Neanderthals in the America's
- Thread starter Domoviye
- Start date
Thanks. I was hoping it would show how the Thilan thought properly.well, you certainly got me interested
like the dialogue
Sorry.
I was thinking of having it more like the original Planet of the Apes, with the Bishop asking if the Thilan had a soul, but decided that would be too silly.
And here's a link to the most recent research regarding Neanderthals noses.
Just want to get this out of the way. I realized I had made a mistake saying the Thilan had no hair, so rather than changing it I fixed the problem.
The small starting population will allow some more mutations to pop up, but there are only 2 blood types.
Thilan Races
Atlantic Thilans:
General range: From the Gulf of Sem (OTL Gulf of St. Lawrence) down to the Panhandle (Florida) and inland to around the Little Mountains (Appalachians)
Height: Males 171-180 centimeters (5.6-5.9 feet), Females 160-167 (5.2-5.4 feet)
These weren't the first Thilans met by Europeans, but they were the first Thilans to have friendly relations with them.
The most interesting feature of this race is the fact that they have very little facial hair. It is unclear why they don't although genetic testing shows that they have a proportionally higher level of genetic exchange with the Skraelings than most other Thilans. Some scientists have speculated this could cause the lack of hair. Others say that it is simply a mutation due to inbreeding.
Their noses are a little smaller than most other Thilans. They tend to be a little taller, and black hair is found in 20% of the population likely due to the Skraeling genes.
Like most other Thilans they have a barrel chest, short legs in proportion to the body, and receding chins and foreheads.
Northern Thilans
General Range: North of the 43th parallel.
Height: Males 168-174 centimeters (5.5-5.7 feet), Females 156-163 (5.1-5.3 feet)
The most common Thilans, they have the least amount of human genetic material.
Their hair is commonly red and blonde, with less then 0.5% black hair. The common style is to grow their facial hair as long as possible, increasing its length by tying and gluing animal, Thilan and human hair to their beards.
They're the strongest of all Thilans which can cause them to overheat easily when exerting themselves in warm weather.
They are highly allergic to gluten, subsisting on meat, limited greens and starches.
They are also commonly called Arctic Thilans due to their cold resistance. Nordic countries commonly hire them to work in the far North of Eurasia as a means to save on heating costs.
Warm Thilans
Range: Deserts and warm areas of Thila down to Australis.
Height: Males 163-172 centimeters (5.3-5.6 feet), Females 150-155 (4.9-5 feet)
These Thila are lightly tanned in colour, commonly with brown hair. As they get farther south their skin darkens, and they become leaner.
They're fairly rare due to competition with humans. The majority live in the mountains and highlands, previously this was for protection as the rocky terrain was easy to defend. Now it is out of personal preference.
Their legs are a little longer than normal for Thilans, and their sense of balance is better, making them more graceful then their brothers, but still slightly below average for a human.
Summer Thilans
Range: The Summerlands and jungles of Australis and southern areas of Thila.
Height: Males 140-148 centimeters (4.5-4.8 feet), Females 130-135 (4.2-4.4 feet)
The smallest and weakest Thilans they are instantly recognizable by their physical appearance.
Their skin is a light brown, similar to an Arab. They have facial hair but it is sparser than most Thilans and generally dark brown.
They're stocky they have little fat, and their muscles are much smaller.
Their noses are extremely large possibly as a means to release heat quickly.
Commonly called lazy, their metabolism is much slower than most hominids. They will do low energy activities as a matter of course, with bursts of energy when hunting or fighting, followed by long periods of inactively.
They prefer to spend much of their time near water to help keep cool as they work.
They eat the most fish of any Thilan.
Southern Thilans
Range: Australis Mountains (Andes), the cooler southern portions of Australis
Height: Males 163-172 centimeters (5.3-5.6 feet), Females 150-155 (4.9-5 feet)
These Thila closely resemble the Warm Thilans in most respects. The biggest difference is that they are well adapted to the low oxygen of the mountains.
Their noses are similar in size to the other Thilans, but their sinuses and lungs are larger, allowing more oxygen to enter their system.
