Dhaka. It would have helped me to learn much more. Back then, I did not know ANY sign language OR Bengali. I am happy to say that I was able to use some of your advises (without knowing them, just out of linguistic instinct) and THEY WORK! I did not know the technical ones, but just being open to see them as teachers, accept and give, smile and try to be funny, don't see yourself as superior in any way while letting others see you with respect, all of those tips were useful while I was there. I was carrying a paper notebook all the time, pointing to everything, mimicking the actions I wanted to sign, drawing objects in the air or in the ground. It was a challenge. I made good friends and learned a few signs to communicate basic stuff. I would like to go back one day and study BSL in a more serious way, maybe then I will carry your "kit" with me and my experience will be even better. I wish I would have had your knowledge, I would have learn so much more. Anyway, thanks again for your video, I love your channel.

[@J.o.s.h.u.a.]

Just a random suggestion for a future videos: there's languages that have a gender-based dialect, meaning that men and women speak differently, perhaps using different words or using a different sounds for a letter in an otherwise identical word. Ecamples of this are found in Chukchi, Garifuna, the Irish Sign Language, Kalmyk, Tangoan and Pirahã to name a few. They all do this for different reasons.

[@maapauu4282]

@@NativLang Hi!

[@tracyh5751]

Nah, you just point to yourself and say "me", and after a scene transition on horseback you will be fluent in the language.

[@BrazilianImperialist]

@@Thelaretus Me

[@superieur11407]

@@BrazilianImperialist Me

[@pqbdwmnu]

@@superieur11407 👈Me

[@fankh2506]

I work in an elementary school and a few months ago there was a new kid who could only speak mandarin chinese. I was not allowed to communicate with him using any kind of electronic device, so I did a few of the things shown in this video and after a few days I could talk about basic things like my family or food with him in his mother tongue. It's a very specific situation but it makes me realise that this video is actually pretty useful

[@icarus6492]

Interesting. I always wondered about how the first Europeans talked to my ancestors in Borneo during first contact. Everytime I asked someone, the answer is always "they have a native translator". Yeah, duh! Everyone knows that. But I never knew how the first native translator knew English. This video really put things to perspective.

[@the-chillian]

Fun fact: When the Puritans landed near Cape Cod, the first Native American to greet them -- spoke English! Tisquantum (Squanto) had been kidnapped and enslaved by some early English explorers (who were mainly in search of fishing grounds), sold in Spain, and then made his way back to England where he lived for a few years before returning home with another explorer. Ever since then, American tourists have been convinced that anyone in any foreign country can understand them if they just speak loudly and clearly enough.

[@MinishMilly]

@@the-chillian Americans should try to learn more other languages, sticking with one makes your world view so narrow.

[@ANTSEMUT1]

@@MinishMilly a lot of Americans do that on purpose so they want to have their horizons broadened.

[@the-chillian]

@@MinishMilly Should? Maybe. But most Americans are monolingual because that's all they need. An American can travel 2500 miles or more without leaving his country, and we all speak English. In Europe you'd cross a half dozen national borders speaking almost as many languages in the same distance.

[@craigistheman101]

ChrisC the wasn’t always the case though. Native languages were once all over this country and there were hundreds. Hawaiian has been nearly wiped out as well, Louisianan Creole as well, and prior to WW2 German was widely spoken in the US. Americans have just had a habit of removing linguistic diversity

[@alderankorym]

There is a great manga about that : Heterogenia Linguistico by Soruto Seno! It's about a linguists in a fantasy worlds that travels to the far country where only beasts creature live. And he has to figure out the language of werewolves, harpy, minotaurs, etc. that don't only speak with words but also unexpected ways to communicate. It's a great story about diversity.

[@LostElsen]

Even with these useful tips I'm still not sure about moving to Scotland

[@amadeosendiulo2137]

But you do realize that it's just a mythical place?

