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Language:
English
Series:
Part 67 of Aurelia's Drabbles
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Published:
2023-03-02
Words:
100
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1/1
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Methods in second-language vocabulary acquisition

Summary:

Leela gets by in Gallifreyan.

Notes:

Brought to you by ontologicalmoki's observation that Leela will call people the most random things (remember the time Matthias was "postboy"?) but do it in the tone of voice in which people usually insult her, and that this totally works for her.

All words are verbs in Gallifreyan because I decided they are. It is very interesting how different languages can split up the noun/verb/adjective space quite differently.

Work Text:

There is no insulting word for "Time Lord" in Gallifreyan. Leela's pretty sure it's not just that she doesn't know such a word; Romana would certainly have used it. Linguistically, it doesn't exist; the relevant verb doesn't conjugate in the derogatory mood.

And there's no neutral way to say "offworlder." Even beyond the words calculated specifically to hurt and exclude—she has no way to describe herself that doesn't imply strange, other, lacking.

But Time Lords undervalue nonverbal communication. When she spits out their names, hammered blunt or filed to sharp points, Leela doesn't need to coin a new vocabulary.

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