Their hair ranges from dark brown to blonde, red is very uncommon.
The small starting population will allow some more mutations to pop up, but there are only 2 blood types.
Thilan Races
Atlantic Thilans:
General range: From the Gulf of Sem (OTL Gulf of St. Lawrence) down to the Panhandle (Florida) and inland to around the Little Mountains (Appalachians)
Height: Males 171-180 centimeters (5.6-5.9 feet), Females 160-167 (5.2-5.4 feet)
These weren't the first Thilans met by Europeans, but they were the first Thilans to have friendly relations with them.
The most interesting feature of this race is the fact that they have very little facial hair. It is unclear why they don't although genetic testing shows that they have a proportionally higher level of genetic exchange with the Skraelings than most other Thilans. Some scientists have speculated this could cause the lack of hair. Others say that it is simply a mutation due to inbreeding.
Their noses are a little smaller than most other Thilans. They tend to be a little taller, and black hair is found in 20% of the population likely due to the Skraeling genes.
Like most other Thilans they have a barrel chest, short legs in proportion to the body, and receding chins and foreheads.
Northern Thilans
General Range: North of the 43th parallel.
Height: Males 168-174 centimeters (5.5-5.7 feet), Females 156-163 (5.1-5.3 feet)
The most common Thilans, they have the least amount of human genetic material.
Their hair is commonly red and blonde, with less then 0.5% black hair. The common style is to grow their facial hair as long as possible, increasing its length by tying and gluing animal, Thilan and human hair to their beards.
They're the strongest of all Thilans which can cause them to overheat easily when exerting themselves in warm weather.
They are highly allergic to gluten, subsisting on meat, limited greens and starches.
They are also commonly called Arctic Thilans due to their cold resistance. Nordic countries commonly hire them to work in the far North of Eurasia as a means to save on heating costs.
Warm Thilans
Range: Deserts and warm areas of Thila down to Australis.
Height: Males 163-172 centimeters (5.3-5.6 feet), Females 150-155 (4.9-5 feet)
These Thila are lightly tanned in colour, commonly with brown hair. As they get farther south their skin darkens, and they become leaner.
They're fairly rare due to competition with humans. The majority live in the mountains and highlands, previously this was for protection as the rocky terrain was easy to defend. Now it is out of personal preference.
Their legs are a little longer than normal for Thilans, and their sense of balance is better, making them more graceful then their brothers, but still slightly below average for a human.
Summer Thilans
Range: The Summerlands and jungles of Australis and southern areas of Thila.
Height: Males 140-148 centimeters (4.5-4.8 feet), Females 130-135 (4.2-4.4 feet)
The smallest and weakest Thilans they are instantly recognizable by their physical appearance.
Their skin is a light brown, similar to an Arab. They have facial hair but it is sparser than most Thilans and generally dark brown.
They're stocky they have little fat, and their muscles are much smaller.
Their noses are extremely large possibly as a means to release heat quickly.
Commonly called lazy, their metabolism is much slower than most hominids. They will do low energy activities as a matter of course, with bursts of energy when hunting or fighting, followed by long periods of inactively.
They prefer to spend much of their time near water to help keep cool as they work.
They eat the most fish of any Thilan.
Southern Thilans
Range: Australis Mountains (Andes), the cooler southern portions of Australis
Height: Males 163-172 centimeters (5.3-5.6 feet), Females 150-155 (4.9-5 feet)
These Thila closely resemble the Warm Thilans in most respects. The biggest difference is that they are well adapted to the low oxygen of the mountains.
Their noses are similar in size to the other Thilans, but their sinuses and lungs are larger, allowing more oxygen to enter their system.
Their hair ranges from dark brown to blonde, red is very uncommon.
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Very Interesting
now we can truley see the effects of the climate on the Thilans
I am wondering about differenses in culture, iff they have anny.