[@starleaf-luna]

@@amadeosendiulo2137 it's all england

[@amadeosendiulo2137]

@@starleaf-luna Always has been 🔫

[@amadeosendiulo2137]

@@starleaf-luna (To zawsze była tylko Anglia)

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

Scotland mostly just speaks English or "Doric" (dialect of Scots) nowadays. The Gaelic is quite rare.

[@MarkRosa]

I went to some Okinawan islands and had fun trying, after visiting one island and getting familiar with its language, to deduce what the words might be on another island and trying to use them with the locals who were teaching me *their* language. They'd insist that their tongue was so much more beautiful than that of the neighbors and insist that I learn more from them.

[@andrewdunbar828]

I love Okinawa but was too low on funds to visit any of the islands. Which ones did you visit? I'm aware of three languages which have at least one famous speaker each. There's Byron Fija on the main island, a famous rock band on I think Miyako, and I forget the third one.

[@MarkRosa]

@@andrewdunbar828 I went to Yonaguni first and Taketomi after that. I learned Yonagunian from five or six different speakers, one of whom was Nae Ikema, now 100 years old (but was *hati du duku* or 86 when I met her). Byron Fija is a great promoter of Shuri Okinawan; I'm not good at Miyako because they seem to have given all their vowels away :)

[@andrewdunbar828]

@@MarkRosa Wow. Have you taken an interest in Ainu? I spent a few days in Nibutani on my last visit to Japan but didn't meet any speakers, if there are still any to meet )-:

[@lyledean4390]

"keep to realistic words and phrases" take note Duolingo.

[@benhur6211]

But- but- but what if I need to tell someone their dog is drinking water?

[@crocogator665]

Excuse me, I am an apple. (すみません、私はりんごです) This is actually taken from Duolingo.

[@sunolili862]

-duo, how do I say flower in Indonesian? -it doesn't matter until you learn the word for train engineer!!

[@theshamanite]

Ich bin kopfchen. Jawohl, Duolingo.

[@DrWhom]

my suitcase is brown

[@bismuth7398]

Okay, this is a _really_ cool idea.

[@apalsnerg]

Okay simp boy.

[@ro2513]

@@apalsnerg this literally isnt simping but okay

[@martiddy]

@@apalsnerg how is he a simp?

[@iron54eagle]

I need to see a first contact with aliens story written by a linguist. I just remembered 'Arrival' as I was making this comment

[@heyro3852]

@@iron54eagle I will be forever salty at how bad that movie is.

[@Oddn7751]

I remember watching a first contact clip and the guy was trying to learn the natives' language. I have been fascinated by this topic ever since. Thank you for making the video!

[@adriancarreira243]

What's the video?

[@sponge1234ify]

What's the video? (2)

[@Oddn7751]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6C6dap8apaFq7M I'm honestly surprised I was able to find that!

[@nichl474]

@@Oddn7751 It's fake, those natives were mostly acting (especially in the beginning) and had been contacted before

[@Oddn7751]

@@nichl474 It's a controversial topic, but it's not conclusive. There was one guy who claimed to have visited them before, but the natives themselves say that's not true. I'd be surprised to see everyone in the tribe being such good actors.

[@jcortese3300]

General rule: do what deaf people do. They're no smarter than hearing people and sign languages aren't any simpler or more obvious than spoken ones; it's just that deaf people are stubborn as hell and used to running into communication problems all the time, so they don't get frustrated/embarrassed and instead (IME) just bash through any misunderstandings with general good humor and sheer cussed bullheadedness. As a result, they pick up one another's languages really well, just because they absolutely will not give up trying.

[@Nilguiri]

This is pretty much how I learned Spanish when I came to live in Spain 30 years ago. It took about three months to become fairly fluent. Of course, I had a dictionary, so it wasn't quite the same.

[@andrewdunbar828]

Yeah with big world languages that are related it's a lot easier. I got to conversational in Spanish living and travelling for six months in Mexico, but didn't succeed as well with any Asian language or even German. Even Romanian which is a lot closer to Spanish than Spanish is to English.

