There are core concepts that are likely to be universally understood.
Maths is probably the best and most common example. If we imagine the symbols have been removed and we work under the assumption that we’re manipulating objects we can show that 1 object + 1 object = 2 objects without any language necessary. From there we (aliens and humans) can work together to build a common foundation of understanding.
Don’t get me wrong, this will not be easy and there will be problems we haven’t thought of but there’s a good chance that a spacefaring civilisation will know enough about mathematics to build a new common language.
This is exactly why scientists designed the Arecibo message with mathematical patterns and prime numbers as the foundation - math trancends langauge barriers and would likely be the first bridge to communication with any advanced species.
one of the sg1 episodes, where 4 advanced races uses elements of the periodic table as a common language, it could be that, much simpler than creating a math language.
It’s definitely a contender, I’m not sure it’s “much simpler” though. There is no simple option, it will likely be the most challenging linguistic problem the world has ever faced.
Assuming the periodic table will be the same is a huge leap. @[email protected] did a good job of explaining why in another comment. To paraphrase, our periodic table is limited to our perspective of the elements. There could be other even more accurate, and descriptive ways to fully encompass what an element is.
Maths already is a language of sorts, with logic built in. Whereas the periodic table is a technical description of elements.
What’s interesting there is that our understanding of elements is almost entirely theoretical. The math works out, but we might be missing entire particle structures or interactions. We observe atomic forces and give them names, but it’s all built on particle theories that started as one lump and have been honed over time.
Aliens might have a periodic table of dimensional harmonic wave frequencies. Our concept of elements to aliens might be like when we meet an uncontacted culture which does not have numbers larger than 4.
To interact with us in any meaningful way I think we have to assume that the aliens exist in our universe composed of atoms. Regardless of how they perceive the atomic structure, the structure would be the same.
Sure, but even that is based on perceiving electromagnetic waves visually. The electron microscope represents the smallest particle that we can bounce off of another particle. That’s why we can’t visualize things on a smaller scale. Then we have the Planck length which is the theoretical limit of what we can predict physics are like at tiny scales.
But imagine a life form that evolved to perceive gravitational waves instead of electromagnetic waves (light). Or maybe there’s some other force that we aren’t even aware of.
So much of our understanding of the universe is a reflection of some Precambrian paramecium mutating an eyespot or cilia that can detect sound waves.
There are core concepts that are likely to be universally understood.
Maths is probably the best and most common example. If we imagine the symbols have been removed and we work under the assumption that we’re manipulating objects we can show that 1 object + 1 object = 2 objects without any language necessary. From there we (aliens and humans) can work together to build a common foundation of understanding.
Don’t get me wrong, this will not be easy and there will be problems we haven’t thought of but there’s a good chance that a spacefaring civilisation will know enough about mathematics to build a new common language.
This is exactly why scientists designed the Arecibo message with mathematical patterns and prime numbers as the foundation - math trancends langauge barriers and would likely be the first bridge to communication with any advanced species.
one of the sg1 episodes, where 4 advanced races uses elements of the periodic table as a common language, it could be that, much simpler than creating a math language.
It’s definitely a contender, I’m not sure it’s “much simpler” though. There is no simple option, it will likely be the most challenging linguistic problem the world has ever faced.
Assuming the periodic table will be the same is a huge leap. @[email protected] did a good job of explaining why in another comment. To paraphrase, our periodic table is limited to our perspective of the elements. There could be other even more accurate, and descriptive ways to fully encompass what an element is.
Maths already is a language of sorts, with logic built in. Whereas the periodic table is a technical description of elements.
Stargate has an episode on this where they use the table of elements as a universal language.
What’s interesting there is that our understanding of elements is almost entirely theoretical. The math works out, but we might be missing entire particle structures or interactions. We observe atomic forces and give them names, but it’s all built on particle theories that started as one lump and have been honed over time.
Aliens might have a periodic table of dimensional harmonic wave frequencies. Our concept of elements to aliens might be like when we meet an uncontacted culture which does not have numbers larger than 4.
Some parts of the theory have been demonstrated. For instance:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2279115-this-is-the-most-detailed-look-at-individual-atoms-ever-captured/
This is a scanning electron microscope image of a crystal structure (PrScO3). The bright spots are atomic nuclei.
The full paper is here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abg2533
To interact with us in any meaningful way I think we have to assume that the aliens exist in our universe composed of atoms. Regardless of how they perceive the atomic structure, the structure would be the same.
Sure, but even that is based on perceiving electromagnetic waves visually. The electron microscope represents the smallest particle that we can bounce off of another particle. That’s why we can’t visualize things on a smaller scale. Then we have the Planck length which is the theoretical limit of what we can predict physics are like at tiny scales.
But imagine a life form that evolved to perceive gravitational waves instead of electromagnetic waves (light). Or maybe there’s some other force that we aren’t even aware of.
So much of our understanding of the universe is a reflection of some Precambrian paramecium mutating an eyespot or cilia that can detect sound waves.