June, 1678, Blod Skog, AKA Blood Forest (OTL Northern Labrador)
The pair of traders were paddled along the river in heavily laden birch bark canoe. The English and Scottish trader largely kept quiet, nervous and anxious about what the future would hold. Their Thilan guides sang out a complicated series of high pitched notes that seemed muted by the surrounding trees. The English were covered in loose cotton clothes tied at the sleeves and the ankles to keep some of the mosquitoes that tormented them at bay. The Thilans wore simple kilts made from the skin of a moose calf. Their skin was smeared with black bear grease to keep the mosquitoes away, even their thick red beards were covered in grease that gave the silver ornaments hanging on them a shiny appearance.
“Do you think this will work William?” Charles asked, breaking the uneasy silence.
William nodded his head. I think so. We've done everything possible, and the stakes are big enough to take the risk.”
“But you remember what they did to the Breton party ten years ago. Only their guides were allowed to leave with their skulls.”
“Are you getting cold feet now? Its a little late to start worrying about that. Now look lively, once we get to the town any sign of weakness will get us killed. That's what the Pope Kissers did wrong,” William said firmly. “Just the two of us going shows we're brave, our gifts show we're generous, and we walk out with a deal for all the furs they can give us.”
“But what if something goes wrong?” the younger man asked.
“Then we shoot as many of them as we can and stab the rest. Easy,” he replied with a confident grin. “Now just make sure your pistols are loaded.”
They continued in silence.
__
A large group of Thilan's met them that evening, they were well armed with heavy crossbows, daggers, heavy leather armour, and short, thick spears. From the looks of them they were unhappy with the two humans appearing in their territory.
The Thilan guides looked up at them calmly, no matter what happened they'd likely be allowed to leave alive. Their hands flashed in the trade signs that allowed traders, both Thilan and Skraelings to communicate around the continent.
“Greetings, warriors of the Thousand Rivers,” the guides said, as the twenty or so heavily armed warriors formed a semi-circle around them. “We come with gifts and offers of trade.”
The warriors spoke in the high pitched Thilan tongue. Neither William or Charles understood what was being said, but they took it as a hopeful sign that the weapons were still sheathed. They waited patiently to see what would happen next.
Finally the Oldest Thilan signed, “Why are the weak people here?”
William stood up and looked straight at the leader. “We wish to trade with your people. You have many things we want and we offer a fair trade,” he signed.
“You wish slaves?” the leader asked.
“No slaves. The king and Queen of our countries has forbidden it. We want furs, otter, beaver, and weasel especially. Their are also some herbs that we require,” he told them.
The leader cocked his head, twitching his eyebrows in a complicated pattern. Shaking his head quickly making the tinklers in his beard rattle he barked out a command. “Come, we will talk more at the town,” he signed.
William and Charles tried to hide their relief as the first hurdle was overcome. Grabbing their packs they followed the warriors while the guides grabbed the rest.
__
The Thilan town was surrounded by a field, the traders didn't know most of the plants growing in it, they mostly appeared to be short leafy bushes and berries with little rhyme or reason to the planting. The path was covered in fine ash, and there were a number of burnt trees in the field. Some children ran through the plants, scaring away birds and playing a game of catch with a round rock the size of Charles head.
Dozens of llama's and pygmy elephants were fenced in close to the town, well away from the field. They were kept in small groups in individual corrals encircling the town. It seemed likely there were over a hundred of each type. Dogs yapped and played around them, ensuring nothing came too near.
A strong palisade rose 15 feet in the air. Skulls of animals, Thilan and some humans were placed at intervals around the palisade. The large gate was open and Thilans walked in and out on various errands. They were lightly clothed, in most cases a simple leather kilt or poncho, with bags made from bark or leather.
The leader, called To Ya yelled a greeting from the edge of the field loud enough to hurt the traders ears. An answering cry came almost instantly. A small group of guards armed in a similar manner to the warriors came out to guard the new comers. Wordlessly they marched the traders and their guides through the village.
The houses were small and packed together. They were built into the ground, the doorway being a simple stairway or ramp that led downward. Above the surface the stone walls were only a meter high, and the peaked roofs were made of pine covered in a mud and moose hair for strength. Most of the Thilans were singing as they worked. Their voices rising and falling in time with their activity. It was hard to make out any individual tune, but each job seemed to have a particular song.