[@Nilguiri]

@@andrewdunbar828 Yes, that's true. I learned German in school and it's pretty similar to English in many ways. But being fluent in Spanish and French doesn't seem to help in understanding Romanian in spite of being a Romance language, although Romanian people are able to learn Spanish very easily. And Spanish has many similarities with English (via Latin and Greek) which make it similar to to English in many ways.

[@CloudLadder-c7e]

I think the most important thing if you want to learn a language through immersion is getting the people around you to not worry about offending you by correcting you. I think one of the main advantages children have in learning languages is that nobody minds telling them that they're wrong, but correcting the language of an adult feels like an insult.

[@AnhTrieu90]

For aliens, rule number 1 should be: if they stick out anything, don’t shake it.

[@swine13]

But that's the exact opposite of my "strangers in public bathrooms" policy! :/

[@Jellygamer0]

@@swine13 uh oh...

[@Kalleosini]

be polite and respectful huh? I just wanna say that tip can also help when you interact with people who speak the same language as you, something a lot of people apparently need to re-learn.

[@varana]

@Evi1M4chine Oh wtf. Treating people normally = with respect. Yes, it may be a bit of a false friend here - respect is also just basic Rücksicht und Achtung, like taking the other serious as a human being. That should really be common manners, "even" in Germany.

[@John_Weiss]

​@@varana I believe that it is. What you're describing is also called, "civility," a term that, to us Americans, sounds stilted. But, "civility," and, "respect," are not synonyms in _every_ language. "Civility," is "treating people normally" _by the conventions of what that culture thinks "treating people normally" means._ Not by what *you* think that phrase means. What is considered the basic minimum-respect that every person deserves simply by dint of being born a fellow human being. But that basic minimum, and how it's expressed, will vary from culture to culture. "Respect," in many laguages and cultures implies valuing an individual for something special about them, even if it's just a bit of their experience that only you personally admire. "Respect" will vary from one person to another - actually, from one pair of people to another. When I was in Germany 30 years ago for junior-semester in college, Germans still distinguished between „Bekannten“ and „Freunde“, words that in American English _should_ both be translated to, “friend,” even though the first words normally is translated to, “acquaintance.” But in America, “acquaintance,” is someone you met once or twice in some social situation, someone who's only one step removed from a stranger. Not so for „Bekannte“, at least not back 30 years ago. Culture shapes language. Language encodes culture.

[@apalsnerg]

Ok U r a simp.

[@Kalleosini]

please try to leave the word "normal" out of the conversation, I do not think that word necessarily conveys the meaning you intend my friends.

[@John_Weiss]

@@Kalleosini Well normally (😜) I would try, but I wrote that comment while washing the carpet. So naturally, since I was taking a break because I was tired, I was too tired to bother hunting for the alternative.

[@istvansipos9940]

and be careful. if you hear something like "asshole vault" in Hungary, some1 has just found a lost pen or stg, and asked "Ez hol volt?" (where was this?)

[@DrWhom]

on a similar note, the dutch say _bowl fucker_ for construction worker

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@DrWhom don't get me started on kippensoep. Little hint: kippen is not the dutch word for cigarette buds.

[@eritain]

"Where Are Your Keys?" is a playful and practical method for learning a language from a consultant, including potentially a monolingual one. Currently in use for various heritage languages. Also really entertaining.

[@horseenthusiast9903]

YES IT'S SO GOOD! We played Where Are Your Keys in my Yurok class in high school a lot, and it really helped my vocabulary get solidified.

[@umbragon2814]

I will literally never be in a situation to use this, but I shall remember it anyway!

[@seanbeadles7421]

Interesting, I’ve known about other anthropological fieldwork methods in school, but as we split our linguistics into its own department the anth department purposefully distanced themselves to avoid the whole controversy of the split so they never even mentioned language much in overview classes

[@rzeka]

In addition to Pike's demonstration, here's a video of Dan Everett demonstrating monolingual "fieldwork" with a Hmong speaker: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYrTiKNtnJyLjbc It's kind of long but very interesting, and the explanation after the eliciting session is worth listening to.

