Opening fiction: Lucian
I could speak my own language fluently. The clicks, chirps whisles and growls are part of a complex pattern. Drakk, my native tongue is instrinstic to me as humans speaking verbal is instrinstic to them. However teaching the humans the launguage of the dragon-folk is both a laudable and foolish task.
Language or lack there off is one of the core differators in Autism. Autists of all colors have problems in commuication and language. "Red" or Asperger autists speak like foreigners speaking English fluently. They know their own native tongue but they can converse English well, abiet they have trouble in some cases. Whilst Purple autist know their language and struggle to learn a totally diffrent and equally complex one.
Diagnosticly the difference between a Red and Purple autist is simply, when the child started talking. Precocious speakers learned verbalize quickly and can hold conversations, lack of langauge delay is what makes a autist an asperger or an HFA. But beyond diagnosisic symptoms, even aspergers have trouble speaking what really is to us, a foreign language. Even the most fluent, stumble and trip around signals and diologue. For us, verbal communication is very clumsy and often hard to process. However we so manage and use it well enough to go through out the world without causing so much of a head turn. At least for us lucky "Red" autists. But this isn't about us learning verbal communication, but for NT's to learning our language.
The opening diologue is spoken by a Drakkhani (humanoid dragon-like creatures) man named Lucian Galesong. His language is a complex mix of clicks, growls and words, with body language and posture to accent it. Many of the words spoken in 'Drakk' are almost unpronunceable by English speaking humans. The written "romanized' words are spoken nothing like they are written and it becomes a difficult and frustrating language for humans to speak. So. Most all together make the Drakkhani people learn English, which to them is a very hard, but in the same hand simple language. Many like my character Quasar, learn it but never reach the point where they can talk just as well as humans. Lucian and Taajah both learn to speak "Human words" at an early age and speak it without an accent or major problems. For Drakkhani many never learn for a varity of reasons (Wildborn, too old, ect) but humans refuse to bother with Drakk.
This is the thesis of language with autuistic people and typicals. Why do we struggle with learning your langage your words your culture. But act like learning ours is some great mystery. Though it can be challenging and engimatic, it feels like only autist bother with crossing the vast and shakey bridge which is communication but NTs are tapping their feet waiting for us to cross it.
Today was interesting however. As I was heating up lunch I remarked to "L" who was watching the microwave carosel spin, "Huh, you like watching the micro wave don't you? Probably because it spins. Don't worry I still like to watch celing fans go around and around." Later as I finshed up, one of the teachers approuched me and asked. "What attracted you to celing fans?" That wasn't a hard question but difficult ot explain in the right words. I told her it was simply because I just needed something to focus on, something constant and unchanging. Everything in this world shifts and moves erractily. Celing fans say the same. It's a little peiece of continuality that never veers off from the norm. Autistics seem to be drawn to that. She thanked me and continued helping the class.
All the while I was thinking. "Huh, so one person step foot on that bridge."
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