Williams and Charles counted the houses and people. This town was suppose to be the largest in the Blood Woods and the council area of the Thousand Rivers Alliance, the leading group in this part of the continent. It seemed to be accurate, William made a rough estimate of 5,000 inhabitants. Many of them appeared to be away hunting, guarding distant flocks, trading and fishing but the town was still quite active. Thilans were trading dried perch from their private fish ponds for medicines. Carvings for leather. Iron for moccasins.
They didn't get a chance to investigate anything closely though, their guards made sure they kept marching to the center of the village where a large windowless building awaited them.
To Ya stopped at a small side entrance. “The Leaders are not here,” he signed. “You will wait in the rest rooms until the Leaders can come. You and your items are protected until the Leaders speak to you. Food and water will be given to you. Do not leave.”
He opened a door leading to a cell like room. With a sense of foreboding William and Charles entered the cell. Their guides didn't follow them. As the door closed they were left in complete darkness.
_____
More tomorrow.
The pair of traders were paddled along the river in heavily laden birch bark canoe. The English and Scottish trader largely kept quiet, nervous and anxious about what the future would hold. Their Thilan guides sang out a complicated series of high pitched notes that seemed muted by the surrounding trees. The English were covered in loose cotton clothes tied at the sleeves and the ankles to keep some of the mosquitoes that tormented them at bay. The Thilans wore simple kilts made from the skin of a moose calf. Their skin was smeared with black bear grease to keep the mosquitoes away, even their thick red beards were covered in grease that gave the silver ornaments hanging on them a shiny appearance.
“Do you think this will work William?” Charles asked, breaking the uneasy silence.
William nodded his head. I think so. We've done everything possible, and the stakes are big enough to take the risk.”
“But you remember what they did to the Breton party ten years ago. Only their guides were allowed to leave with their skulls.”
“Are you getting cold feet now? Its a little late to start worrying about that. Now look lively, once we get to the town any sign of weakness will get us killed. That's what the Pope Kissers did wrong,” William said firmly. “Just the two of us going shows we're brave, our gifts show we're generous, and we walk out with a deal for all the furs they can give us.”
“But what if something goes wrong?” the younger man asked.
“Then we shoot as many of them as we can and stab the rest. Easy,” he replied with a confident grin. “Now just make sure your pistols are loaded.”
They continued in silence.
__
A large group of Thilan's met them that evening, they were well armed with heavy crossbows, daggers, heavy leather armour, and short, thick spears. From the looks of them they were unhappy with the two humans appearing in their territory.
The Thilan guides looked up at them calmly, no matter what happened they'd likely be allowed to leave alive. Their hands flashed in the trade signs that allowed traders, both Thilan and Skraelings to communicate around the continent.
“Greetings, warriors of the Thousand Rivers,” the guides said, as the twenty or so heavily armed warriors formed a semi-circle around them. “We come with gifts and offers of trade.”
The warriors spoke in the high pitched Thilan tongue. Neither William or Charles understood what was being said, but they took it as a hopeful sign that the weapons were still sheathed. They waited patiently to see what would happen next.
Finally the Oldest Thilan signed, “Why are the weak people here?”
William stood up and looked straight at the leader. “We wish to trade with your people. You have many things we want and we offer a fair trade,” he signed.
“You wish slaves?” the leader asked.
“No slaves. The king and Queen of our countries has forbidden it. We want furs, otter, beaver, and weasel especially. Their are also some herbs that we require,” he told them.
The leader cocked his head, twitching his eyebrows in a complicated pattern. Shaking his head quickly making the tinklers in his beard rattle he barked out a command. “Come, we will talk more at the town,” he signed.
William and Charles tried to hide their relief as the first hurdle was overcome. Grabbing their packs they followed the warriors while the guides grabbed the rest.
__
The Thilan town was surrounded by a field, the traders didn't know most of the plants growing in it, they mostly appeared to be short leafy bushes and berries with little rhyme or reason to the planting. The path was covered in fine ash, and there were a number of burnt trees in the field. Some children ran through the plants, scaring away birds and playing a game of catch with a round rock the size of Charles head.
