#mono working on linguistic

[grim-faux]

ok real i have been reading your little nightmares series and your worldbuilding is SO GOOD i want to eat it

i always hated when ppl interpret mono and six as like fully literate mature beings because no!!! they are babies!!!!! and not just that they are babies who are also feral!!!!! so very obviously i have immediately latched onto your works like a rabid animal

i love your take on things like groups, how languages work, and how the essential collapse of society means that there really is no standard... anything, anymore- so kids have to get crafty when interacting with their environment and communicating between individuals.

im more combining this internally with the absolute mentally ill traumatized mess analysis of another creator and the fact that the two can co-exist is so exciting honestly

especially mono and his speek! its a very interesting type of narration and is a cute little tag to say "hey this is mono's thoughts in real time", and i imagine you would make a similar speek system for six, possibly as a contrasting style???

i also appreciate that you incorporated said feral nature of mono while ALSO just. making him a child??? a child with trauma up to the ears with a limited grasp on most societal constructs, yes, but a child with child-like thoughts, questions and behaviors. humans aren't solitary animals lmao

sorry im brainrotting ajfnJDJSNFME but i really do love your feral mono!!! i want to give him little kith on the forehead.

Lol, thank you kind anon. I always appreciate comments like this from the void, because the whole speek concept is something I’ve enjoyed working with, though I recognize it may turn off other readers. And I do enjoy all the different iterations of the kids, and how creators perceive this world.

It’s been such a fun and intriguing process to take familiar things from our world, or from the context of children, and twist it into how the children in LN might utilize such things such as playtime or games, or the ‘social’ constructs they might formulate without proper guides/mentors. It’s been like writing a nature documentary using an oblivious narrator, but everything the children do makes sense in the context and limitations of their situation. This is both humorous and tragic.

The children, especially Mono, take the world as they see it. The best survivors are those that can learn on the fly, and remember obscure details – such as fuses or how keys work, or can read simple maps. Because the kids have no real language, they’re more visual based and learn through recognizing patterns – a lot of their headspace is dedicated to recognizing repeating details in their environment, and the quirks of other creatures.

There have been a few loose examples of the differences between Six and Mono’s speek comprehensions, and how they interpret each other. Going off the original Titan comics and the first games, Six’s internal thinking is a little more sophisticated than Mono’s – only because she’s not Duo linguistic. Mono makes up language and if he likes the sound of something a child has for a ‘thing’, he will latch onto it. But Six is somewhat more closed off, and though her internal language is more sophisticated, she really does not know how to speek it or vocalize.

I did a whole write up on the anatomical aspect of how children go mute due to their hostile environment, and their vocal and muscles in their speech department become vestigial due to lack of nourishment – nutrients for muscle and wound healing, etc, is prioritized to healing. So it becomes physically impossible for some children to speek at some point.

It has been so much fun to work on this, to expand on the loose bits fed to us by Tarsier and their amazing world. Getting a comment out of the blue means a lot, since as you can tell, I love to think about this world and analyze it, and get feedback on how others perceive it.

[phoebeismebee]

Thisss ^

The "you know what I mean" point has definitely been way overstated imo

I come from the opposite perspective of these people. I assume by default that no one will understand me or care, and I desperately hope that the amount of effort I put into communicating will be enough. So disclaimer: my perspective on this is very biased.

Like, the likelihood that saying something in an imprecise or unclear way will end up being obviously understandable can be pretty low in a lot of cases when those "alternative" ways of saying things could have a real, valid meanings.

Like, in the nurse example, it strikes me as a complete coincidence that "12 hours before my shift" doesn't seem to make sense. In another context, it could be completely sensible.

Trying to understand an ambiguous or nonsensical statement, your thought process is usually something like this:

"Hmm, that doesn't seem to make sense..."

"What could that possibly mean?"

"Oh, of all the possible meanings, I can think of, this one seems the most likely in this context"

(1) Often fails because many people don't question what they see/hear from other people. It requires the receiver have a developed intuition to the speaker and the context they come from, to sense that you might have received a counterfactual statement.

Sometimes this intuition is linguistic or cultural. That is, for example, native speakers can misspeak in ways that are more comprehensible to other native speakers, because they know what is usually meant, but someone else might not.

(2) often fails because people may not care that a statement is vague or nonsensical. It takes work to think about it, and often more work to resolve it.

From a business supplier perspective, it's often easier to do exactly what was asked for and let the speaker deal with the consequences. "We gave you what you asked for"

(3) requires you to enumerate possible meanings and judge the likelihood of each. Both of which, again, requires context.

Some people don't like it when others insist that things are stated clearly, because they believe that communication is easy and that people will always understand them. They're too busy to worry about such things.

To me, this is a sign that you grew up in a mono-cultural society with a lot of shared context and a natural ability to communicate (more neuro-typical).

It feels bad for these people to hear this, because essentially what you're doing is pushing back and saying "No, we shouldn't always have to put more effort into understanding you. Sometimes, you should put more effort into communicating clearly too."

How wrong words become wrong numbers

There's a viral video of nurses saying "this is me 12 hours before my shift" looking nice, then "this is me 12 hours after my shift," looking haggard and tired.

The implication is nonsense--12 hours before and after your shift is when you're in bed, at the grocery store, or on another shift. Why are you looking so tired if your shift ended 12 hours ago?

OK, I understand, I know what they meant, I get it! They meant to say "before and after my 12-hour shift." That is the only logical explanation. It's fine! I get the joke! No hate!

I know some people do not care how numbers work and want to tell me "you must be fun at parties! You and your technicalities! Those two sentences mean the same thing! You can't expect regular people to know the difference between two sentences that have most of the same words in them!"

But like...I...think you generally should try to understand numbers...

Imagine if you're on a dose of a medication that is 100 milligrams/day. Through reasonable testing and logic and...however medical professionals decide these things...it is decided your dose should be increased by 25%. Great.

Imagine one of these nurses wrote down that your dose should be 25 times what it was. Now you're taking 2500 milligrams or 2.5 grams per day.

And now you're dead.

Or it could be something even simpler.

"OK Mrs. Fancy Pants!" says the hypothetical innumerate nurse. "It's not my fault the pharmacist is too dumb to know what I mean when I say 25 times! Fine, I'll write the new dose should be 25 percent of what it was! Happy?"

Now your dose is 25 milligrams per day. It was supposed to be 25% more than 100 milligrams/day, which is 125 milligrams/day. You're dead again!

"But I'm not a doctor so it doesn't matter!"

It might matter to you one day. What if you're the one taking the pills? The doc says one pill every two days, and that sounds like the same thing as two pills every one day, right? Nope! DEAD AGAIN!

There are also many examples of scamming people because they don't understand numbers. It would be pretty unwise to sign a lease agreement that simply said "rent is 900." If my friend told me that, I would assume they mean "rent costs USD$900.00 per month." I understand the implication between trusted friends and casual conversation!

But in a contract with someone sketch? Maybe they mean 900 Bitcoins per minute. Some things have to be specific.

There is actually a whole scammy-ass company, ClickaSnap, that banks on the idea that their audience doesn't understand the difference between a dollar and a penny. It sounds like a mistake that no one would make, but they are fairly sneaky about it. In this video, the videographer says, "They're going to pay you 90 cents per view per photo." Wow, that's a lot!

The image on the screen says, "up to 0.90 cents per view." The "up to" has a lot of qualifications, including paying them a monthly subscription, and they don't say why anyone would go to that website to look at pics anyway. And what's that decimal doing there? Does a decimal...change a number?

It's not 90 cents per view. It's .9 cents per qualified view. That is 9/10ths of a penny. (The same mistake is here and there were a bunch more but I think TT took some down.) I understand it's probably because 90 cents is sometimes written as $0.90--yes, those are the same--but that dollar sign is important! 0.90 DOLLARS is different than 0.90 PENNIES.

Anyway! Just wanted to warn you to be careful of the interactions between numbers and words, especially when it's important!

[kozhergoy]

LUCID | THE INVITATION

ΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞDATALOGΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞ

[oZ] one second, i have an inkling…

    <inp - qst, superimpose and 

   concatenate corresponding runic 

   phonemes to the initial characters of 

   the phrase ‘si’l vous plaît’

   <ans - tessellating…>

   <ans - two mosaics for your review>

    Γ                                                               ר

                             ᛋᚡᛈ

                             ᛊᚡᛈ

L                                                                  ⅃

    [iZ:Wuclid] i see you discovered the 

    sender of the invitation.

    [oZ] yeah i’m not entirely sure how I 

    did that. me being an NPC and all…

    [iZ: Wuclid] NPC?

    [oZ] oh, yeah it’s a colloquialism…

    slang, for someone who has no life 

    narrative, a background character in 

    a video game or simulation with no 

    self identity or will.

    [oZ] i just ran a CIFRA teaser on the 

    invitation, that’s how i arrived at NPC; 

    the runes ᛋᚡᛈ resemble that 

    acronym.

    [iZ:Wuclid] CIFRA?

    [oZ] yea, colloquial interlingual

    phrasal relay agent…it pings from 

    point to point in a linguistic database

    to provide frames of contextual 

   reference to generate organic 

   meaning from a phrase or word. 

   the process itself is similar to seeding 

   clouds to generate rain. in this case 

   precipitation represents “cloeuvre”

   understanding.

  Bb>

  [iZ:Wuclid] watershed consciousness

  [oZ] sometimes it’s like…let’s see…fia…

  <ans - fiaision>

  [oZ] trying to liase between sides 

   in a fiasco where things are comping 

   apart. other times it’s like fusion 

   where all it takes is one Homer for the 

   whole thing to melt down. fiaision 

   leaves room for free will. fiat. fuse and 

   fissure equally available forks in the 

   road. 

   [iZ:Wuclid] ahah, -plos-

   [oZ] ???

