Yeerkish

[Myitt]

So thinking about the different languages in the series, what about Yeerks, do they learn English automatically once they're in their host, just instantaneously, because their host knows the language?  It seems like it might take a few minutes, anyway. 

And another thing, at one point someone mentions Yeerkish can't be spoken in Gedd hosts, presumably because it starts out ultrasonic in its most basic form.  But if it's ultrasonic and there is no alternative, no phonetically pronounceable words that the Yeerks hear in their minds or something, then why did the Andalites give them written language?  Especially if the language can't be pronounced by Gedds, their main hosts?  We know that Yeerkish can be pronounced with Earth-based roman characters because of words like "veleek" and "dapsen", and Yeerkish names themselves.  So maybe these words are just more difficult than Galard to pronounce, for Gedds. 

I also wondered what language those little bits of Yeerkish transmission were in, in #53 or #54, when Ax is trying to translate it.  It's something like "akka oto" and "scule muta pule" something or other, does anyone remember that?  Whatever the christ that means! XD I love the series but sometimes I want some concrete answers, and we just don't get 'em, darnit! XD;  Yeah, I think about this stupid junk too much.

Any thoughts?

[traycon3]

The Andalites may have given them a written language for ease of communication with the Yeerks outside of trying to talk to a Gedd--which can be very annoying--or sticking the Yeerk in their head--not highly advisable.
Or, perhaps, because the written word is more concrete verses spoken word when it comes down to passing down the history of ones people.
Or maybe it had something to do with interstellar communication.
To be honest, I don't really have a spectacular answer, but I'm leaning towards the first and/or second one.
As for Yeerks automatically knowing their host's native tounge, I'm not sure right now. I'd have to take a closer look at the Visser book.
And, while normally I might be more inclined to do just that, I'm suppose to leave in a few minutes, so I wouldn't have time to find it and still respond.

[Dameg]

I also suppose they need few minutes to "learn" the language... In fact, they mustn't learn it, except after many days in the body, but they still can use it because their host know how to do...

About the Yeerkish, I agree with Traycon. The Andalites may teach them how to write it. Or... maybe... look, there were about 30 or 40 years between the Andalites go on Yeerk planet and the Animorphs... So they must have time to think "hey! We need to write our language!" It isn't so hard to make an alphabet... So if they just write sounds... I think more about this way.

But I always thought about Galard: Andalites and Yeerks talk it. But Andalites didn't create it when they met Yeerks, did they? So why did they need a language to talk to people from other planets? Was it for their neighbors and enemies we heard about in book #54?... It confuses me...

[traycon3]

Considering it's considered a "universal language" there's a good chance it was originally used for communication with enemies and neighbors. Let's face it, it's kinda hard to have peace talks when neither party can understand each other.
And if Andalites ever wanted to open up trading routes or create alliances, knowing a base language is kind of helpful.
Whether or not the Andalites had a part in creating it, I don't know. I'm not exactly an Andalite historian. I hate history as it is. Why study it for a living?

[Liz]

I think that because the Yeerk has access to the host's brain, it doesn't even need to "learn" English, it just knows...Like in #29 when Cassie morphs Illim and then enters Mr. Tidwell.  She said that she drove to McDonalds, even though she didn't know how to drive, Mr. Tidwell did, so she could.

[Terenia]

I don't think the Andalites would have had a part in the creation of Galard. They don't have a spoken language, and they have no need to learn spoken language. They have translator chips which will translate everything (more or less) into discernible speech. What's more, thought-speech operates on a higher level than words, so the idea of creating a spoken language might be a little difficult for the almighty Andalites to wrap their mouthless heads around.

[Dameg]

I think Andalites have a kind of spoken language: they have words like "nothlit", "vecol"... So they must have a language (writen and spoken). But they though-speak so everybody can understand what they mean even if they don't understand the words. And Andalites seem to have translators to understand the other languages (as we see in the Hork-Bajir chronicles).

[Terenia]

They have a written language, for sure. But it's hard to imagine a species without mouths having a spoken language. I think words like 'nothlit' and 'vecol' exist because they are concepts that don't really exist in other cultures, so there's no 'higher level' to transmit them on. It's kind of like a spoken language, but not really.

[Myitt]

If they have a written language, they've got to have some way of translating whatever they're thinking, whether it's words or thoughts or a combination of the two, into something that has syllables capable of being written out.  There was that piece of the Andalite ship that had Andalite writing on it, so we know written Andalite language existed...I imagine they gave something similar to the Yeerks.  Maybe like you said Dameg the Yeerks developed their own alphabet later on.  I still just get hung up on how Yeerks communicated to each other outside of their pools on the homeworld, if Gedds couldn't speak Yeerkish properly, and the Yeerks had no written language.  Did they use sign language?  Maybe the Gedds had their own simple language?

Maybe it's just a KASU...x3