How Did Chomper Learn Leaf-Eater?

[Serris]

Exactly as the topic says.

Chomper in LBT II was too immature to speak but in LBT V, he's matured to the point that he can speak as well as the Gang of Five.

Since he was with his family and wandering through the Mysterious Beyond, I seriously doubt he learned Leaf-Eater from his parents. And I seriously doubt any leaf eater would get close enough to Chomper to teach him. And of course, he's probably not likely to learn language from his prey.

And when they lived on that island, I doubt there were too many leaf eaters to start with.

So my question is, who taught Chomper Leaf-Eater?

Or phrased differently, how did Chomper learn to speak Leaf-Eater?

[Malte279]

In my personal "headcanon" (a story I have never written) Chomper and Ruby met shortly after the events of LBT 2 and Ruby became sort of a teacher to Chomper (in the process of which she might have aquired her way of talking repetitively with changed word orders).
Obviously this involves the necessity for Chomper and Ruby to get separated before the events of LBT 5.
Since the movies don't make any reference whatsoever about how Chomper got his leafeater talking abilities I think it all comes down to our own ideas. In any case Chomper's memory seems to be quite different than our memories (who of us could claim vivid memory of the first he or she was born? ) which might help with language learning.

[Kor]

To me it does make sense that Chomper and Ruby may have met between those 2 movies and Chomper's parents moved before the 5th movie.  Then during low tide they got off the island at some point.

[Truttle]

Aren't there other meat-eaters in the series that have spoken? For instance that giant alligator and those struthiomimus egg stealers. I think all dinosaurs can speak to one another, just that the sharpteeth are too busy chasing them and eating them to share in conversation and politics. X3

[LittlefootAndAliTogether]

Aren't there other meat-eaters in the series that have spoken? For instance that giant alligator and those struthiomimus egg stealers. I think all dinosaurs can speak to one another, just that the sharpteeth are too busy chasing them and eating them to share in conversation and politics. X3

They had politicians back then?????!!!  No wonder dinos went extinct!  

[DarkHououmon]

Not really true. Land Before Time 5 has a conversation with Chomper and his parents, and it's given subtitles. You could dismiss this as a funny little thing, except right after, Chomper pretty much translates what his parents said (by stating that his friends won't be safe around them). At the end of the movie, Chomper acts as the translator for his parents when they extend peace to the children.

Then we have an episode of LBT the TV show, where Chomper has a conversation with Thud, which is also subtitled. And in another episode, Old One shows genuine shock that Chomper can speak leaf-eater. If sharpteeth speaking leafeater is a bit common, she wouldn't have been surprised.

So Chomper is one of the exceptions, since he is bilingual.

[Gentle Sharptooth]

Imprinting. When he was in the egg he heard the voices of the Gang and then was raised by them; he even learned “hello,” which he uses on his actual parents before speaking sharpteeth.

[Sneak]

In my headcanon, he met one old turtle on island, who taught him to speak.

[Nanotyrannus]

Even though I've adopted the outlook that he learned leaf-eater from Ruby or some other omnivore, this is the official explanation for why he can speak leaf-eater, from the official website:

He and the other Sharpteeth have their own language and talk to each other in squeaks and roars (Chomper's sound more like squeaks and pops). But he can talk to his leaf-eating friends because they hatched him. (He's bilingual!)

[ImpracticalDino]

Dang, that's one of the most vague explanations I've heard on a character's ability. I like Gentle Sharptooth's explanation better than that.

Cuz' it's a better explanation of "hatching" at least.

[Gentle Sharptooth]

Dang, that's one of the most vague explanations I've heard on a character's ability. I like Gentle Sharptooth's explanation better than that.

Cuz' it's a better explanation of "hatching" at least.

I think it makes the most logical sense. Chomper hearing Leafeaternese in the egg, being raised by the Gamg, hearing the somg “You’re family and one of us now.” He is so familiar with the language he knows “Hello.”  

[Little Bro]

Bumping this because I had a theory.

Shortly after Chomper was hatched, Littlefoot fed him green food. This was something that was different for Chomper that other Sharpteeth would not have experienced. This was how I thought Chomper learned leaf-eater.

However, this makes me wonder about Dil, because she speaks leaf-eater, too. Strange.

[00not_nathan00]

i would say the reason chomper can speak Leaf-Eater is because the gang was the first to speak to him

[Gentle Sharptooth]

Aren't there other meat-eaters in the series that have spoken? For instance that giant alligator and those struthiomimus egg stealers. I think all dinosaurs can speak to one another, just that the sharpteeth are too busy chasing them and eating them to share in conversation and politics. X3

This made me laugh.

Though LBV establish that Sharpteeth language exists, their growls and roars are part of their speech.

[Dr. Rex]

Even though I've adopted the outlook that he learned leaf-eater from Ruby or some other omnivore, this is the official explanation for why he can speak leaf-eater, from the official website:

He and the other Sharpteeth have their own language and talk to each other in squeaks and roars (Chomper's sound more like squeaks and pops). But he can talk to his leaf-eating friends because they hatched him. (He's bilingual!)

Well, that's what I call handwaving.

Off-topic, but looking through that website in its 2005 form makes me feel warm with nostalgia.

[Gentle Sharptooth]

i would say the reason chomper can speak Leaf-Eater is because the gang was the first to speak to him

Very sensible. Chomper afterall spent his early days with Leaf Eaters and seemed to understand Little Foot in LBTII.