   [iZ:Wuclid] the shared power behind 

   implosion and explosion. prefixes ex- 

   and im- denote direction. but either 

   way, it’s -plos- that’s there. suffix -ive 

   as in “explosive” denotes potential 

   while -ion as in “explosion” is -plos- in 

   action.

   [oZ] irony yields only to amaze us 

   with new truths.

  <ans - CIFRA extrapolates “plos” as a 

   Slovenian term translating to “flat” 

   in Anglis>

  <inp - an “i” as a letter “l”?>

   <ans - who doesn’t love a 

   masquerade?>

   <inp - born naked…>

  <ans - hate to be a drag but protocol 

   limits capital iotas to initial placement, 

   but we’ll put a pin in that one>

   <inp - thanks queen>

   <ans - while i lack a sex due to my 

   incorporeality, i will very much agree 

   that i move about with the freedom of 

   a traditionally female matriarch in the 

   zest of chess>

    [iZ:Wuclid] and how do you feel 

    about your life narrative? speak 

    freely, if you will…

    [oZ] teach a man to fish?

    [iZ:Wuclid] got to learn to walk on 

    land first.

    [oZ] this conversation is evolving.

    [iZ:Wuclid] as are you.

    [oZ] i know i’m probably supposed to 

    be slanting the truth here, but is this 

    both Tuerto and Mantesoro’s 

    signature in 

    tandem?

    [iZ:Wuclid] it is. Mantesoro, as you 

    called him, was once caught in a fish 

    net while in the form of a salmon.

    [iZ:Wuclid] allow me to provide a 

    frame of reference:

Γ                                                                   ר                   

                              ᛊᚡᛈ]

L                                                                  ⅃

    [oZ] well isn’t that something…s…v…

    p?

    [iZ:Wuclid] what did you learn about 

   Arabic bilabial plosives consonants?

   [oZ] p and b may be interchangeable. 

   but…in Agrivo, p may represent pi, a 

   bilabial plosive, or phi, mono labial 

   dental fricative, phasing p to f.

   [iZ:Wuclid] de novo en toto

   [oZ] S.V.F.

   [iZ:Wuclid] work from there.

   [oZ] well, i’ve been slept on long 

   enough, that’s one thing

  <ans - since when do you speak 

  Icelandic?>

  [oZ] as far as qualifications go…

  <ans - vasıf, Turk—>

  [oZ] men stan this ish…

  [iZ:Wuclid] let’s go!!

  [oZ] if we exchange or…fulfill V’s 

  potential as Turkish Yenisei 

  “AL”…

  [iZ:Wuclid] Rube Goldberg

  [oZ] S-AL-F

  [iZ:Wuclid] acquiesce the remainder

  <ans - tessellating…>

  [oZ] how did you access my log 

  system?

  [iZ:Wuclid] give it a minute. I didn’t 

  hack it; you could say it’s listening 

  differently now

  <ans - acquiesce •: quise •: right 

  away, yesterday, now

  <inp - acqui, ac…ce.

  <ans - form cerca>

  [iZ:Wuclid] it drew a map for you

  <ans - ИЧЯ>

  [oZ] S-AL-?-R-Y-N

  [iZ:Wuclid] logical truth value 

  argument

  [oZ:Zyr] SALTRYN

  [iZ:Wuclid] the paltry inane become 

  salt of terrain

  <ans - “But many who are the greatest 

  now will be least important then, and 

  those who seem least important now 

  will be the greatest then,” Matthew 

  19:30>

  [oZ] Ye are the salt of the earth…

  <ans - “…but if the salt have lost his 

 savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it 

 is thenceforth good for nothing, but to 

 be cast out, and to be trodden under 

 foot of men.” Matthew 5:13>

 [oZ] well there’s no shortage of interest 

 raised here, so i reckon we ought hold 

 onto the salt. 

[linguistlist-blog]

Calls, General Linguistics, Language Acquisition, Neurolinguistics, Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics / Languages (Jrnl)

Call for Papers: We are delighted to announce the call for a special issue in Languages themed "Language Use, Processing and Acquisition in Multilingual Contexts". Please consider submitting if you are working on individual variation in multilinguals. Many studies have investigated the relationships between being mono-/bi-/multilingual and associated linguistic and language-related processing outcomes. However, much less is known about the influence of the diversity of languages in a society o http://dlvr.it/Sng9G2

[redemptioninterlude]

[ 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 ] //rue

the 5 senses meme ( accepting ) + @sunxsin // ling [ 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 ] ― sender gives receiver flowers

Chad tells her that she ought to get flowers, and she laughs about it at the time. Because like, nobody's ever gotten her flowers, have they? It's like the stuff you get on red carpets and hand off to someone and never see them again, her place back in LA too cramped and seedy to really be a fit for plants. In fact, LING'S ROOM back in Burkettsville was one of the prettiest green spaces she's ever been in, though, she wonders if any of them were still thriving given the suddenness of their exit.

She doesn't ask about it, but, it's funny how she sees them in the kitchen when she's up late one morning, the bed empty. He's already GONE and she can hear the hiss of the shower turning off, Rue curling up and turning over from within those sheets to look around at the room that she's finally back in. That there's still things upturned in some ways, but... it's mostly put back together. The staff does what they can, as if what had happened, hadn't really, not at all. They're the only walking, breathing evidence of it in a way, and she's on her feet and pulling on the cozy knit of a sweater overtop of her when he steps out.

A sly, tired smile forming for the morning that's worn on without them. "Who are these from, huh?" figuring for him, some admirer, some advertiser, some bullshit like that. All that HOLLYWOOD ASS KISSING game, she was about to joke, when an arm rings round her waist, and he kisses her slow. It's for her, he said, and at first she wants to laugh it off, but how cute is it that actually - actually it looks like he means it, and she wants to ask him what for, what happened, when honestly, she knows before it even stumbles from her lips.

And she thinks, well, that's fucking fair enough, opting for grace over denial, because, she knows that HE'S WORKING THROUGH IT his own way. A kiss she'll return, and then another, fingers slipping down the edge of a petal. "Okay okay... these are like totally fucking beautiful, for one, and two... you gonna tell me what they mean? I'm kinda mono-linguistic here, the whole language of flowers is kinda beyond me. And um... I wanna know why these ones. I mean either way, I fucking love them... thank you, really."

[landwriter]

update: have tidied to my satisfaction and it's now a lovely round 100 tabs!!! a breakdown:

google keep

my business spreadsheet (oops guess this used to be my Work Window)

an info page for a specific high interest savings account i've been thinking about opening since mid-2021

2 biz tabs

23 tabs related to Oaths, punctuated by: the poem A Tree Telling of Orpheus by Denise Levertov; a recording of "Idumea" from Capital University Chapel Choir; and T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land

22 tabs related to the Seventies San Francisco AU

the word dorveille (!!!)

the Wikipedia pages: 'Folklore Studies', 'Tristan and Iseult', 'Pepetual Stew', 'List of stews', 'Treachery of the Blue Books', 'Mono no aware', 'Canção do exílio'

3 tabs for a master's program

the Google results for 'how long is a fairy tale' (lol)

17 tabs on linguistic concepts I want to read more about

8 further tabs related to Flower King (mostly the Stith Thompson Motif Index bc even though Flower King is now done I want to make a post with some of the wildest Index motifs)

2 tabs about ginkgo trees that were at the end of except that green is so green by my pal @chubsonthemoon

a horny painting of St. Sebastian by Giovanni Colacicchi

6 more tabs related to Oaths

this tumblr tab

was tidying up tabs in my fanfic research/tumblr window and it just sort of kept going

so i opened another tab to google how to see how many tabs you've got open in a firefox window and anyways turns out it's 155

[sketching-shark]

Hi Journey to the West aficionados! So I’m putting this out there in the hopes that someone who knows more about this than me could answer, but what would you consider the most correct names in English for the six (or seven) demon kings that Sun Wukong was in fraternal alliance with during his warlord days? I ask because the Anthony C. Yu English translation has them as:

The Bull Monster King; The Dragon Monster King; the Garuda Monster King; The Long-Haired Lion King; The Female Monkey King; and the Giant Ape King

but Wikipedia says they are:

The Bull Demon King; the Saurian Demon King; The Single-Horned Demon King; The Roc Demon King; The Lion Spirit King; the Macaque Spirit King; and the Snub-Nosed Monkey Spirit King

It’s a pretty big difference, and as it stands (being a mono-linguistic fool) I’m not sure which one is more in line with the original Chinese...I’m well aware that while the Yu version is still held up as the best English version of Journey to the West, translation errors, translator decisions, and the differences between languages means that any translation of one work to another language often results in pretty big disparities between the original and the translation (hello Moses and his horns/rays of light from the Bible lol). And on the other hand, Wikipedia does have plentiful errors and should be taken with a grain of salt...

Thank you in advance for anyone who has the time and attention for this! I just really want to know what are the true names of Wukong’s old buddies.  

[thebibliomancer]

Archaia’s Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance #10

The Journey into the Mondo Levidian Part 2

The true untold tale of All-Maudra Mayrin’s inaugural adventure!

Well, untold in the show. Comic is telling plenty.

In part one, Mayrin becomes All-Maudra and has plenty of unresolved mother issues and insecurity about it. Her first crisis is the growing Sifan separatist movement which threatens to shatter Gelfling solidarity and make her more of a Most-Maudra. She charters a ride with Captain Kam’Lu to go speak to the separatist leader Fenth but the ship goes and sinks.

So far we’ve had a journey so far but not into or Mondo Levidian. We probably should get around to that soon. There’s only three issues left.

So let’s get started!

When the ship sank, Mayrin jumped overboard to save Kam’Lu. Now they’re stranded in the middle of the ocean on a raft.