Dozens of llama's and pygmy elephants were fenced in close to the town, well away from the field. They were kept in small groups in individual corrals encircling the town. It seemed likely there were over a hundred of each type. Dogs yapped and played around them, ensuring nothing came too near.
A strong palisade rose 15 feet in the air. Skulls of animals, Thilan and some humans were placed at intervals around the palisade. The large gate was open and Thilans walked in and out on various errands. They were lightly clothed, in most cases a simple leather kilt or poncho, with bags made from bark or leather.
The leader, called To Ya yelled a greeting from the edge of the field loud enough to hurt the traders ears. An answering cry came almost instantly. A small group of guards armed in a similar manner to the warriors came out to guard the new comers. Wordlessly they marched the traders and their guides through the village.
The houses were small and packed together. They were built into the ground, the doorway being a simple stairway or ramp that led downward. Above the surface the stone walls were only a meter high, and the peaked roofs were made of pine covered in a mud and moose hair for strength. Most of the Thilans were singing as they worked. Their voices rising and falling in time with their activity. It was hard to make out any individual tune, but each job seemed to have a particular song.
Williams and Charles counted the houses and people. This town was suppose to be the largest in the Blood Woods and the council area of the Thousand Rivers Alliance, the leading group in this part of the continent. It seemed to be accurate, William made a rough estimate of 5,000 inhabitants. Many of them appeared to be away hunting, guarding distant flocks, trading and fishing but the town was still quite active. Thilans were trading dried perch from their private fish ponds for medicines. Carvings for leather. Iron for moccasins.
They didn't get a chance to investigate anything closely though, their guards made sure they kept marching to the center of the village where a large windowless building awaited them.
To Ya stopped at a small side entrance. “The Leaders are not here,” he signed. “You will wait in the rest rooms until the Leaders can come. You and your items are protected until the Leaders speak to you. Food and water will be given to you. Do not leave.”
He opened a door leading to a cell like room. With a sense of foreboding William and Charles entered the cell. Their guides didn't follow them. As the door closed they were left in complete darkness.
_____
More tomorrow.
Like the update
I only have one but:
Crossbows???????
how, when....how???
Whats the problem its the 1600's. Either they're an independent invention or they bought them off the French.
And with the Thilans strength they can use a MUCH heavier crossbow then humans can. So they're pretty popular with the locals.
its not a problem, more like I dont know iff Neanderthals are capable of such craftsmenship
They had to have a working model to use, either a European or Skraeling model, but I'm going with the idea that they could copy it without much problem.
As will be shown, I'm looking at the Neanderthals as very slow at coming up with new ideas, but once they have it they can use it fairly well and even tweak it.
So their most brilliant engineer would only be considered a decent human engineer, but as copiers and mimics they're quite good.
As will be shown, I'm looking at the Neanderthals as very slow at coming up with new ideas, but once they have it they can use it fairly well and even tweak it.
So their most brilliant engineer would only be considered a decent human engineer, but as copiers and mimics they're quite good.
They were both using sign language.
The Neanderthals use a mix of spoken words and sign language to speak. This gets around the problem of the different vocal cords and the smaller speech section of the brain.
Its also based a little bit off the sign language the Native Americans used in and around the central plain. They had a nice easy trading language that allowed them to communicate and trade with each other relatively easily. This is a big expansion on that.
I was making the signs more eloquent then they would be in real life, merely using signs it would be something like "We trade you? Many goods you I want. Good trade." But that would be boring to read.
I'm not going to repeat the whole "differently abled Hedrens" things I was writing on Errnge's thread. For one thing, your Thilians have both societies of their own (that aren't mere refuges but on the map, as it were, in Thilia and the south continent) and also share in mixed settlements with Quicks*. So they don't need an advocate as much as over there.
But I do think that while much of what the Thilians do looks like imitation, inferior and accomplished with some difficulty, of Quick skills, they must also have strengths (other than the "brute" and "impervious to cold" kind I mean) that Quicks may or may not observe, but that help them keep equal to Quick society. Probably the Quicks who do spend a lot of time interacting with Thilians do notice these things, and come to count on Thilians solving the sorts of problems they are good at solving, so that collaborative teams tend to evolve under various auspices that pit both kinds of brains together against practical issues.