[@ShaareiZoharDaas]

Thank both of you I am going (God Willing) to Finmark to study Sami Languages

[@Diss0lvant]

Thank you ! It was very interesting and enlightening

[@andrewdunbar828]

More! More! I'd love to have more of this. Dan is my linguistics hero. Piraha is totally fascinating. Hmong is the most prominent tonal Asian language that's not a national/majority language or related to one. And watching the process leaves me without words since I already used up "totally fascinating".

[@rzeka]

@@ShaareiZoharDaas Good luck!

[@MrsKoldun]

6:07 I’m currently writing my graduate thesis on the difficulties of producing covert translations when translating scientific texts from Chinese into German. And this quote is brilliant! I might put it at the beginning of the chapter focussing on the grammatical, syntactical, lexical and semantic differences between both languages.

[@th3gamepros425]

How did you do?

[@theconqueringram5295]

This is interesting and helps explain how people were able to figure out other languages.

[@nathancombs527]

Sokath, his eyes uncovered!

[@johnmanno9701]

Whoever you are, NativLang Man, your assibilation is most charming! It's one of the reasons I come back for more. And the way you place your speech just so on the tip of your tongue, right behind your front teeth, makes your speaking voice sparkle with a lovely effervescence that's irresistible.

[@NativLang]

Thank you! It's been a long road to open up this voice - a lot less sparkle in old videos.

[@johnmanno9701]

@@NativLangWell then, bravo, sir! It's one of the most pleasant I've heard. And your pronunciation skills are ASTOUNDING! From Mandarin to Sentinelese, the words roll off your tongue with ease!

[@johnmanno9701]

@Evi1M4chine So compliments are double plus ungood? Thank you for reminding me about our Orwellian world, comrade.

[@only_sleeping7276]

Last time I was this early grimm's law hadn't happened yet.

[@GameyRaccoon]

Funny Linguistics Compilation

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I do this all the time when I encounter a new alien civilization. Luckily, it's pretty easy for Jedi to gain the trust of people since it's our job to assist and help people whenever we can. People tend to like and talk to you when you save lives and negotiate peace.

[@slamwall9057]

Last time I was this early everyone was still speaking Proto-Indo-European

[@jcxkzhgco3050]

What about Altaic

[@slamwall9057]

@@jcxkzhgco3050 doesn't exist

[@thecozyconstellation]

best comment ever

[@slamwall9057]

@@thecozyconstellation thanks

[@Ida-xe8pg]

Yea u alive back in *~5000 BC*

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

We're like insurance for your linguistic emergencies

[@instantinople3796]

You again

[@arthemis1039]

Sir are you a bot

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I can think of another way to learn the language but it kind of involves a long term personal investment. You could gain their trust, stick around, and marry a member of that other culture. Then your kid would be raised to learn both languages. He/she teaches you their language and vis versa. It's a more passive and time consuming approach but it works.

[@Vitorruy1]

My man playing the long game

[@cienbiswas5140]

This is actually such a good idea! But it is indeed rather in theory a good idea than in practice and real life! xD But it would probably be the best way to really develop a perfect translator between two languages...kids! They are the answer! xD Thank you for this input, it's really good and it sticks to me for some reason

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

By the time you're immersed enough to found a family, you most likely spend enough time with than to have learned the language anyway. And by the time your kid is old enough to speak, you should be pretty much at native fluency.

[@husky0098]

This is like that one post where someone says to get pregnant to find out who your real friends are.

[@Tetradepodmelontea]

In one case at least, smiling individuals were considered agressive by cannibal tribe, because they had no previous contacts with western christian cultures, they never smiled and showing teeth in their own tribe were a signal of aggression or readiness to attack.

[@thriceandonce]

Probably best to smile without showing your teeth just in case!