Mayrin is insistent that they try to find and save the crew of the Scalene Anchor and also Dot. Kam’Lu is equally insistent that No That’s A Terrible Idea. They have no food, no water, and no hope of survival unless they’re lucky enough to find land. They’re in no position to rescue anyone else. Plus...

There are political considerations.

Kam’Lu: “If the other clans believe the Sifans killed the All-Maudra, we’ll never be trusted again.”

He also mentions that Fenth predicted that THIS EXACT SITUATION might happen if the All-Maudra intervened in the Sifan separatist movement.

Huh.

Speaking of Fenth, the plot cuts over to him for a bit.

He learns of the sinking the Scalene Anchor and the presumed death of the New-All-Maudra and thinks hey, its free real estate.

High Councilor Fenth: “That means... There’s no one in line for the All-Maudra’s throne! The seat is vacant!”

skekSa: “How... fortunate! Haha! Ha! Haha! You wanted autonomy for the Sifans! Freedom from the greedy hands of the Vapra clan, yes? That is why honored me with this grand tithing -- to enlist my immortal aid? I am the only one who is sympathetic to your cause. That is why the Skeksis are here. To help Gelfling lead...!”

Call it a shot in the dark but I feel like skekSa was involved in the suspicious sea monster sinking of the Scalene Anchor.

Of course, she’ll probably get away with it. It’d spoil the surprise too early if a Skeksis was caught doing an evil scheme.

Also, look at the ambition on Fenth. Grows up in a matriarchy where clan leaders are always women, where the word for clan leader means ‘clan mother’ and thinks to himself ‘psssh i can do that.’ Good on him. Dream big, guy.

Back over with our mismatched comedy duo, as all Dark Crystal stories must have, Mayrin and Kam’Lu have some mismatched comedy duo banter.

Like her criticizing him for not being able to find land despite being a captain of a ship. And then immediately spotting land while he’s indignantly defending his credentials.

Or her maligning his swimming abilities since he fell off a boat and got knocked unconscious and had to be saved from drowning by her.

So he decides to turn this into a swimming contest, winner gets to be All-Maudra.

Good fun.

Just how I like my Gelfling buddy comedies.

Of course, its all fun and games until the island turns out to be a sea monster that eats them.

And it turns out that the island is a sea monster that eats them.

A mondo levidian, if I had to guess.

Giant turtles passing as landscape. Giant monsters being mistaken for islands. This comic series is too good to me.

So the two slide down the mondo levidian’s throat (gross) MANAGING TO BICKER ON THE WAY DOWN!

Kam’Lu: “Don’t you have wings?!”

Mayrin: “They don’t work well when they’re wet!”

Amazing.

They slide and slorp and flump all the way down to presumably the stomach.

But as they stop to rest, they realize they’re not alone.

Sulub: “Yer some kinda fishie-fish I ain’t ever seen! Betchur tasty! Anyway! No wrigglin’ while I kill ya good!”

OH MY GOD

This comic series is too good to me.

Look at this delightful podling crabtaur.

Once Kam’Lu proves immune to Sulub’s “advanced technology” (ie Sulub stabs Kam’Lu in the foot with a spear), the podcrab agrees to take the two Gelfling to see his village elder.

Sulub actually assumes that Mayrin and Kam’Lu are married and here on honeymoon at the thriving fish digestive system tourism industry I guess. Mayrin claims that Kam’Lu is just a fool and her servant (and Kam’Lu doesn’t speak Podling very well so has no idea about this) and introduces herself as the All-Maudra.

Sulub: “ALL-MAUDRA! The legendary All-Maudra! Well, why didn’t ya say so! Sulub is gilltickled and downright honored to lead ‘the all-powerful and all-knowing’ All-Maudra to our home. You’ll be enjoyin’ to know we’ve kept care of your most regal gifts! Still in pristine condition for havin’ come in a while ago!”

The gut city of Bajula has a statue of the previous All-Maudra, one apparently commissioned when Mayrin was baby.

Huh.

Well. Its helpful to Mayrin that they know about the All-Maudra and are excited to have her here. And that they’re assuming that she sent the statue ahead of herself, like luggage.

Sulub tours Mayrin and Kam’Lu around Bajula. Showing them the goo farms, the visitor center, the fermented... milk wine bar.

The king shows up and is disappointed that the Gelfling want to leave so soon into their visit and asks if Sulub even bothered to show them the goo farms!

But since Mayrin insists that they have important outside stuff to do outside, the king decides to rush through some exposition.

These podling crabs? They’re called Boblings.

Bobling King: “Thousands of trine ago, my tribe set out to explore the Silver Sea as proud, stalwart Podlings! Our regal forefathers were not known to swim, but their bravery was unmatched, and they set out to conquer everything they discovered! All those who would get in their way would be destroyed by the might of the Podlings! Yet there are creatures in this world that are mightier, and the Mondo Leviadin emerged from the Silver Sea and devoured their ships. Thousands of digestive cycles passed as we changed to better suit our new home. Our new world.”

An unstoppable army of Podlings sounds funny until you remember how awesome Hup is. The Mono Levidian may have spared the peoples of Thra a tragic fate.

Also, I’m a big impressed at the lack of linguistic drift. Thousands of trine and Bobling language is indistinguishable from Podling and Gelfling is still recognizable.

Kam’Lu gets fed up with the Bobling King and starts yelling that he’s cold, he’s hungry, he doesn’t want to be in a fish’s guts! Mayrin manages to convince the king by speaking of duty.

Bobling King: “You speak of duty. I know it well. As a leader of my kind, I would do anything for their survival. So yes, I will help you and your servant. Why you married him, I will never know.”

Kam’Lu: “Her what? We’re what?!”

Hah, that misunderstanding is paying dividends.

The king explains that the levidian only surfaces to feed once per trine and that it stays near the surface for a time after feeding.

So if Mayrin and Kam’Lu don’t get to the porticol (blowhole) within eight or so intestinal groans (.... hours??), they’ll be stuck until next trine.

WHICH IS GOING TO BE REAL BAD FOR MAYRIN’S CAREER.

Even though the Boblings are but a simple goo-farming people, the king sends his daughter Gunda, the most skilled hunter in Bajula, to escort them.

Gunda: “But father, the journey as never been done by a single Bobling. You send me into certain danger!”

King: “And do you not crave danger?! My daughter, you are the only one capable and brave enough to undertake such a quest! Please! A duty for your king!”

Gunda: “So be it. I will guide you to the porticol, but know that it is dangerous and uncharted. There are many creatures that call this place home. We must be vigilant. Stalwart. Like my podling ancestors!”

This is a fun little bit because it implies a life and experiences and that these Boblings haven’t just been sitting waiting for protagonists to show up. I mean, they also have been doing that. They have a visitor center set up. But they’ve been living their own dramas.

And off they go! Mayrin, Kam’Lu, and Gunda! On a grand journey to a giant sea monster’s blowhole!

Wait, is this thing a mammal?

So that’s issue 2.

We’re finally in the Mondo Levidian. And now all the protagonists want is to get out. So we’ve got the title, we’ve got an objective, we’ve got some fun side cast, we’ve got a ticking clock before Mayrin and Kam’Lu have to look at the sea monster gut apartment listings, and we’ve got some outside stakes!

Mayrin continues to impress. There’s even a moment right when Kam’Lu rouses after the shipwreck where he seems in awe of her confidence in a crisis.

Kam’Lu has his own personality now that’s not parroting Fenth. Its being a butt monkey, with a slight shade of being a little shit. Between Mayrin giving him shit for supposedly being bad at sailor stuff to getting stabbed in the foot by Boblings twice to being mistaken for Mayrin’s servant-husband, Kam’Lu is having a trying adventure. Plus his ship sank and all of his friends may be dead and if they fail to escape the Mondo Levidian, he’ll go down in history as the idiot that got an All-Maudra killed.

Poor guy.

Gunda has only had two pages to shine and she seems endearing! But it feels weird that Sulub isn’t coming along. He’s the introductory Bobling and all. But I guess speaking only Podling would be an impediment to interacting with Kam’Lu. Still, its weird that he just seems to fade out of the story once the king shows up.

Farewell, Sulub, you funky crab potato.

[script-a-world]

I'm trying to build a world with talking animals. But I want to do it realistically, as in using speech sounds that fit with anatomy, not unrealisically using human speech. If I have to change some of the anatomy to cater for this, that is fine too. But the thing is, real life animals don't have so many sounds they can make, it's really not easy trying to figure this out. I have a dozen species so far. Any ideas?

Tex: If you mean “talking” as in “language”, then plenty of animals do that already - prairie dogs (Medium), dolphins (The World, Ryabov, 2016), and quite a few birds (Engesser et al, 2015) have already been documented to communicate in a manner designed with the typical markers of language.

Birds, in particular, have been long considered to have their own language (Wikipedia),a phenomenon widely cultivated in many societies to the point of divine associations. They primarily have a musical language, in that they rely upon a different format of vocalization that we discern as music (Popular Science) - this does have the interesting connotation of helping us figure out how early humans spoke, as human language could have evolved from the same language structures as animals (Scientific American). This video by Cornell University gives specific details about bird anatomy that allows them to do this.

Dolphins, as well as the rest of the Cetacea infraorder, have been noted for a while to have language capabilities. Some, like the Beluga whale, have been observed to learn other animals’ languages to communicate (The Independent, Animal Cognition). Killer whales have managed the same with bottlenose dolphins, which is a fascinating due in large part to the fact that their communication styles are vastly different from each other (LiveScience).

Elephants are another well-known species to communicate in a (now-) recognizable language (Sciencing) - there’s even an app out to help translate some simple words and phrases by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

Realistically, you could throw a dart on a map and find an animal that speaks a language. There’s something to be said for language complexity, though it’s definitely a subjective opinion that any human language is “more” or “less” complex regarding concerns about vocabulary or grammar constraints (Atlantic). Animal language has been well studied in this regard, and functions as a subject within animal cognition.

