Balloonist language (Jem)

This article is a stub. If you can contribute to its content, feel free to do so.

In Frederick Pohl's novel Jem there are, on the eponymously named planet, three native species each with their own distinct language. Halfway through the novel, we are given the following sample of the Balloonist language.

About the language

The apostrophes represent glottal stops (a common feature in alien languages in old sci-fi stories).

Known vocabulary

Ma'iya'a hi'i (these creatures unlike us) hu'u ha'iye'i (are vicious animals).

Ni'u'a mali'i na'a hu'iha (they have killed my song).

Also, ha'aye'i is the name of the shark-like enemies of the Balloonists.

Links

• About the book
• About the author