Thus I'd expect that Thilians do have a form of creativity though perhaps not one that would seem flashy to Quicks. Perhaps their "imitations" very quietly take better advantage of the materials they are actually working with, where one of us comes at making a thing with an abstract idea of what it should be and tries to force the materials to conform to their pre-conceived role. So if working with a knotty piece of wood that we might simply toss aside as too messed up to use, they might make it work with some advantages to counter the drawbacks. A Quick, especially one who doesn't know Thilians very well, might see a crude piece of work; a Thilian or a Quick used to working with Thilians might see how actually it works very well and can do this or that that the standard issue cannot.
Perhaps standardized, interchangable parts might be a hard program for Thilians to conform to--then again, with enough examples before them they might get the concept their own way and focus on the goal of making each piece work as well as another and achieve it better than we could. I bet they find that kind of dull though and if we get to the machine era, a Thilian mechanic might take great pride in cobbling together some unique doohickey for each engine they work on, to optimize it for its actual purpose. This is not so nice in the auto repair biz (though it would be great for customizing cars) but might come in really handy in a war for instance. OTL a lot of WWII equipment got customized at the front.
And so on. It is kind of silly and sort of dangerous for us to impose their different strengths on them; the kind of thing we imagine would tend to be reflective of our fortes, not theirs.
Deaf "Quicks" or "locquos" (ie us, especially me--I don't Sign but I should as I am severely hearing impaired) are of course using the same language centers in the locquo brain as hearing people do for sign, or at least they do so to a great extent. Sign Languages are different from verbal ones in some respects but they are indeed languages. Just without the "langue!" Thilian sign would be a less structured thing, but it would not necessarily be less subtle. It could pick up a lot of levels of meaning from context. It would probably be very improvisational and Thilians would be better at picking up the intended meanings than Quicks would be because the "rules" would keep changing in ways that seem reasonable to them but would challenge Quicks to learn to follow. Similarly Thilians would have to make an intellectual effort to follow Quick speech, and I expect a lot of what is recognized as Thilian verbal language is carried over from Quick language; an isolated Thilian community would probably gradually drop words as such and switch over more to a musical supplement to sign.
_______
*I'm adopting that as the generic term for our subspecies until you offer the polite, civil term used ITTL because local slang though it may be, it is better than my "H.s." construction I use on Errnge's thread. That's just an abbreviation of Homo sapiens, one that is actually harder to type than the whole Linnenaean term; I shorten it mainly because I find that our terms for ourselves overglorify our "intelligence" or "wisdom;" that is what "sapiens" means. Actually we would be more like "Homo locquaciens" or something like that ITTL (and the Hedren one) if we were halfway fair in our terms. Maybe at Homo hedrensis I'll start calling us "locquos" and if I mistype it as "locos" that might be a Freudian slip!
But I do think that while much of what the Thilians do looks like imitation, inferior and accomplished with some difficulty, of Quick skills, they must also have strengths (other than the "brute" and "impervious to cold" kind I mean) that Quicks may or may not observe, but that help them keep equal to Quick society. Probably the Quicks who do spend a lot of time interacting with Thilians do notice these things, and come to count on Thilians solving the sorts of problems they are good at solving, so that collaborative teams tend to evolve under various auspices that pit both kinds of brains together against practical issues.
Thus I'd expect that Thilians do have a form of creativity though perhaps not one that would seem flashy to Quicks. Perhaps their "imitations" very quietly take better advantage of the materials they are actually working with, where one of us comes at making a thing with an abstract idea of what it should be and tries to force the materials to conform to their pre-conceived role. So if working with a knotty piece of wood that we might simply toss aside as too messed up to use, they might make it work with some advantages to counter the drawbacks. A Quick, especially one who doesn't know Thilians very well, might see a crude piece of work; a Thilian or a Quick used to working with Thilians might see how actually it works very well and can do this or that that the standard issue cannot.
