Talk:Babel-17

traitor
How does the language turn the learner into a traitor?


 * From the very first sentence of the article on the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, which this articles in fact links to: "In linguistics, the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis (SWH) states that there is a systematic relationship between the grammatical categories of the language a person speaks and how that person both understands the world and behaves in it." 66.46.152.30 20:15, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

clarification
come on you pikers. it is not that the language turns you into a traitor but that with no concept of self a person can have no conscience. 184.74.68.165 (talk) 19:43, 28 March 2011 (UTC)grumpy

Separate entry for language?
Why is there a completely separate entry for the Babel-17 language? Shouldn't this simply be a section of the main article itself? Kdring 16:56, 3 January 2007 (UTC)


 * The same could be asked of any of the Fictional languages existing in this category. There may be a remaining question of relative notability. This seems at least as notable as Ascian language or Koalang given that the novel in question was a seminal and Nebula award winning work in linguistic SF. -- Rydra Wong 18:25, 3 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Hmmm. Okay, good point. I guess it was just weird to see such an article when the main article itself is just a stub. Never mind. --Kdring 19:24, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

Any relation to 1984?
I'm surprised to see a novel dealing with how language influences thought and yet no mention of George Orwell's 1984. Is this not considered an influence on this book somehow? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.34.16.242 (talk) 01:35, 27 June 2013 (UTC)


 * Sapir-Whorf came before 1984, and the purposes of the languages are somewhat different -- Newspeak is designed to restrict and impoverish the range of thought, and remove much conscious deliberation from the act of speaking, while Babel-17 is designed to expand your perceptions (while shaping your worldview in the direction intended by the language designers). AnonMoos (talk) 13:57, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

Play version
Added mention of a play version of the book as it might be the first such adaption. With luck, it will see many more performances as it was done quite well. Hopefully, this is worth noting. Jsemmel (talk) 11:34, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Arrival
The 2016 film Arrival also concerned protagonists changed by learning an alien language. Their perception of time changed as they learned how to interpret the strange symbols brought by the giant inky octopus people 2600:6C55:6D7F:BC1F:6C3C:947F:7302:A892 (talk) 00:48, 10 February 2022 (UTC)