The problem of the Babel fish
Created | Updated Aug 31, 2002
In Douglas Adam's novel, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, there is a creature called a Babel fish.
Here is his definition of how it works:
"The Babel fish is small, yellow and leechlike, and probably the oddest thing in the Universe. It feels the brainwave energy recieved not from its own carrier but from those around it. It absorbs unconscious mental frequencies from this brainwave energy to nourish itself with. It then excretes into the mind of its carrier a telepathic matrix formed by combining conscious thought frequencies with nerve signals picked up from the speech centers of the brain which has supplied them. The practical upshot of all this is that if you stick a Babel fish in your ear you can instantly understand anything said to you in any form of language..."
And throughout the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the sequels that followed it, Arthur Dent had a Babel fish in his ear (as did, presumably, Ford Prefect and the other main characters.) This explains why every alien in the books seemed to speak English. However, this does not explain how those aliens managed to understand what Arthur and the others were saying. Now, of course, it is presumed that most of the aliens also had Babel fishes in their ears (or whatever they had in place of ears) but in some instances we can deduct that the aliens didn't have them. For instance, the Golgafrinchans probably did not have Babel fishes. There were many, many of them, and they were from a world that probably had not encountered many aliens, let alone Babel fish. Plus, they were unwanted at their homeworld, and their homeworld gave them all of their supplies. It is unlikey that the homeworld bothered to give that many people Babel fish, even if they had discovered them.
<huh>
Besides the Golgafrinchans, Arthur encountered a primitive race of humanoids in "Mostly Harmless" who seemed to be able to communicate with him easily.
<doh>
Also, I feel I should point out that Arthur took his Babel fish out of his ear in "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish." Yet, in "Mostly Harmless" he seemed to have no problem becoming the Sandwich Maker for a primitive tribe of aliens, with whom he could easily communicate.
<headhurts>
Oh, well. Adams himself admitted that the Hitchhiker's Guide series often contradicted itself. Nevertheless it is a great series.
<biggrin>
Here is his definition of how it works:
"The Babel fish is small, yellow and leechlike, and probably the oddest thing in the Universe. It feels the brainwave energy recieved not from its own carrier but from those around it. It absorbs unconscious mental frequencies from this brainwave energy to nourish itself with. It then excretes into the mind of its carrier a telepathic matrix formed by combining conscious thought frequencies with nerve signals picked up from the speech centers of the brain which has supplied them. The practical upshot of all this is that if you stick a Babel fish in your ear you can instantly understand anything said to you in any form of language..."
And throughout the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the sequels that followed it, Arthur Dent had a Babel fish in his ear (as did, presumably, Ford Prefect and the other main characters.) This explains why every alien in the books seemed to speak English. However, this does not explain how those aliens managed to understand what Arthur and the others were saying. Now, of course, it is presumed that most of the aliens also had Babel fishes in their ears (or whatever they had in place of ears) but in some instances we can deduct that the aliens didn't have them. For instance, the Golgafrinchans probably did not have Babel fishes. There were many, many of them, and they were from a world that probably had not encountered many aliens, let alone Babel fish. Plus, they were unwanted at their homeworld, and their homeworld gave them all of their supplies. It is unlikey that the homeworld bothered to give that many people Babel fish, even if they had discovered them.
<huh>
Besides the Golgafrinchans, Arthur encountered a primitive race of humanoids in "Mostly Harmless" who seemed to be able to communicate with him easily.
<doh>
Also, I feel I should point out that Arthur took his Babel fish out of his ear in "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish." Yet, in "Mostly Harmless" he seemed to have no problem becoming the Sandwich Maker for a primitive tribe of aliens, with whom he could easily communicate.
<headhurts>
Oh, well. Adams himself admitted that the Hitchhiker's Guide series often contradicted itself. Nevertheless it is a great series.
<biggrin>
