Thanks, Tom. Yeah, I guess it does! Totally unintentional. Some of them look like brushes to me. None look like the stylus I actually used to draw with.
Oh, how it reminds me of the Great Barrier Reef at certain full moons.. except it’s on another planet…aannd, it’s not underwater… aannd – oh never mind. I like this so much better! :-}
Got this far after starting today, and had to say something. The poetry, the charm, the beautiful and fantastical art- it’s all reminiscent of Bill Watterson at his best, with maybe a touch of Gary Larson.
But there’s one question that still plagues me- how can creatures of such different sizes and different characteristic vocal and aural ranges possibly communicate in the same language? Did one intelligent and particularly ecologically conscious species reach the point of spoken language and share it with other fauna, so that the other intelligent species arrived at it through convergent evolution? Did they all speak different languages before they arrived at a standardized lingua franca?
I ask this question because I know you’ll give a satisfying answer, which is another thing I love about this comic.
I relayed your question to Peanut, the head of our alien biology team, and she consulted with the linguistics expert that works with her. This was something that had them stymied as well. The nearest that they can postulate is that for whatever reason, it’s an evolutionary advantage for different species to be able to communicate with one another, especially if they coexist in the same environment.
The language they speak has been determined to be a sort of Pidgin. All of the animals that inhabit the Jungle Oasis speak a simplified common language. But we’ve noticed that individual species have a more complex language of words that they use amongst their own kind, or words that only pertain to their own lifestyles. Interestingly enough, Muffin and Jeff share many words outside of Jungle Pidgin indicating that they may have been interacting in a specialized way over a long period of time. However, Muffin has used words or phrases that have no meaning to Jeff, usually in reference to digging and roots. Other species, where Ellie has encountered more than one individual (Squatterslugguses and tentaclaw kids), tend to have a much more complex language, or at least more words to describe things.
Then there’s Balloon Boy. As near as we can tell, he doesn’t communicate in the same way that Jeff, Muffin, or the others do. And he isn’t a native of the Jungle Oasis, coming instead from the skies over the desert to the north. He may have some other form of talking amongst his people, but it hasn’t been discovered yet. He clearly understands Jungle Pidgin though.
Discussion (15) ¬
I love these one panel beauties. It’s cheesy, I know, but … like paintings, really. So lovely.
Thank you, Katherine! While doing this one I thought it might fit better in July, but sometimes you just have to go with what you’ve got.
I agree with Katherine. Magical.
Thanks much, Andy.
WOW!!!
Awesome. The one flower reminds me of a dip pen!
Thanks, Tom. Yeah, I guess it does! Totally unintentional. Some of them look like brushes to me. None look like the stylus I actually used to draw with.
Oh, how it reminds me of the Great Barrier Reef at certain full moons.. except it’s on another planet…aannd, it’s not underwater… aannd – oh never mind. I like this so much better! :-}
Better than the Great Barrier Reef. Ya can’t top that for a compliment. Thanks celecca!
Not that you don’t ordinarily do a great job with the faces, sir, but this time, they’re exceptional. It really transports me into the moment!
Thanks, Phil! I thought Muffin looked a bit wonky as he’s supposed to be chewing, but I don’t think it comes off as that.
Nice! 🙂
Got this far after starting today, and had to say something. The poetry, the charm, the beautiful and fantastical art- it’s all reminiscent of Bill Watterson at his best, with maybe a touch of Gary Larson.
But there’s one question that still plagues me- how can creatures of such different sizes and different characteristic vocal and aural ranges possibly communicate in the same language? Did one intelligent and particularly ecologically conscious species reach the point of spoken language and share it with other fauna, so that the other intelligent species arrived at it through convergent evolution? Did they all speak different languages before they arrived at a standardized lingua franca?
I ask this question because I know you’ll give a satisfying answer, which is another thing I love about this comic.
Mark, thanks so much for the kind words!
I relayed your question to Peanut, the head of our alien biology team, and she consulted with the linguistics expert that works with her. This was something that had them stymied as well. The nearest that they can postulate is that for whatever reason, it’s an evolutionary advantage for different species to be able to communicate with one another, especially if they coexist in the same environment.
The language they speak has been determined to be a sort of Pidgin. All of the animals that inhabit the Jungle Oasis speak a simplified common language. But we’ve noticed that individual species have a more complex language of words that they use amongst their own kind, or words that only pertain to their own lifestyles. Interestingly enough, Muffin and Jeff share many words outside of Jungle Pidgin indicating that they may have been interacting in a specialized way over a long period of time. However, Muffin has used words or phrases that have no meaning to Jeff, usually in reference to digging and roots. Other species, where Ellie has encountered more than one individual (Squatterslugguses and tentaclaw kids), tend to have a much more complex language, or at least more words to describe things.
Then there’s Balloon Boy. As near as we can tell, he doesn’t communicate in the same way that Jeff, Muffin, or the others do. And he isn’t a native of the Jungle Oasis, coming instead from the skies over the desert to the north. He may have some other form of talking amongst his people, but it hasn’t been discovered yet. He clearly understands Jungle Pidgin though.
Hope that answer satisfies!