Perhaps standardized, interchangable parts might be a hard program for Thilians to conform to--then again, with enough examples before them they might get the concept their own way and focus on the goal of making each piece work as well as another and achieve it better than we could. I bet they find that kind of dull though and if we get to the machine era, a Thilian mechanic might take great pride in cobbling together some unique doohickey for each engine they work on, to optimize it for its actual purpose. This is not so nice in the auto repair biz (though it would be great for customizing cars) but might come in really handy in a war for instance. OTL a lot of WWII equipment got customized at the front.
And so on. It is kind of silly and sort of dangerous for us to impose their different strengths on them; the kind of thing we imagine would tend to be reflective of our fortes, not theirs.
Deaf "Quicks" or "locquos" (ie us, especially me--I don't Sign but I should as I am severely hearing impaired) are of course using the same language centers in the locquo brain as hearing people do for sign, or at least they do so to a great extent. Sign Languages are different from verbal ones in some respects but they are indeed languages. Just without the "langue!" Thilian sign would be a less structured thing, but it would not necessarily be less subtle. It could pick up a lot of levels of meaning from context. It would probably be very improvisational and Thilians would be better at picking up the intended meanings than Quicks would be because the "rules" would keep changing in ways that seem reasonable to them but would challenge Quicks to learn to follow. Similarly Thilians would have to make an intellectual effort to follow Quick speech, and I expect a lot of what is recognized as Thilian verbal language is carried over from Quick language; an isolated Thilian community would probably gradually drop words as such and switch over more to a musical supplement to sign.
_______
*I'm adopting that as the generic term for our subspecies until you offer the polite, civil term used ITTL because local slang though it may be, it is better than my "H.s." construction I use on Errnge's thread. That's just an abbreviation of Homo sapiens, one that is actually harder to type than the whole Linnenaean term; I shorten it mainly because I find that our terms for ourselves overglorify our "intelligence" or "wisdom;" that is what "sapiens" means. Actually we would be more like "Homo locquaciens" or something like that ITTL (and the Hedren one) if we were halfway fair in our terms. Maybe at Homo hedrensis I'll start calling us "locquos" and if I mistype it as "locos" that might be a Freudian slip!
Glad to hear that I'm keeping things fairly equal. I really am trying to avoid wanking humans at the expense of the Thilians.
We're thinking along the same lines here, especially the last part.
I said the Thilians can tweak things that they copy in unique ways. In the continuation of the traders story you'll see how they improved the crossbows.
How I came up with the idea of slow but solid engineering comes from what knowledge we have of them.
OTL Neanderthals had a unique tool kit of weapons and tools that didn't really change for most of their existence. But recent studies show these tools were very high quality, easier to make and better at their jobs than most human stone age tools of the same area. So it shows that they can make good quality items, but weren't as interested in changing them as humans.
And there are other areas where they surpass humans, they just haven't shown up yet. I'll make sure to post parts of them this week, time permitting.
True. Thats why in character I'm trying to avoid saying "They're this and we're that". I'm giving examples of how they react differently to different things and force humans to do the same. As I post more you'll see differences appearing.
Much more nicely said than I can manage, and I like what you're saying, so I'm going to use it.
I was originally thinking they'd simply be a lot more visual than we are and watch for physical signs and changes in intonation without worrying about the actual words as much as we do. This was suppose to make up for the smaller language portion of the brain.
But I love the idea of a more fluid language. So it would be one part language, one part emotion, one part situational.
That will make first contact very interesting. But with 12,000 year of contact with Skraelings both sides will meet somewhere in the middle in most places. Thats why the trade language is understandable to Europeans. The Thilians came up with the original version, and the Skraelings gave it more consistant rules.
I think I like the idea of humans being called Quicklings for a generic slang term. I'll have to give it some thought.
Thanks for posting this, its given me some things to consider, and helped me confirm some of my own thoughts.
And thanks to everyone else who has read this and enjoyed it.
Cheers.
I am wondering: which one of the Thilans do you consider the most dangerous (from human point of few)
and why???
The ones you have pissed off most recently!