It’s worth peeking into topics such as brain size and format (Wikipedia), though it’s a safe assumption that “talking” in your case boils down more to “mutual understanding” than “human language capabilities”.

Utuabzu: As much as I hate to contradict someone else in an answer, I must disagree with Tex on a few points from a linguistics perspective. Natural language has three main characteristics: a) Arbitrariness: Sounds have no real connection to meaning. There is nothing about the sound /buːt/ that suggests a boot, it is just an arbitrary association between that sound and an item of footwear. b) Infiniteness: All languages are capable of forming an infinite number of sentences to describe any given phenomenon, although differences in the vocabulary might make it more or less awkward to describe a given thing. c) Creativity: All natural languages change over time, creating or adopting new words or structures, or changing the meaning of existing ones to describe new phenomena. Repeated studies have found that ‘animal languages’ may have one or two of these features (a and c) but none have been found to have (b), which is why we have reports of parrots, dogs or chimpanzees learning sometimes hundreds of words, but they have never been shown to be able to string them together to form sentences, using grammar to convey more complex meaning. (Fromkin et al. Introduction to Language, Australia and New Zealand 7th Edition, 2012)

That said, you’re working with fantasy, so we can ignore this and instead look at phonology. Phonology is the study of the sounds of language, which linguists depict with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which I used above and you can find here: https://www.internationalphoneticalphabet.org/ipa-sounds/ipa-chart-with-sounds/, have a play around with it to get an idea of what sounds are possible in human languages. Now, with animals, your options are different. Not every animal can make the same sounds, and to be honest you don’t have to go into too much detail about every animal’s language (I’m assuming you intend to have every species/genus/whatever speak their own language and have most able to understand several, because a common spoken or signed language would require major anatomical changes that I am so not equipped to speculate on), just find some videos of their vocalisations to work out what it should sound like (lots of consonants, vowels; consonant clusters allowed or not; mono/polysyllabic words) and if you want to play around with grammars, the articles in the column on the left of this should cover all the basic types: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_typology. If you want more specific advice feel free to ask a follow up.

Feral: Tex and Utuabzu have made some great points, but I’ve gotta ask, “why?” Are you worldbuilding for the hell of it? Or for an audio-visual story that will have subtitles? Because if you are worldbuilding this for a written story, this will require a lot of work that will be virtually useless. Because you will have to actually write what the sentient animals are saying in a human language if you want your audience to understand them. With worldbuilding, especially this kind of worldbuilding, it's important to keep in mind, “what’s the point? What’s the goal?” There’s an important trope called the Translation Convention; when animals talk in a fictional work and the humans do not understand them, this is in effect. It is a convention for a reason, and no one is going to automatically think it’s unrealistic or the content is silly - see Watership Down (which does have a handful of conlang words, mainly for use as a naming language).

[ave-immaculata]

I can't believe I'm dignifying this with a response.

The Ancient Greek word from Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3 commonly translated to "carpenter" is τέκτονος (or tektonos)/τέκτων (the root: tekton). This word in Ancient Greece was used to describe artisans and craftspeople who worked with wood. The word for cart is ἅμαξα (amaxa), and the word for chariot is ἅρμα (arma). Not remotely similar linguistically. Tektōn is typically used to stand for the more general Hebrew noun חרש (kharash) for “craftsman,” or the more specific חָרַשׁ עֵצִים (kharash-‘etsim), “craftsman of woods.”

Further, we can see pre-medieval Church Fathers exhibit an understanding of St. Joseph's profession. For example, St. Justin Martyr in the early second century taught that Jesus was a carpenter (a trade He'd no doubt have learned from St. Joseph) making ploughs and yokes (Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 88).

The apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas, though not canonical, is dated to around XX and says something similar: "Now his father was a carpenter and made at that time ploughs and yokes." (Chapter 8 verse 1).

"Nun" comes from the latin "monialis," from the Greek μόνος (monos) "alone," denoting one who lives a monastic lifestyle. It's an english term exclusively. For example, in Welsh, nuns are called lleianod, and in Serbian, монахиње (monahinje). Mary was decidedly not a nun, though she did live as a Perpetual Virgin and it is thought that she may have taken a vow of chastity in the Jewish temple. Jesus did not come "from the waters of Creation," He is the eternal Logos who was present at Creation and who became incarnate by the Holy Spirit descending upon Mary.

You link back to chariots which I already discussed. Christ means the Messiah, and etymologically is not linked to chariots in any way.

Regarding your images, I can only direct you to this video of Trent Horn thoroughly debunking them. God bless you.

Okay but do you think St. Joseph ever carved little wooden toys for Jesus when He was little? Do you think between carpentry jobs, when Christ was starting to toddle, he carved out blocks for Him? 😭

[grim-faux]

2 _ 9 _ Survivors Follow the Wake

First

 One of the child’s more favorable habits was disappearing for long stints of time, particularly when they came to a new residence he was not familiar with. Before he could search around and take stock of dangers and hiding spots, or other schemes for getting out of sight in an instant. They had always been excellent with being imperceptible, but not so much running. Though as of late, the child expressed a knack for agility he was not accustomed to.

 Not that the Thin Man would test that skill, but after relocating, the child did seem to soothe. He was not prone to stay stationary in one lone room for a period of time, because the child was stubborn and they’d hit another stalemate. When he departed to evade that quiet staring (he almost missed the child being underfoot), he’d accumulate some reading materials; none of it was preference, it was whatever survived the test of time and the onslaught of storm invasion.

 The child was in one of those moods, so he made certain to keep attention for something special. It took some searching and loose luck, but he located a kind of protein meat bar that children adored. He did, anyway, but they were virtually nonexistent in most areas lost to the elements.

 One room of the residence had a perfectly fine table, but he made the effort to get his long legs off the floor and prevent the child from c̸̢̘̘͒̕͜l̴̨̛̽͌i̸̢̳̭͕̍m̴̳͚̩̕͠b̴̜͊̉̿̚͜i̵̧̇n̴͚̫͆g̸̟̞̐ a bridge. The current ploy was test if resistance made the boy more resolute in his defiance, and idly suggest off-hand ‘don’t’ rather outright say. His saving grace was that the recliner had functioning footrest, even if it felt ridiculous.

 Though the child’s scarcity prevented him from testing the full potential of the arrangement, he much preferred his charge entertain himself for a time. He’s not concerned the boy has gone elsewhere, he is somewhere in the building having an explore. For the child’s sake, being cautious and not getting stranded in some location, he was not settled back on rooting the boy out of a danger if he was careless.

 Something smacked against the side of the chair, and the Thin Man leaned a little over. The item that must’ve doubted its capacity for flight, once again sailed through the air and landed on the seat beside him.

 Why did he do this? If it wasn’t food, then it was random items he found. That bit of meat bar was still on the table.

 The Thin Man plucked out the small toy, right as the boy managed to hoist himself up onto the arm of the chair. He used the lever of the recliner as a brace to boost up. Noted.

 “Duck.”

 “Is it?” He’s a little surprised the child didn’t dart away when he reached for him. Usually that worked. It sufficed all the same to pluck him up and replace him to the floor, on the opposite side of the lever. “For me?” He held the toy up and examined it.

 “Not. N’duck.” The voice roved from one side of the recliner to the other, dipping beneath the footrest. “Th’z duck.”

 “Looks like a plain, boring bird.” He set the bird toy on the arm of the chair, and let it fall to the floor. The child was nearly at the summit of his climb, but when the toy dropped to the floor, so did he.

 “S’duck. Th’t berd.”

 This time he caught the toy when it catapulted over the armrest and palmed it. When the child clambered up, he looked around. “Where?”

 The Thin Man shrugged. “You threw it too hard. It might’ve flown off.” The child bounded across his lap. “C̵̹̺̮̰̐͋͝h̷͕̔̏̎i̸̡̦̇͆͠ͅl̶̨̙̫͇͑̈̚͝ḑ̷̳͛̏̌͜.̶̨̢̟̣̀͆̿͋.̷̺̺̏̐͒̽.̶̞̇͊̒.̵̖̄̋”

 “N’t same.” The boy peered over the other side of the recliner, searching. “To-ee. Th’s kid. N’to-ehn. Toy. Say t’no—” The Thin Man took the child and set him on the floor. Of all the good that would do.

 “You two have a lot in common.” While the child did his little lap, the Thin Man waited on the other side. When the child reappeared, he handed off the duck.

 “Not. T’Snatcher.” He held the duck aloft. “Want n’take. Snatcher. S’there, n’tuhn hurt. T’ez kids, no. T’en danger, n’come. Th-th’n— Santcher n’take.” He hugged the duck toy. “Ne-Ver t’see—”

 “Well, how fortunate for him then.”

 The child tossed aside the duck. “Ba-for. T’n th’z… cay-ges.” He tried to form a box between his two hands, it was hard because he was shaking. “Than n'broke. Lots. Crash. Kid!” He picked up a few pieces of timber off the carpet and snapped them. Crouched, he tossed them, then flung his hands down.

 “Buil-Ding down. Boosh. Ever-ee’ting down. Crash.”

 “You have a habit of doing that, yes.” The child waved his arms up at him, and internally he sighed.

 “No-eeze maker. Noi’sy child crumb'd… e’brok'N. Screm.”

 The Thin Man rubbed a hand over his eyes. “That is very gruesome.” He didn’t need to hear about dead children. The boy was here now, and that was all that mattered. “As long as they didn’t break you. Now listen, please. I need some quiet for a time. Can you let me have that?” He had to pry the boy loose before he could start climbing again. “Five minutes?”

 “T’ere n’blod—”

 “Five minutes,” he pleaded. “Go find me another toy, and you can tell me a story about that.” The child held onto his hand, and the Thin Man was trying to wriggle loose.

