Sharptooth language

[trexmaster]

Throughout the LBT series, sharpteeth do not speak the humanoid language spoken by most of the other dinosaurs; instead, they roar, growl, and snarl just like wild animals. At first, this may look like an indication of low intelligence. However, in LBT 5, they actually provide subtitles for the sharpteeth, suggesting that their roaring represents a sophisticated language in its own right. At least just as curiously, Chomper also demonstrates an ability to talk in leaf-eater/pterosaur language, and fluently too.

Why don't the sharpteeth speak in the same language as the other dinosaurs as often? They obviously have the mental capacity to communicate in such language. Furthermore, where did Chomper pick up leaf-eater talk, anyway? He was still a newborn in LBT 2, so he couldn't have understood the gang's talking and pick it up.

[Petrie.]

Furthermore, where did Chomper pick up leaf-eater talk, anyway? He was still a newborn in LBT 2, so he couldn't have understood the gang's talking and pick it up.

He most certainly could have picked it up.  There's a reason studies have shown if you're very good and interested in bilingual education, you'll pick up on it (and actually have an easier time with it) if you learn new languages at a young age.  I certainly think Chomper could have picked up on it.

[Malte279]

Good topic!  
I guess there is no explanation for Chomper's being able to use leafeater language other than the fact that he had to for the sake of the plot  
Or perhaps he actually did talk to his "food" (or what his parents suspected to be his food) on several occassions thereby gaining sufficient command of the language.
Maybe shapteeth need to practice leafeater language from an early age on in order to be able to utter the sounds. There are many examples for sounds in human languages which the humans have to learn in their first years or they will never be able to utter them. For obvious reasons communicative contacts between leafeaters and sharpteeth are rather rare. This would explain why few sharpteeth were able to utter leafeater language. I think a leafeater being able to communicate with sharpteeth could be an interesting element in a story.

[trexmaster]

Furthermore, where did Chomper pick up leaf-eater talk, anyway? He was still a newborn in LBT 2, so he couldn't have understood the gang's talking and pick it up.

He most certainly could have picked it up.  There's a reason studies have shown if you're very good and interested in bilingual education, you'll pick up on it (and actually have an easier time with it) if you learn new languages at a young age.  I certainly think Chomper could have picked up on it.

How young, precisely? I doubt newborns like Chomper in LBT 2 could even comprehend any language.

[Petrie.]

As early as they can learn their native language (different for every individual).  If you were to learn say, Spanish, alongside English at the exact same time, you'd be fluent in both, and would actually have little difficulty.

[Malte279]

I think that trexmaster's point is that for all we know for sure Chomper spend only the first day of his life among five leafeaters in the Great Valley. Even if he had spend his first week or month there it would (at least by human standarts) be impossible for him to talk. Remembering Ducky from the original movie (who guessed that Littlefoot wasn't yet able to talk when she first met him and he refused to speak), and Dinah and Dana from LBT 6 I guess it's safe to say that dinosaurs too will need some time before they gain as much command of language as Chomper showed in LBT 5. Therefore I suppose he really must have had some contact with other leafeaters since LBT. With his clear memory to his very first day of life (human standarts can certainly not be applied there ) Chomper seems to be quite suited to learn a language quickly. But he didn't ever hear some of the words he uttered in LBT 5 throughout LBT 2, so there is no other possibility than the idea of him talking to leafeaters later on. Perhaps he made somebody his teacher rather than his dinner. This however would require somebody who already has command of both leafeather and sharptooth language. There is some potential for interesting story elements in this.

[action9000]

But he didn't ever hear some of the words he uttered in LBT 5 throughout LBT 2, so there is no other possibility than the idea of him talking to leafeaters later on. Perhaps he made somebody his teacher rather than his dinner. This however would require somebody who already has command of both leafeather and sharptooth language.