[@Tetradepodmelontea]

@@thriceandonce sounds like an optimum strategy :)

[@Tetradepodmelontea]

@Master Yoda no. Smiling is not genetic. They really dont smile when they are happy, and they misunderstood our reasearchers when they tried to apply european norm on them. They asked them, why they always loojed angry on their language, because russian reasearchers smiled scared them a bit. They really had an another way of facial expressions, gestures and body language. It actually more rscist to assume that every culture should have the same patterns your culture prefer. Yes, due to communication, most contacted tribes knows smiles today, but there are still ones who does not. That tribe also was very suprised, when they heard a question, about gods of their cultures, which of them good and which of them evil. They answered :"All gods are evil, how can a good god exist?"

[@Tetradepodmelontea]

@Master Yoda Smiling and facial expressions are largely cultural thing. Because children, raised by animals and neglected ones does not develope any facial expressions until they are exposed to them and taught them by people they later gat attached to. Until then, they are "faceless" and have animal body language and ways of exoressing affections.

[@KendrixTermina]

@@Tetradepodmelontea Nope. Even people born blind who have never seen anyone expression smile, there are some expressions that are definitely universal different cultures do it to different *extents tho* - see when Walmart came to Germany, told its employees to smile at the customers who then felt creeped out or like they were being hit on, and that's still a culture that speaks a closely related language

[@matthewspence7476]

I always thought you just had babies with the locals and then made sure they grew up using both languages so they could translate for you

[@zakazany1945]

Best method ever

[@JJM8043]

That requires you to know the language beforehand.

[@windsaw151]

Darmok and Jalad in Tanagra! Sorry, couldn't resist!

[@Davesoft]

I'm starting to remember how important a Daniel Jackson type character would be.

[@ecurewitz]

Shaka, when the walls fell

[@untruelie2640]

@@ecurewitz Sokath, his eyes uncovered!

[@ecurewitz]

Untrue Lie Temba, his arms wide!

[@davidchang4292]

Picard and Dathon, at el Adrel

[@eggbun]

I was specifically searching for this exact scenario out of sheer curiosity. Another gem of a channel found!

[@rmt3589]

This is immensely useful. For game design/worldbuilding, I mean. It's not like I'm using a spiritual entity to break into another world and make a link so people can use a vr helmet to pilot an avatar in that other plane of existence, all without even informing anyone on the other side that the "players" aren't who they say they are. That'd be crazy! And impossible! I'd never do that!

[@Nekomikuri]

Very interesting, my parents were missionaries in Papua New Guinea for Wycliffe and did this type of stuff. It started my interest in language

[@virginiatyree6705]

6 26 20 Hey NativLang, I've used Fuji/Polaroid instant-cameras in the past to breakdown barriers; take LOTS of film. People always love to have & see a photo in minutes. Thanks for the informative post! Stay safe, keep calm, & be well everyone. v

[@eritain]

I recall seeing an anthropologist, possibly Alfred Cort Haddon, say that if you can't get an introduction to the people you want to study, you should sit in a public spot and start making string figures -- cat's cradle and the like. Invariably, someone will walk up and say the local equivalent of "hey, let me show you one." Few if any human societies don't make string figures! The Leipzig-Jakarta vocabulary list has "rope" and "to tie" as the technological words most likely to have native (as opposed to borrowed) words across languages. I suspect this is related.

[@screamtoasigh9984]

Right because there are no cultures who think images of people are bad or evil. 🙈

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@eritain that is actually a good point. binding things together is a pretty basic technology. from making firewood easier to transport, to securing the tent against weather, to connecting pelt or leather pieces.

[@BlackTomorrowMusic]

Point at things for nouns. Except, as Terry Pratchett once pointed out, this may lead you to naming a mountain, "Your finger, you fool."

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Like the big desert desert or the the the tar tar pits.

[@conspiracy_risk7526]

I just recently started watching your videos. This is the first new video of yours I've caught, and I'd just like to say that I love your content! I find it really interesting, and I'm actually considering majoring in linguistics in college.