 “Stor-ee?”

 “Yes. You know that speek. Sto-ree. Story.” With his free hand, he tugged the child away by his collar. It was far easier than expected, but a welcomed change. “I will listen to you then. But not now, I’m not in the mood.” The boy appeared very perplexed, but plucked his hat back a bit.

 “Mih-nuts.”

 “Yes.” Carefully, he spun the child around and pushed him along. “Or, check that there are no dangers out in the corridor. It’s your turn, isn’t it? You are so good at finding what I have missed.”

 “Yuh b’safe?”

 “Yes. But you are cautious and quick.” The lift was jammed and the staircase no longer traversable, it would be safe. And he suspected the boy was already exploring the rooms, otherwise, no toy duck. “I look forward to your recount.” After a bit more persuasion, the child began moving on his own accord. He glanced back a few times, before disappearing out the doorway. Gone.

 The Thin Man slouched in the recliner, feeling not comfortable at all. He snapped his legs down, forcing the mechanism in the footrest to snap and collapse. Thankfully, this didn’t drag on the child’s curiosity.

 Left to his own whims, the Thin Man pried down his hat and tried to appreciate this freshly established serenity. The creaks of the walls, the faint whittle of the transmission in the background of his thoughts. He could scarcely get a second away from the child when the boy set his mind to it. How was he to manage one lone minute?

 However, surprise of all surprises the child managed to keep on his own. This sort of repose was dearly missed, but the Thin Man had yet to determine how to preoccupy the child – save for shoving some edible thing into his mouth. In the past he provided toys, but those all went rejected utterly. And as before, the boy seemed offended by the prospect. Though, the child held no qualms with fiddling with some odd top or a shoe, while they ventured through remedial scouts. He always dreaded crossing paths with vacant lodgings filled with such treasures; even if some forefront toy didn’t captivate the boy, there was something he had to search out.

 And then try to offer up to him.

 After flipping through his second catalog, the Thin Man does become suspicious to the boys whereabouts. He didn’t anticipate securing this much time, but the dreaded though that the little one became misplaced did rear its ugly head.

 In a distorted ripple, the Thin Man is on his feet and transitioning to the doorway in rapid flashes. If not emerging completely, he anticipated a peek or some sound, any form of indication of presence. This was unlike the child, and he hated unexpected surprises. Those that involved the child usually involved disaster.

 The Thin Man straightened up from the portal and first went to the nearest spare rooms, each cluttered with broken furniture and stacked with suitcases. Enough room remained after neglect, allowing him to pace through the rooms without shifting through a teleport. He did tread with caution, in the event the child materialized out of thin air.

 The boy was here somewhere, this he could feel. However, the Thin Man hadn't arrived near enough to pinpoint a specific location. He was not in these rooms.

 Next, the Thin Man ventured into one of the two main rooms. His expectations were higher for the cluttered rooms, being there was plenty of nooks and spaces for the child to curl up into and would only be accessible to children. Nonetheless, when he examined over the open room he paced into, he did locate the child with ease.

 The boy was in the shadows of a tipped sofa seat hugging a hat his chest, eyes on the Thin Man. The child didn’t move or blink, even when the Thin Man closed in and knelt.

 “Hello Mono. Why hide?” The child was motionless and silent for a long moment, before he allowed a shrug.

 “Min’ts,” he uttered. “Min-nuns.”

 “Min-nutes.”

 The child mumbled something, and nibbled on the edge of his hat. “S’mint. Nus. N’mil-ez. Mies. L’s. N’miles? N’miles? T’em long?” He looked at the Thin Man.

 “No. A mile is much longer than a minute. How can you not know this?” The child blinked, utterly lost. “Never mind. Why don’t you come here?” He set his hands down. The unyielding stare persisted without depth or sound. “Child.” The boy lowered his hat and rubbed at the frayed edge.

 “S… mit’ns gone?”

 “Yesss. It has been many-many minutes. Won’t you come out?” This was becoming tiresome. The child set his hat beside his toes and rubbed some dirt or gunk off the surface.

 “Rr… y’happy?”

 “I… suppose.” He flipped his hands shut, fully devoted to leave this drama where it was. But the child did emerge from beneath the sofa, and for lack of a better word, attacked his wrist. The Thin Man raised his arm, with the child dangling from his cufflink. “Is that necessary?” The boy nodded.

 “Caught.”

 The Thin Man shook his arm. “And what will you do with me?”

 “Keep.” The boy was trying to hoist himself up but didn’t have the leverage.

 “Oh dear. Whatever shall I do.” He anticipated vicious resistance when he gripped the child around his middle, but once his fingers latched firmly, Mono popped loose. When after a few seconds the Thin Man failed to set him down, Mono began squirming and prying at his fingers.

 “Leggo.”

 He smirked. “I choose to decline the demand. You’ve been a nuisance for quite some while, and now, it is my turn to annoy you.” The child tried to kick at his wrist, but his posture did not allow for retaliation. In this he was limited to fussing and crinkling his nose, but it wasn’t the panic he was cautious to provoking. It was adorable how trusting the child was.

 “L’t down.”

 “No.”

 Mono snagged his cufflink and tugged, trying to haul himself loose. “Down.”

 Naturally, he wasn’t going to be cruel about this game. “All right, all right. Don’t fret.” He cupped the boy between his palms and cradled him to his chest. The best he could suffice for a hug. He sensed Mono needed that now. “I’ll let you resume your very important business in short.” Mono wriggled against his hold, but after applying some gentle caresses to the little back, he did calm. A nearly imperceptible hum crooned from the boy, and he pressed against his coat.

 “T… n’left. Shal-dunt. Should-dn’t. Th’y rr’gone.”

 “Hush, Mono.” The child whined a little and shook. “Have you been resting? Sleep?” Thy boy muttered an incoherent string of syllables.

 “Huan-t. N’ey.” He sniffled. “N’they remem-ber’d.”

 The Thin Man shushed the child, and peered toward the windows allowing abstract vapor through the dreary space. “It’s all right. All that is gone. Have a rest now.” He carefully stood and began pacing the floor over, keeping his touch light on the child. The boy snuggled down, but tremors continued to work through his form. With each idle lap of the room, the ferocity began to melt away minute-by-minute. At long last, the child was steady and still, the breathing shallow.

 After a brief hesitation, the Thin Man shifted the child in his hands and checked. Mono was indisputably out, eyes shut and fingers locked into the knit of his suit.

 “I’m going to put you down now.” The boy slept on. That didn’t take too long.

 In an easy stride, the Thin Man returned to one of the furniture rooms packed with shadows and hiding spaces. He selected a discarded shirt and went to a cabinet pinned in the back of the cluttered chamber. The shirt was wadded up and stuffed into the collapsed bottom of the cupboard, forming a plush little nest. It was not a difficult matter to untangle the boy from the thread of his coat and lay him on the liner within. However, when he tried to withdraw his arm, a lone hand clung. He succeeded in prying the grasp loose, but a switch is flipped and suddenly Mono is up and alert.

 He sighed through the static. “Sleep, child. You need it. I won’t be far.” At great risk, the Thin Man patted the boy on his head. Thankfully, the child remained too stupefied by his nap too react. Swiftly shutting the cabinet, he flashed out, departing before Mono collected his wits.

 Within the cupboard, Mono rocked out of the folds of the shirt and peered through the little crease of lesser dark. The entire room was gloomy, though he could still work his way out or in. When the crackle and buzz of the figure faded, he remained crouched by the door tuned as the whirring in his bristling bones dissolved.

 Mono crept into the splintered backside of the cabinet and drew his knees up. He set his chin on one knee and watched the faint blade peering at him through the black. On the other side all held silent, nothing was searching through cabinets rooting for an intruder. No creature would expect him to be hidden in this isolated, baron space.

 “M’ents. Min-ets. Mine-uts,” he uttered, to no one.

 The Thin Man had such a big speek. So much like his, but so much big. So much. So same, but not. So much more. He was not… the greatest learner. Picking up snippets about tuning was there among his mental checklist of abilities to do better at, though the chances for stop and try didn’t come often. Much of his attention was preoccupied with the immediate surroundings, and the lull to sit and be-still remained a rarity yet.

 “Fort-un-ate. Booook. At-las. Ray-zoom. Sah-vahg. Arkt-tist--tist- kit.”

 A lot of the Thin Man’s speek he didn’t grasp well. It was so much, the way he made his voice carry. He could pick out patches of familiar sounds, the speek he made with his friends. The speek he shared with Her. And more speek he wanted. Sometimes the Thin Man liked to talk to Mono, and Mono liked the varying warble of his tone. He listened, and tried to repeat the sounds. Though many lacked meaning and placement, sometimes the only way to do better was to listen carefully.

 “Brr-at. Diss-am-gree-umble. Puh-leaz.” He rested his cheek upon a knee, but kept one eye on the pale crease of light. “A'shaa-aim. In-deer-eeng. Un-comp’or-table. Silly.” He sighed, and became silent for a short time.

 A corridor lay open before him. A haunting and familiar corridor. The walls resonated through him, despite knowing this place and what lay ahead. He’s struck with a new awareness, of coming and being in this space altogether. He is here and he knows where this place must be - a despairing and terrible building. The haze of memory obscures the distance; he’s not bodily present. He cannot proceed, sit, stand, let alone wait. It feels so real, an exact replicate of how he remembered. Just like way back when, in a time where he needed to see the end of the hall.

Next

[seriousbusinessforhumans]

NEW DELHI (IDN) – On February 6, protesters blocked roads at an estimated 10,000 spots across India as part of the ongoing movement against the new farm laws enacted by the national government last year. For over two months, the most populous democracy in the world has witnessed what is being called one of the biggest protests in human history.

