About High Speech Alphabet

  • This message board permanently closed on June 30th, 2020 at 4PM EDT and is no longer accepting new members.

Aloysius Nell

Well-Known Member
Apr 1, 2014
309
1,009
51
I'm a little shaky on the whole concept of High Speech. It's clearly not just a graphical thing, but a different spoken language meant only for the select few. There are some catches, though - it's not as simple as just a letter-by-letter transliteration, and King doesn't help us out much.

I was always confused in Drawing of the Three, when they get to Balazar's. Roland is able to read most of the signs, because they use the High Speech alphabet, except he can't read the word "the." Seems like it's the "H" giving him problems. Even though, he has already read it, on the door: "The Prisoner." Theory, please!
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT

Dave Sause

New Member
Jun 25, 2016
3
8
76
King seems to switch around on things a bit, so there are contradictions. Basically, each of the characters in the high speech corresponds to one letter in English, so it's a simple substitution code, however, the first letter of UNFOUND is "UN" and "Y" and "I" seem to be the same character. Also "you" renders as "ou" (silent "y") and "every" renders as "ever". Gabriel spells "everything" as "everthung". Maybe King is saying that the High Speech is a dialect of English.
 

Pucker

We all have it coming, kid
May 9, 2010
2,906
6,242
62
Any of you guys ever hear of this thing called Eragon, from back in the day?

Kid (and his parents) made millions.

It's all horseshit !!!

I'm begging you !!!

I am honestly begging you !!!

If you would take one moment to read Robert Sheckley or Theordore Sturgeon .....





oh ... hell ...




never mind
 
  • Like
Reactions: Neesy and GNTLGNT

Aloysius Nell

Well-Known Member
Apr 1, 2014
309
1,009
51
Hmmm.....I, personally, value clarity in writing over hyperbole that is undefined by its surroundings. Now you seem to be saying that those who haven't read your favorite SciFi writers must not read anything worthwhile.

If I got that wrong, my apologies. Either way, I'm not on this board to argue with people. Have the best day ever!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Neesy and GNTLGNT

Nomik

Carry on
Jun 19, 2016
3,973
22,555
47
Derry, NH
Actually, that renders as: LONGDAVSANDLOESAN?UNHGT?S where I don't know what the "sun" symbol is - and it's not a T. It looks like the "ship" is both a V and a Y. This is based on the translation of UNFOUND, and I FORGIVE YOU EVERYTHING CAN YOU FORGIVE ME. Apparently the high speech doesn't use punctuation. Gabriel actually writes I FORGIVE OU EVER THUNG CAN OU FORGIVE ME. Perhaps in the Great Speech, they weren't great spellers?
Welcome to the board, there is a section at the bottom of the page where you can report a "Chevy Escort".
 
  • Like
Reactions: Neesy and GNTLGNT

Pucker

We all have it coming, kid
May 9, 2010
2,906
6,242
62
SWell ... you raise a good point Aloy, and I would be inclined to agree with you.

Except that those are not "my" favorite (American spelling) writers. They are certainly very good writers of an earlier era, but if you know anything at all about your hero ... you certainly know that "The Running Man" came -- lock, stock, and barrel -- from Mr. Sheckley's "The Prize of Peril" ... as well as you know that "Trucks" (which became Maximum Overdrive) came from Mr. Sturgeon's "Killdozer."

Don't play games with me, dude,

If you want to go down on Mr. King, that' s cool.

He's a good writer, in his own right (ba doom, bow)

But he ain't no genius ...

wasn't ... and never will be.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GNTLGNT