[@black_platypus]

0:00 "You're alone!" Jeez, barely one second in and already throwing my dead social life back in my face! At least let me have my coffee first so this doesn't fall on an empty stomach! o.o

[@Randleray]

I am in the process of learning a language right now in a very much mostly monolinguistic environment. I can relay on english if needed, but aside from certain places, it is pretty much off use. And as with english, my first foreign language, the hardest part to learn is not the grammar nor the understanding of phrasing (the bit where the video touched the 'european bias'), but to simply remember the words for actual usage. Most people I know can remember words and vocabulary very fast. I cannot, I have to repeat and repeat and repeat them again and again until I am proficient enough to actually hear them within the speaking flow of native speakers. A lot of people told me I should learn by just hearing the language and concentrate on what is said. Quiet a number of people suggested just listen to stories. But the second I have no clue whats going on, my brain seems to shut down. This might be very well just the influence of my father, he was a oldshool schoolboy, back in the day when learning old greek and latin was still mandatory in schools in Europe. He said 'you have to build a base of vocabulary, before you are able to understand shit'. Which makes sense initself I guess, but it is frustrating when I see how fast others can pick up languages -_-

[@TheHylianBatman]

I've been subbed to you for a very long time, this is the first video I've watched in some time. Your channel is very expansive and I want to go through and watch every video I'm interested in (so most of them), but I just haven't had time. Thank you for this one. Very fascinating. Will get to more later.

[@Ricca_Day]

As you are talking, I see Daniel in the movie Stargate offering a 5th Avenue chocolate bar to the tribal father after they walk out of the pyramid. Bravo.

[@我吃面]

I've been wondering about this but never really looked it up I love this channel P.S. Still hoping to see the Austronesian alignment 😉

[@aliabassi8045]

我吃面 ah you eat bread/noodles too nice 🥖🍜

[@Vitorruy1]

When I was 15 I read a book about field linguistics made in the 60's, lots of interesting stories, it made my soul happy at a time I was suffering from severe anxiety.

[@Automatik234]

Great video! I've been wondering about such opics, since light linguistic elements and linguistic first contact were a part of Star Trek Enterprise. Starting from scratch is always interesting!

[@Xilotl]

Definitely don't rely on your native language to learn grammar of another. For example, in English, I can say, "I am running to make it." But in my ancestral tongue, it is more accurately said in English as, "I run I make it," or to be literal, "I run I it make."

[@andresvillanueva5421]

Is that Spanish?

[@NevTheDeranged]

Have you heard of the Where Are Your Keys / Language Hunting method? It's basically a gameified version of this concept, broken down into the simplest repeatable ritual for maximum acquisition and retention. A lot of folks are using it to help preserve endangered languages in their communities as well.

[@cinnamonbeardstud]

This was one of the best videos EVER and not just on this channel or anything about language. Also *my tongue is ready* is my new favorite line.

[@trezythirdy3527]

I've always wondered every time I daydream what I will do if I am suddenly in a place with a different language.

[@Dan_Ben_Michael]

This is very interesting. I have always wondered how the European settlers and the Indigenous peoples of Australia made themselves understood so relatively quickly when the British first colonised Australia. I do know it was much in part by Bennelong’s amazing ability for mimicry and learning. Bennelong and Colebee were captured so Governor Phillip could gather intelligence about this unknown continent and it’s people, and to learn to communicate through intermediaries, but the rapidity in which it occurred always astonished me.

[@tommyhuffman7499]

All you need is LAMP - Language Acquisition Made Practical. Excellent book.

[@andycrenshaw2789]

thank you for your thoughtful tips as well as the lovely disclaimer at the end.

[@Chrischi3TutorialLPs]

Ill remember this just in case i ever happen to meet any of germanys uncontacted peoples.

[@Nitlda]

I want to learn Gaulish and Old Norse, now I know how to do so. Just need a time machine now, shouldn't be too difficult

[@56independent]

This really helped some Spanish-speaking friends on a trip to Chile, thank you!

[@hmwat1623]

I always wondered how this was done

[@klml3882]

Finally another video!!!! Plz upload often

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

When you arrive in the far away settlement and they put a bowl of water in front if you. Don't expect them to say their word for "water", they could mean "drink" because you just came the long way. Maybe they mean "wash" because it's in their culture to wash ones hand when arriving at anothers home. Maybe they just tell you about the bowl!