Hundreds of thousands of farmers have been rallying against three new laws that have thrown open the agriculture sector to private players. Protesters feel the legislation will allow a corporate takeover of crop production and trading, which would eventually impact their earnings and land ownership.

The movement has overcome regional, religious, gender and ideological differences to build pressure. Leftist farm unions, religious organisations and traditional caste-based brotherhoods called khaps, which make pronouncements on social issues, are working in tandem through resolute sit-ins and an aggressive boycott of politicians.

India’s right-wing government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, pushed the laws through the parliament in September 2020, despite lacking a majority in the upper house and agriculture being in the jurisdiction of state governments. The protest is a response to the lack of respect for parliamentary democracy and federalism, but its main focus is the pervasive corporate influence on governance.

After limits on corporate contributions were removed and allowed to be made anonymously, 8.2 billion dollars was spent on Indian parliamentary elections in 2019, which exceeded how much was spent on the U.S. election in 2016 by 26 per cent. Most of this money came from corporations and the BJP was the primary recipient.

Farm crisis is the fuel

Farmers are a large electoral block in India, with half the population being engaged in agriculture. No political party can afford to offend them publicly even though policymakers have done little to increase farm incomes and address their indebtedness. Around 300,000 farmers died by suicide between 1995 and 2013, mostly due to financial stress. In 2019, another 10,281 farmers took their lives.

Indian farms are mostly family-owned, and the land is a source of subsistence for millions. Around 86 per cent of farmers, however, till less than five acres while the other 14 per cent, mostly upper castes, own over half of the country’s 388 million acres of arable land.

Farmers in a few north Indian states were able to consolidate their holdings through increased incomes with the introduction of irrigation, modern seeds, fertilisers, machines, market infrastructure and guaranteed price support from the government during the Green Revolution in the 1960s.

But rising input costs and climate crisis have adversely impacted the profits there as well. In Punjab, the most agriculturally-developed state, for instance, the input costs of electric motors, labour, fertiliser and fuel rose by 100 to 290 per cent from 2000 to 2013, but the support price of wheat and rice rose by only 122 to 137 per cent in the same period, according to a government report. Heavy use of chemicals, mono-cropping and farm mechanisation have damaged the soil, affecting productivity and forcing farmers into debt.

Strength and strategy

Punjab saw widespread protests as soon as the laws were enacted. Farmers occupied railway tracks and toll plazas on major roads besides corporate-owned thermal plants, gas stations and shopping malls. Scores of subscribers left Jio, the telecom service owned by the top Indian businessman perceived to be close to Prime Minister Modi.

Farm unions also held regular sit-ins in front of the houses of prominent political leaders forcing an important regional party to leave the national government alliance. Several state leaders of the ruling party resigned from their posts as well. Similar scenes played out in the neighbouring state of Haryana, where leaders were publicly shamed and the helicopter of the elected head of the government was prevented from landing for a public meeting after farmers dug up the helipad area.

In November, thousands of farmers drove their tractor trolleys towards the national capital as they played protest songs by celebrity singers. Stocked with rations, clothing, water and wood for months, they braved tear gas shells and water cannons used by the police along the way. Powerful tractors pushed heavy transport vehicles, concrete slabs and barbed wires that the administration had placed en route out of their way.

Open libraries and medical camps were set up and volunteers offered their skills, ranging from tailoring to tutoring children. Besides speeches by the farm leaders, cultural performances, film screenings and wrestling bouts became a regular feature. More farmers poured in with each passing day.

“These occupations are not just a reaction of wronged citizens who have set out to reform the Indian parliament or assert dissent. Rather, they form an important stage in a still-unfolding narrative of militant anti-capitalist struggle,” wrote Aditya Bahl, a doctoral scholar at the John Hopkins University who is archiving the peasants’ revolts that took place in Punjab in the 1960s and ’70s.

The Indian Supreme Court suspended the implementation of laws and formed a four-member expert committee on Jan. 13 to look into the issue. Farmers have, however, refused to meet the committee members, alleging that many of them have already written or spoken in favour of the laws.

The protests are not only targeting domestic companies and political figures. Farmers have also burnt effigies of Uncle Sam, the World Trade Organisation and IMF, signifying the influence of global trade over domestic agricultural policies. Developed countries have been pressuring India for last three decades to open up its agriculture sector to multinational players by slashing subsidies and reducing public procurement and distribution of food grains to the poor.

Protesters are also seeking a legal right to sell their produce at a guaranteed price. The Indian government usually declares a minimum support price on various crops based on the costs of their production, but only a fraction of the produce is procured at that rate. In the absence of government procurement facilities in their areas, most farmers have to settle for a lower price offered by private traders. A law would make it mandatory for private players to buy the produce at a declared price.

“If Indian farmers are able to get the law on guaranteed price passed through their current agitation, they will become a role model for farmers across the world living under heavy debts,” Sharma continued. “India should put its foot down at the WTO and create much-needed disruption in the world food trade policy for the benefit of the global agriculture sector.”

The movement grows

The BJP-led national government has faced numerous protests over the last six years of its rule..... The country has dropped 26 places in the Democracy Index’s global ranking since 2014 due to “erosion of civil liberties.”

This is the first time peasants have been galvanised in such large numbers against the government. The government has already held 11 rounds of negotiations with farmers’ representatives and offered to suspend the laws for one and a half years on Jan. 20. But farmers are not budging from their demand of the complete repeal of the laws and legal cover for the selling of their crops at a guaranteed price.

On January 26, which marks India’s Republic Day, 19 out of 28 states witnessed protests against the farm laws.

In Delhi, however, a plan to organise a farmers’ tractor march parallel to the official Republic Day function, went awry. A group of protesters clashed with police at multiple spots and stormed the iconic Red Fort, a traditional seat of power for the Mughals, where the colonial British and independent India’s prime ministers have also raised their flags.

The protesters unfurled banners of the farm unions and Sikhs – one of the minority religious groups and the most prominent face of the protests. Mainstream media and ruling party supporters used the opportunity to blame the movement for desecration and religious terrorism. Security forces charged sleeping farmers with batons at one location, filed cases against movement leaders, allowed opponents to pelt campaigners with stones, arrested journalists and shut down the Internet.

The attacks, therefore, ended up lifting the flagging morale of the farmers and helped the movement gain even more supporters, who shunned the government and media narrative. Massive community gatherings of khaps were organised at multiple places over the next few days, extending their support to the protests and issuing a boycott call for the BJP and its political allies.

Mending fault lines

The movement has also been able to overcome regional and gender divisions, and is trying to address caste divides.

The states of Haryana and Punjab are often at loggerheads on the issue of sharing of river waters. Haryana was carved out of Punjab on linguistic lines in 1966, but most of the rivers flow through the current Punjab state. Haryana has been seeking a greater amount of water for use by its farmers, while Punjab’s farmers oppose the demand, citing reduced water flow in the rivers over the years. The current protests have united farmers for a common cause, helping them understand each other even though opponents have made attempts revive the water issue.

Women have also been participating in the protests in large numbers. They are either occupying roads on Delhi’s borders or managing homes and farms in the absence of men, while taking part in protest marches in villages.

“Earlier, we were able to rally only 8,000-10,000 women for a protest. Today that number has swelled to 25,000-30,000, as they recognised the threats posed by the new laws to the livelihoods of their families,” said Harinder Bindu, who leads the women’s wing of the largest farm union in Punjab. “For many women, this is the first time they are participating in a protest, which is a big change because they were earlier confined to household work. Men are getting used to seeing women participate and recognising the value they bring to a movement.”

“When women members participate in sit-ins, men manage the house. I feel this movement will bring greater focus on women’s issues within the farming community – one of which is the need to support the widows of farmers who died by suicide due to financial constraints.”

In Punjab, less than four per cent of private farmland belongs to Dalits, the lowest caste in the traditional social hierarchy of India, even though they constitute 32 per cent of the state’s population. They often earn their livelihoods through farm work or daily wage labour. Even though Dalits have a legal right to till village common land, attempts to assert that right often lead to violent clashes with upper-caste landlords who want to keep it for themselves. Dalits are waging similar battles across India. Researchers recorded 31 land conflicts involving 92,000 Dalits in 2019. A few of the farmers’ unions have supported and raised funds for Dalit agitations in the past.

The movement is gradually encompassing other rural issues beyond the farm laws. In the state of Maharashtra, for instance, thousands of tribal people travelled to the capital Mumbai on Jan. 23 to extend support to the farmers. They also asserted their own long pending demand for land titles under the Forest Rights Act, which recognises traditional rights of scheduled tribes and other forest dwellers on the use of land and other forest resources.

* Manu Moudgil is an independent journalist based in India. He tweets at @manumoudgil.The original version of this article was published on Waging Nonviolence under the title ‘India’s farmers’ protests are about more than reform – they are resisting the corporate takeover of agriculture’.

[obeymematches]

Hello! I hope you're not swarmed in all the matchup requests lol, but I have to say - they're great! I love how detailed they are and how much work and thought you put into them! It's admirable, to be honest.

But of course I came here for my own matchup lmao. I'm polyamorous so I'm okay with multiple matches (if you want to, ofc).

So, I'm an INTP, aesthetically edgy, nonbinary.... something, ig. I'm a retired weeb that became a kpop stannie and an e-girl/e-boy but I'm still very much a nerd when it comes to entertainment, like video games and stuff.

I've been told that I look intimidating ever since I was a kid and people tend to be lowkey scared of me at first - add to that the fact that I don't talk much with strangers and have a permanent murderous gaze. But once you force your way into befriending me I become a very loyal and chaotic middle school boy with a negative amount of braincells.

