The Speech: who hears it?

[wizard]

a few times in the wizard books wizards have spoken to things without wizardry. but yet in one of the books (to vist the queen i think) rhiow says something about only people who are wizards can hear the speach. so how is this possable? can the speach be heard if you are trying to tell the thing something? i dunno. i need help on this one.

[Christine]

Everything knows the speech. It's made up of all languages. Even though humans can't understand it, deep down in their core, they know what it is. As for inanimate objects and other creatures, yes, they can hear the speech.

[Em]

Yes, I think deep down, everything can hear the Speech. Not everything can understand it, but everything can hear it. I remember in one of the books, possibly in the first chapter to A Wizard Alone, Kit's mother admits she can hear the Speech, but very faintly, because she is not a wizard herself. Also, for example, Nita can talk to trees, and they don't have wizardry (atleast, not my knowledge). Every(thing/body) can hear the Speech, but to understand it, and to know and love it, you have to be a wizard yourself.

~Em~

http://www.geocities.com/booknightmoon

[Rysade]

[Em]

Ok, wait, I messed up...what I meant to say was that everyone/thing can understand the Speech, but not everbody chooses to hear it (so therefore, they don't know it exists or choose to acknowledge it exists). Okay, sorry, I think you're right Rysade (that's the closest thing you're ever gonna hear to me admitting I'm wrong [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img] ).

~Em~

"Before you judge someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes." Frieda Norris

[Rysade]

[TheClone]

Maybe you can only hear it if you truthfully believe in the wizardry. Humans seem to be the worst people in believing it. As Kits family is starting to believe they may start hearing it.

for a human/non-believer, the wispy words of the Speech may sound like a garbled string of low mumbles or maybe even gibberish...reminiscent of a person talking to themselves. my point is, perhaps not recognizing it as the language It is, one would brush it off as just a looney ranting to themselves. however, if one can hear it, i believe that one can understand it. that would explain why kit's mother is beginning to hear it as she believes more and more in wizardry. if it were not easy to learn, it would take years to become fluent in speaking and reading it, which obviously it doesn't take that long because wizards learn it quickly with almost no guidance at all in the beginning. and there you have my thoughts on the subject!

dai'

[ATimson]

Nice theory, except the People are able to speak in the Speech and be understood by humans. This blows your idea out of the water, unfortunately.


Grr. Arrgh.

[Caledonian]

It's also made explicit that non-living things, which are completely incapable of producing speech, can use the Speech.

I think the Speech probably has a different form for each type of being, but that any version can be understood by anyone else who understands it; one form is translated into another.

Logic is a poor servant, but an excellent master.
-- The Book of Forgotten Things
Forget science fiction: other people are the ultimate aliens.
-- The Vorlon Ambassador's Aide

[A Moonlighting X-Phile]

I thought everyone could understand the Speech originally, but humans have chosen (subconsciously?) to block that ability unless they become a wizard or, like Kit's mother (possibly), have wizardly blood.
I noticed another inconsistency: in some books, when Nita and Kit talk to each other silently, it's put in (), but in others, it's just italicized. ? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif[/img]

AML,
A Moonlighting X-Phile
<If all good things must come to an end - than numbers are not our friend!>
<WARNING: I cannot be help responsible for the above, as apparently my cats have learned how to type.>
<'Men will fight bravely
and be heroes, but for a
last ditch defense against
and odds, get a mother.' You should recognize that one!>

[Polly6]

I think if a non wizard human is hearing a conversation or someone else talking it would sound like mumbling or gibberish but if it is directed at them, they would understand.

[Rysade]

"a few times in the wizard books wizards have spoken to things without wizardry. but yet in one of the books (to vist the queen i think) rhiow says something about only people who are wizards can hear the speach. so how is this possable? can the speach be heard if you are trying to tell the thing something? i dunno. i need help on this one." qoute Wizard

The keyword there was "people" and im pretty sure that rugs and toasters arent people in the sense that we see them in.