[@ApricotStone]

Ahh I've always been so curious about how people do this!

[@sihanchen1331]

*Laughing in Piraha*

[@DasGuntLord01]

TEMBA HIS ARMS WIDE

[@ANTSEMUT1]

Darmok at Tanagra. Sails unfurled.

[@sarasarah1810]

@@ANTSEMUT1 that was the episode yea. Darmok?

[@ANTSEMUT1]

@@sarasarah1810 i think so it's a while ago.

[@adamantlyadam5201]

Shaka, when the walls fell.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Sokath. His eyes uncovered!

[@martinbeckdorf4565]

Man, you could do a video of Anne Chapman’s journey to Tierra del Fuego. That ever-changing phonetic recording made me think of the dozen ways some words are attested by different linguists.

[@diegomoreno6274]

I've always wondered about this topic and deep inside I knew nativlang would be the one bringing me answers

[@angelicpapillon]

I know this was supposed to be helpful for realistic scenarios with historical context but my brain started using this for writing a time traveling romance novel. Hehe

[@deakenwylie3819]

My strategy (being a stupendous sci-fi nerd, YES, I had a "somehow stranded on alien-inhabited planet" strategy worked out already) is identical to yours, up to a point, but includes something you either forgot or, more likely, simply would not apply to you. 1: Try not to get killed on first sight. 2: See if smiling, both with and without teeth, is a good idea. 3: Try not to get killed for smiling. 4. Point at nouns, test out the words, verify the words. 5. Be prepared to get laughed at, hope not to be killed for pointing at something / someone taboo. 6. Learn the levels of politesse, so that you don't do something akin to referring to the Japanese emperor as "Naruhito-kun". [And thus get killed, of course.] 7. Slowly, ever so slowly, integrate yourself as much as you can. 8. Every day, try not to get killed. 9. Every day, HOPE LIKE HELL FOR RESCUE.

[@deakenwylie3819]

@@oyoo3323 Thanks. I had to look both of those up, but boy was it a perfect fit to illustrate my point. :)

[@John_Weiss]

@Evi1M4chine I know, right? The United States that I was born in is gone. It's now a country where sociopathic behavior is promoted and lauded. "Individualism" has twisted into sociopathy "Community" is treated as identical to "communism." Selfishness is promoted as "good," and sharing is decried as "evil."

[@zs9652]

@Evi1M4chine I mean, he is talking about an alien planet. If the sapient inhabitants are basically fire ants brutally subdueing everything I would be scared I would get myself killed too lol. Though you should not assume every human will kill you.

[@JJM8043]

Realistically. You couldn't survive on an alien planet, at least not without very advanced tech.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@JJM8043 if the food and air is compatible, chance for survival is pretty high. Now the locals, that is a different question.

[@johanngambolputty5351]

Thats pretty much how I learned English, but I had the advantage of also having someone who spoke both English and my first language (I could use them to double check what I'd learned). In the same time, I primarily learned from the two people that didn't speak my first language, because they were home more often.

[@amattenet]

also the Where Are Your Keys system is a good way to bring all of these ideas together

[@nyemeaker8089]

Thanks for citing Thierno Sall, I’ll give that a read. It’s rare to hear anything about the Senegalese outside of west Africa

[@foxonfire7]

This video and this chanel in general is very usefull for writting my fantasy book. I am glad i found you.

[@maapauu4282]

Im happy NativLang is OK, as he changed his pfp

[@TheSpecialJ11]

"Wow. This is fascinating." *goes back to learning one of the most common languages on the planet.*

[@mr.notsonice]

Nice. If ever I'll get transported to another world I'll remember this

[@mikhail5002]

Mime and act out universally understandable concepts with your body and face a lot in the initial stages of contact, I don't see any other way.