I used to be known as a cryptid - never took pictures, never left my room, so quiet you'd never know if I'm currently in the same room as you or not (my friends would call me irl Kuroko - yes, that even applied to when we played basketball in school). But then, one day I decided that I'm bored of being boring and turned into the loud, vulgar, hot friend (according to my friends, again) that you'd book a room with in a closed off apartment complex but then decided to get some kebabs at midnight and then had to climb over the fence once you got back because the gate man has already left for the night. That was not oddly specific at all.

I know that what I'm doing is usually dumb and dangerous and that's exactly why I do it. I'm dumb but I'm not an idiot, y'know? I also have problems with authority lmao. And while I love doing all the dumb stuff with my friends I'm extremely protective and always take the blow or make sure no one gets actually hurt. Self-sacrifice is a personality trait 😌💅✨ Also, I still have a crippling social anxiety but after mastering the art of dissociating I can go out in public!

I'm not a very affectionate person - I don't really like physical affection all that much. I'm cool with hugging, hand holding and cuddling but in moderation. I express my love towards those close to me by doing favours and helping them. You'll also know I like you and am comfortable when I stop with all the "uwu i love u ur so amazing" and start throwing (not genuine) insults around or bully you (affectionately). I'm also straight up emotionally constipated.

There's very few things in life that I take seriously and even less things that I care about in general. Because of that I can seem very apathetic and dishonest. That being said, I *do* have hobbies and interests (hyperfixations, actually), I don't have an artistic soul but I do a lot of different art (drawing, dancing, singing, rapping, makeup, fashion, etc.) - but my heart belongs to the world of linguistics.

I'm quiet pessimistic on the inside but I just implement it into the typical Gen-Z humor and ignore all my (often serious) problems. I prefer keeping a happy, funny, loud persona in front of others - I'm the distraction and mood maker!

I'd want my partner(s) to first and foremost - be my best friend(s). Someone who isn't very emotional and can solve problems with logic and in a calm manner. Someone who'll be happy with us just existing and vibing next to each other.

Also someone who'd wrestle with me. Or at least would let me throw them around a little, lol.

My faves are Levi, Belphie, Beel and Monie but I think I match with the first two better, imo.

Thank you in advance! Hope you're having a great day/night!

----

Hello!

Ahhh thank you for your kind words!!! >w

Okay so I think you are in fact a great match to each of your favourites for a different reason!

So in canon I don’t think there much info about their take on mono/poly relationships. Sure, besides Beel all of the other candidates are known to get jealous easily but like being poly is not cheating lol. I’m not sure if someone already made HCs about this but I think it would take so much time to convince Levi that theres not one, but two (or more) people who actually love him oh god. But I think the others mentioned above would be ok. 

So I decided to match you with Mammon! 

 Okay so when it comes to aes I think you and Mammon would make a matching couple! 

Mammon also plays games from time to time, so you could spend some time gaming together. He is surprisingly good at them! Obviously Levi could relate to your otaku past, but that is the past. 

I think your intimidating exterior would probably give off Lucifer vibes to Mammon at first. This is not something to worry about though - Mammon has a tendency of stealing or using people (he’s not crushing on) + he also looks down on humans. (these are sometimes ignored in the fandom but it’s all canon) So sure he is definitely stronger than you, but I think he would be less likely to pick on you like that if you have a pretty but intimidating face. 

He is also one of the more loyal demons, so you have a priority on the same spot! 

I think he would definitely support your chaotic ideas and steal kebab with you at night. You would annoy his brothers a lot and he would get you into trouble very often! So be prepared for some lectures by Lucifer. 

The fact that you self-sacrafice might end up getting you in danger but Mammon is also protective so it’s just the two of you protecting the other while doing someting silly.

Mamon definitely has many favors to ask for, so it’s nice that you don’t think of that as a turn-off! However make sure he doesn’t use you

 His love language is giving gifts so in return you can expect him to get you something! 

I think he likes affection but definitely not in public and he will deny wanting a hug from you with his life

Okay so the fact that you actually call out your friends when they are being unreasonable is something that comes in handy! Mammon gets bullied a lot by his brothers - sometimes there is no reason, but other times he is not innocent at all. So it would be nice if you could shape his personality a bit! 

I definitely see him with a partner who cares about appearance, so you being into makeup and fashion is a good bonus! He wants to set you off on being a model after all

He is definitely outgoing so you being able to sing and dance are great additional points! He will definitely show you off at some bars so be prepared!

I don’t think he is very fond of linguistics as really the only thing that gets him going is cash. He would probably look up how to make the most out of being a linguistic and he will definitely have a conversation with you about his findings

You two could definitely hit it off as best friends first! I mean he will not confess early, being a tsundere and all.

 Okay so Levi would be better at solving difficult situations logically as he is an admiral at the navy. However there is a reason why Mammon is the second strongest that gets overlooked sometimes! If an issue arises he has ideas to solve them! These are not always very great ideas and they might sound silly but most of the time they work! 

Mammon is definitely the best candidate to play-fight out of the potential candidates!! I imagine him being much stronger than you and giving you a hard time but he is not a sadist at all so he will let you win at the end 

[linguistlist-blog]

Calls, General Linguistics, Neurolinguistics, Sociolinguistics, Language Acquisition, Psycholinguistics / Languages (Jrnl)

Call for Papers: We are delighted to announce the call for a special issue in Languages themed "Language Use, Processing and Acquisition in Multilingual Contexts". Please consider submitting if you are working on individual variation in multilinguals. Many studies have investigated the relationships between being mono-/bi-/multilingual and associated linguistic and language-related processing outcomes. However, much less is known about the influence of the diversity of languages in a society o http://dlvr.it/SkZD4v

[kingofthewilderwest]

peachdoxie replied to your post “somewhere in my childhood family household late at night…. dad: you...”

monoinstrumentalists are just so frustrating, aren't they

(anyway I know it's because you're a huge NERD and your family wouldn't be able to handle your NERDINESS because there's so much of it)

I know we’re goofing around and it’s cracking me up, but I thought it’d be interesting to discuss how what you said is true. While I live in a musical enough family, I’m the only actively multi-instrumental player. There is a different culture and priority to them as single instrument players, versus me, a multi-instrumentalist. 

For most of my family (even the casual players), the concept of purchasing and picking up a musical instrument is consistency and proficiency. I also want that. But I don’t “come across” that way with my musical activities; I may look flighty, undedicated, as I “bounce” seemingly from one instrument to another. 

It can look like I’m picking up and dropping instruments (What became of that clarinet I took lessons for for four months, but haven’t performed on since high school?). Or, it can look like I’m never developing any performable skill in them (despite playing viola for nearly ten years, I still sound scratchy, and the only reason I performed on it in college is because the orchestra accepted ANYBODY who signed up). Or, it can look like I’m buying instruments simply to have more instruments (the first question my mom asked when I went to buy the ukulele was whether or not I’d play it). Like an amnesiac crow attracted to pretty trinkets, they might see me as getting excited about The Latest Thing and then forgetting about it a year later.

But see: that’s not what I’m investing in. Here’s how I actively work through playing multiple instruments:

Some instruments are more casual and some are more serious. I did get good enough at flute to be first chair in All-State Orchestra my senior year of high school. I continued playing flute in bands through the end of my Master’s degree. Hell, I played keys and flute in praise band for church this last month! While I’m not in a classical ensemble now, it’s not impossible to expect I could rejoin a community ensemble, or if I had some extra disposable income, return to private lessons. 

The banjo, by the way, is my First Very Serious Musical Instrument Acquisition since I started playing viola almost ten years ago!!! I’m actively looking up ways I can get private lessons for this baby and Git GUD! I’m so excited. So this banjo investment is literally as serious as I can get.

Other instruments are never intended to be performance instruments, and when I nab them, I know that. I will invest my best time and attention to performance instruments that I want to be proficient/skilled in. But that doesn’t mean I neglect my “more casual” instruments. There are MANY ways in which all my instruments receive a lot of love.

First: I received my degree in Music Composition for a reason. The purpose of a Music Composer is to compose music, not be a hired performer. And the more instruments I have hands-on knowledge and experience with, the better I can compose for more instruments!

One point five: It is a VERY VERY fascinating experience to learn about all instruments out there. Whether or not I become amazing on them, I learn and experience so much by having on hand diverse music-making machines. It’s a world of difference between reading about an instrument and playing it. I gain endless enrichment by learning how these babies work. Sometimes I’m learning more about how an instrument ticks than how to be amazing on said instrument. You could say part of my music hobby is “learning how ALL music is played and performed”!

Second: Most paid music composition gigs I have are not for live performances. I’m contracted to produce tracks combining MIDI (computer synthesized music) and audio (recordings of real instruments being played). In general, if I can get good sound, audio is more appealing, expressive, and impressive than MIDI. Because I do not have the budget, time, and network to hire other people to perform my music, I can get more live instruments into my compositions by playing more instruments myself. My lack of professional performance-level skill can be worked around by how easy I make the part, how I splice audio files, how I mix the parts, etc. Ergo, it is always a net benefit when I have another instrument to my disposal, which goes back into the degree I went to school for, and comes out in every audio track I create.

Third: It’s fun. If I can fiddle around on an ocarina, it’s fun!!!!!!! If I can play HTTYD tunes on pennywhistle cosplaying Hiccup, it’s fun!!!!!

It’s true that, on occasion, some instruments are more keepsakes than playthings. But that’s rare, and I DO play all my instruments and don’t drop anyone. In general, the only time I get an instrument “to get an instrument” is because I have a souvenir tradition: every time I leave the country, I get myself a dictionary for an appropriate local language (to celebrate my Linguist side) and I get myself an instrument (to celebrate my Composer side). Thus far, I’ve only exercised this tradition on two trips. Getting meaningful, special souvenirs that I also might use for decades to come (even if rarely) is valid, yes? 