I agree, Malte.  Chomper may have learned the basics of leafeater language while being around the Gang in LBT 2, however many elements of Chomper's speech contains grammer and terms never used by the Gang.  How would Chomper have learned those?  Chomper may have heard other Leafeaters talking, and he interpretted what some of those words must have meant.

I had a theory that perhaps Chomper could teach his parents to speak Leafeater language to gain an advantage in hunting.  It appears though, that this is somewhat unlikely.  I suspect that sharpteeth need to be taught Leafeater language at a young age to pick it up as adults, similar to how humans learn languages much easier as children, due to the nuances of speech techniques found in every language.  Such physical movements required to pronounce words may be very very hard to learn at a later age.  Perhaps it would be an effort in futility for Chomper to attempt to teach his parents to Speak in a leafeater language, but he could certainly teach them how to Understand Leafeater language.

[Malte279]

I consider it very likely that the language would have to be learned at an early else in order to gain sufficient command of it. I already mentioned there are human languages too which are practically impossible to learn if you don't learn them from an early age as there are some sounds you cannot learn to create anymore if you haven't done so before your vocal chords were in their final state. Perhaps it would have been more realistic for the makers of LBT to give Chomper a unique speech pattern rather than just normaly cute speech. They could have made his voice somewhat raspy or they could have made him circumscribe many words which he doesn't know for lack of leafeater language command. They could have made some sounds sound "harder" than they usually do or there could have been shortcommings in his grammer (Petrie didn't learn it in all the years ). That way Chomper might have come across less cute, but much more like a sharptooth. His being a sharptooth is largely neglected and overplayed in LBT 5. Cera appears just "mean" for distrusting him. They didn't show the other side of the medal (that she may well have had some good point in being worried) at all.

[Gentle Sharptooth]

Sharpteeth speak a different language because they represent a different culture, one of violence and hunting. Just as Romans spoke Latin and Italino, the Barbarians spoke their native dialects such as German and Gaelic. It is possible that the Sharpteeth do not communicate in Leaf Eater Language because a) they do not understand it or b) because Leaf Eater's are their prey, and food source, they don't want to communicate and grow attached like Chomper did. Let's take for example carnivore humans, if someone eats cow, chicken, and pork, they probably wouldn't want to be able to speak Moo, chicken, and Oink, because then the creature that a person is going to feast on could talk to you prior to killing it, in fact this happened on a series on HGTV, a chicken starting screaming "help me!" At least that is how it sound, and let me say, it doesn't make you want to eat chicken when you understand the chicken language.

[The Chronicler]

I find it interesting seeing here what Malte's thoughts on how Chomper learned to speak leafeater were like before any of us ever saw the TV series.

In recent years, his theory has been that Chomper and Ruby had first met sometime between LBT2 and LBT5, and that it was Ruby (a Fast Runner who may have been bilingual from a young age) who taught Chomper how to speak leafeater (with the side effect of Ruby picking up her habit of frequently repeating herself).

I find it to be a rather interesting theory. I was even looking forward to reading a fanfic about it that Malte had planned, though it now seems unlikely to happen anytime soon.

[Gentle Sharptooth]

I find it interesting seeing here what Malte's thoughts on how Chomper learned to speak leafeater were like before any of us ever saw the TV series.

In recent years, his theory has been that Chomper and Ruby had first met sometime between LBT2 and LBT5, and that it was Ruby (a Fast Runner who may have been bilingual from a young age) who taught Chomper how to speak leafeater (with the side effect of Ruby picking up her habit of frequently repeating herself).

I find it to be a rather interesting theory. I was even looking forward to reading a fanfic about it that Malte had planned, though it now seems unlikely to happen anytime soon.

I really need to get more acquainted with Ruby's character. The theory she taught Chomper Leaf Eater language is probable, since Ruby is found with Chomper, their like Ducky and Spike, and she seems to instruct Chomper, as well as everyone else, but specifically she tends to spend time with Chomper. So the theory is very plausible.