[@lunallena1588]

Excellent, but lets not forget the negative values outsiders bring to native areas of the world. Tourists often bring colonization, knowingly and unknowingly. Luna

[@dariusgoh5314]

this is actually so insightful. I’ve always wondered this

[@pishoopy]

I was secretly hoping this was like a merch plug, I was so ready to buy 😂

[@hglundahl]

3:18 I recall pointing to the stem of a flower in US a bit before I was nine. "Flower" - "no, this" ... "flower" ... I already knew the word (what Dothrakian or Klingon wouldn't?) so I wanted to know about the green part leading up to the actual flower of the flower ...

[@markwright9060]

Is it strange that as I clicked on this video, North Sentinel Island was the first place I thought of where this could be useful nowadays. And lo and behold, it was mentioned 😄

[@Fummy007]

Reminds me of Dan Everett's book about living with the Piraha.

[@OliverBenson2024]

Love your videos! Thank you for making this!

[@shneancy220]

ooooh, so I learnt English monolingually, cool. (never wrote anything down though, I just kinda absorbed the language?) Also turns out this is literally the only way I can learn a language, I tried doing it bilingually and failed every time. Huh, good to finally find a word for that.

[@gimmboi7408]

this will be useful to know when we eventually figure out how to get to warp speed and the vulcans come to our planet to congratulate us

[@ShehrozeAmeen]

These rules also apply when learning regular languages, especially when native speakers do not have a consensus on their own language. Even if the language is documented, the grammar provided by a non native source might actually be a better option to consider than native sources. Let us consider Urdu as an example. Even though I grew up with it - I can say with pride that I can read it, write it, and listen to it if not fluently speak it - I know I am not a fluent pure and proper native speaker. And yet, I am able to understand Persian up to a point. Urdu, as a language, still doesn't have any consensus - the rules get made on the fly, and the speakers tend to be influenced by their background (Sindhis for instance, have a different Urdu proncunciation and corpus, than Pathan speakers; only the Punjabi diaspora in Pakistan take the language as an entity of significant importance), and even though the script got standardized it isn't approachable by zoomers. Romanized Urdu is much more common NOW than it has ever been, even though the language at its root is Persian and Arabic derived. Out of the thirty six alphabets, twenty six are Arabic and eight are added from Persian; the vocabulary is fundamentally Persian and Arabic with some Sanskrit, Turkish, Portuguese and English imports. Children in the case of Pakistan, are not the best source to learn the language. If anything, if you really want to learn the language from the ground up you have to use the reference material provided by the Asian Oriental Society. The grammar written for 2020 is crap and gobshite compared to the same grammar written in 1818 for actual students who were meant to work here in British India.

[@pranavjoshi1471]

Don't Punjabis have a different Punjabi-ish way of speaking Urdu?

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

As a non-native english speaker I can say that describes learning english pretty well. Consistency in pronunciation and grammar are all over the place, often with nothing in common to the written form in books. Lots of words are taken from other languages, often changed in both spoken and written form. Only thing in common with my native language is that is uses mostly the same alphabet, but pronounces letters differently, and without consistency.

[@Mienshao11]

As an english speaker i have very few chances to have “first contact”

[@nazi0zombie]

go to siberia

[@Ida-xe8pg]

😂😂😂 Go to New Guinea

[@zakazany1945]

North Sentinel is the way to go

[@zeabeth]

I double dog dare you to actually make this as a workbook and sell it

[@bluebanana92]

I travel and do monolingual demonstrations with one of Kenneth Pike’s friends (he’s nearly 90 now)! He trained me to do them.

[@AnimilesYT]

I've been wondering about this for quite a while. Thank you for this video! It was really interesting :D

[@XenoRaptor-98765]

This information will be useful in time travel since languages changes over time example English is spoken differently a thousand years ago as English a thousand years from now.

[@dunk.]

i always wondered how we would talk to intelligent aliens if we ever discovered them

[@the_coalheart]

Love your videos, thank you very much!

[@popular_dollars]

i was JUST thinking (fantasizing) about being in this situation. linguistic isekai. so intreguing.

[@ceruchi2084]

Last time I was this early I had to impress my comment on wet clay with a stylus.