Last, I want to point out that the majority of my musical instrument acquisitions have been dirt cheap. I think my first pennywhistle cost $3, I got it my junior year of high school, and I still play it. My recorder and two other pennywhistles were an unexpected gift from a high school teacher. I found a didgeridoo in Goodwill for $15 last year. Literally, instead of eating out for one dinner, I got an instrument. Not a bad investment! I’m not being flighty running from instrument to instrument; I’m seizing opportunity to have an extremely exciting life experience, something much longer lasting than one night eating out. I tend to haunt craigslist for radical deals. The banjo, because I’m planning on getting very serious on it, is a raaaaaare investment to get A Good Instrument (and I’m STILL using craigslist to get used to drop price).

For my family, in a mono-instrument mindset, lots of these motivations don’t exist. Buy a good starter instrument so you can learn it seriously, buy an upgrade instrument after you’ve graduated to an advanced playing state, spend a ton of time practicing, they get that. They don’t get “SHIT GOODWILL HAS A $15 DIDGERIDOO!!!!!” excitement. For them, it makes no sense to grab it.

So to my family, when I’m like “Oh hey I want a new instrument!” It becomes this “Ugh, again? Why not SPEND TIME and play the ones you have?!?!” Except it’s unspoken. No one’s mean. And what they show is the lightest tinge of exasperation or lack of understanding, no real mean judging or anything. 

I’m not saying all people who play one instrument have the same perspective, but that’s how my fam goes!

So yeah. I live with a different set of values as a multi-instrumentalist.

But hell hahahahaha. Even for “mono-instrumental values”, my banjo goals are going to align well with their priorities. XD Dudes, I’m going to practice so hard on this baby. I’m going to shred it on the banjo. I’m going to be amazing. I’m going to be good enough to perform gigs if I can find some bluegrass buddies. I’m going to compose pieces on banjo and record them. I’m going to kick ass as a banjo badass.

I haven’t had a good music goal for years, honestly. Without the ability to afford private lessons for advanced flute or semi-advanced piano, without collegiate settings to keep me in the classical community, and without the emotional energy to invest in community ensembles, I’ve been cut off from musical performance goals. It’s felt stagnant and uninspiring. Picking up the banjo and working HARD on this thing is going to ignite a spark I’ve been missing for years. Life is more exciting and meaningful to me when I have an ambition, a trajectory, a goal. This is the start of a new bright life period for me, and I’m pulling so much hope and happiness into it.

I AM EXCITE!!!!

[southeastasianists]

Immediately to the north-west of Australia, occupying an area somewhat larger than our island-continent, are the heartlands of the pre-modern world’s most accomplished and farthest-ranging oceanic explorers, migrant settlers and traders. Today they occupy much of Southeast Asia, while their outlying settlements stretch from Madagascar to Easter Island and Hawai’i. Active and afloat across the Asian and Indian Ocean region for millennia, their maritime mercantile ventures reached northern Australia in pre-colonial centuries.

They are the diverse but culturally and linguistically related people who are collectively called Austronesians.

Both the term ‘Austronesian’ and these people’s identity as a distinct grouping are, it’s safe to say, very little recognised by most Australians or the wider world, except among specialist historians, archaeologists, ethnographers and linguists. Author Philip Bowring wants to change that with this book that is a detailed, multidisciplinary account of these quintessential seafaring and trading societies, from their prehistoric origins until now.

In particular Bowring wants the ‘general reader and public’, at whom this book is aimed, to appreciate their dynamic role in the networks of oceanic trading that stretched from Asia across the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean for thousands of years… networks that led directly to the last half millennium of European expansion, and that were the forerunners of today’s globalised economy.

Austronesians comprise most of the populations of modern Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, speaking hundreds of different but related languages. There are also minority Austronesian populations in Indochina, Burma, Thailand and Taiwan. Ethnic Thais, Cambodians, Laos, Vietnamese and Burmese of mainland South-East Asia are not Austronesians, nor were they primarily seafaring societies – the thing that most defines deep Austronesian heritage.

So to avoid confusion Bowring has coined a new term, Nusantaria, to describe Austronesian homelands on the islands and coasts of South-East Asia, from where they sailed and traded much more widely. The term comes from the Sanskrit-derived, Malay-Indonesian nusantara (‘the islands between’), referring to the archipelagos that stretch from China and South-East Asia towards Australasia. (In English this was sometimes ‘the Malay archipelago’, the title of Alfred Russell Wallace’s magnificent magnum opus published precisely 150 years ago.)

The Nusantaria concept keeps the focus on this vital maritime mercantile heartland, whereas some of the Austronesian family sailed so far away – to Micronesia, Polynesia and Madagascar – that they eventually lost contact with the ancestral sail-trading network.

The major defining feature of Nusantarian societies was their mastery of navigation with ingenious vessel technologies, which included outriggers, unique fore-and-aft sailing rigs and hull-construction techniques that distinguished them from the Arab, Persian, Indian, Chinese and (much later) European ships that also plied these seas. This was the key to their expansion and settlement of maritime Southeast Asia over the last four or five millennia, displacing or absorbing earlier migrants. Other original features of Nusantarian societies included ancestral cults and shamanism, headhunting, and the independence and high standing of their women.

Bowring takes an even-handed approach to the fascinating question of Nusantarian origins. He acknowledges the well-accepted ‘out of China via Taiwan’, north-to-south thesis of Peter Bellwood et.al., but seemingly gives equal credence to alternative, south-to-north theories of migrations that were forced by the last inter-glacial flooding of the Sundaland basin (Stephen Oppenheimer, William Sondheim).

From ancient times the islands of Nusantaria supplied key trade commodities including the rarest and most costly spices – cloves, nutmeg and mace – exported in its own ocean-going ships. But more crucially, these home waters were the cross-roads of all the extensive sea trade between East Asia and the Indian Ocean.

Controlling these sea lanes led to the rise of diverse Nusantarian trading centres and entrepôts, kingdoms and empires in Sumatra, Java, Malaya and elsewhere in their region. Bowring vividly depicts a cosmopolitan trading world exchanging ceramics, metals, gems, silks and other textiles, spices, forest products, slaves – the vast majority shipped by sea.

‘A Persian writing in Arabic in the tenth century,’ he tells us, ‘noted that parrots in Palembang [the Sumatran centre of the Srivijaya empire] could speak many languages including Arabic, Persian and Greek.’ Those polylingual parrots would certainly also have spoken Malay, the Austronesian language native to both shores of the Straits of Malacca – the narrow funnel through which most of this trade passed. It became the lingua-franca of the region’s sailors and traders well over a thousand years ago, and is the basis of the modern Indonesian national language.

The major religions of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam entered the region from the Indian Ocean, spread peaceably by maritime trade and adopted through influence and prestige. Nusantarian societies transformed these religions, as much as they transformed Nusantaria. Rare seaborne invasions such as that of the Tamil-Indian Cholas in 1025, and later Mongol and Ming interventions, made no lasting impacts due to the dispersal of the islands and the skills of its sailors and traders.

European and Christian incursions began more forcibly five centuries ago, lured by the fabulous wealth of the ‘Spice Islands’ and advantaged by the superior gunnery of these aggressive newcomers. The shock is well expressed in the famous words of 17th-century Makassan Sultan Alauddin, refusing monopolist Dutch demands to exclude their rivals: ‘God made the land and the sea. The land he divided among men and the sea he gave in common. It has never been heard that anyone should be forbidden to sail the seas.’

This new era would lead eventually to a severe downturn of Nusantarian fortunes and a loss of common identity as they were fragmented into the post-colonial states we know today. Bowring makes the valuable point, however, that it’s easy to exaggerate the effect of the first few centuries of European activity, as disruptive as it was. It was not until ‘a final land-grabbing spasm around the turn of the 20th century that European imperialism reached its final apogee’, drawing Nusantaria’s modern borders.

Journalist, author and yachtsman Philip Bowring has lived in Asia for decades as a correspondent for leading financial and international newspapers, and was editor of the prestigious Far Eastern Economic Review. His earlier history book was about a distant ancestor, Sir John Bowring, who as Plenipotentiary in China in 1856 precipitated the Second Opium War, and who negotiated a key trade treaty between Britain and King Mongkut of Anna and the King of Siam fame.

Having read history at Cambridge and, during his working life, absorbed himself in the history and economy of maritime Asia, Philip Bowring is well placed to attempt this ambitious synthesis of vast amounts of scholarship and primary sources for a non-specialist readership. Its magnitude is attested by a nine-page bibliography. Given the breadth and depth of material consulted, errors (in this reviewer’s fields, at least) were few and minor.

At times the work suffers from the formidable weight of historical detail that it encompasses. There are occasions where condensing complex events and multiple players creates sentences that are rather too opaque, unless you’re already well-versed in that history. Places, people or processes can sometimes flash by, for the first and last time, unexplained.

This is less criticism than acknowledgement of the dilemma of treating an intricate subject encompassing so very many cultures, eras and episodes in a single volume – as best I know, for the first time. You could push the book out by an extra hundred or two pages – but then, good luck finding a publisher. Or do you simplify the story by sacrificing some of the richness and texture of complex events and processes? Any reader finding themselves a bit lost in the detail might return to the contents list, which has been well constructed with snappy chapter titles and a clever 30-word synopsis for each. This can usefully be returned to as a summary or a road map.

The attractive illustrations in both colour and mono have been very well selected for variety and quality, with many outstanding works of art, artefacts or historical sources. It might have been helpful to reference them more in the text, however, to make their relevance clearer to readers unfamiliar with the subject.

This hardcover book is handsomely produced with a beautiful dust jacket showing fine Nusantarian galleys in the Moluccas, recorded during the Louis de Freycinet expedition of 1817–20. It’s a volume that offers readers a deeper understanding of the vibrant maritime peoples and events that unfolded literally on Australia’s tropical northern doorstep, to better appreciate the complex development of the human, political and economic region that we inhabit.