Free the Dark Light Years by Brian W. Aldiss Page B

one of their words definitely. Why couldn't you tackle what any lay-man would think would be the first steps, like getting them to count, and to name parts of their bodies and yours? Then at least you have something to begin on, rather than a few abstracts like 'Appearing carrying something'.”
    Temple looked down at the Purple Emperors on his waistcoat, munched his lips, and then said, "Young man, a layman might indeed think those were the first steps. But my answer to that layman and to you is that such a catalogue is only possible if the enemy - the alien is pre-pared to open up a conversation. These two buggers - I beg your pardon, madam - these two fellows have no interest in communicating with us.”
    "Why don't you get a computer on the job?”
    "Your questions grow more foolish. You need common-sense on a job like this. What damned good would a computer be? It can't think, nor can it differentiate between two almost identical phonemes for us. All we need is time. You can't imagine - nor can your hypothetical layman -the difficulties that beset us, mainly because we are having to think in a realm where man has not had to think before.
    Ask yourself this: what is language? And the answer is, human speech. Therefore we aren't just doing research, we "are inventing something new: non-human speech.”
    The reporter nodded glumly, Dr. Temple huffed and puffed and sat down, Lattimore rose. He perched his spectacles on the end of his nose and clasped his hands behind his back.
    " As you know, Doctor, I'm new around here, so I hope you'll appreciate I ask my questions in all innocence. My position is this. I'm a skeptic . I know that we have investigated only three hundred planets in this universe, and I know that leaves a tidy few million to go. but I still hold that three hundred is a fair sampling. None of them have yielded any form of life half as intelligent as my Siamese cat. This suggests to me that man is unique in the universe.”
    "It should be no stronger than a suggestion." Temple said.
    " Nor is it. Now, I don't give a row of pins if there is no other form of intelligent life in the universe; man has always been on his own, and that won't worry him. On the other hand, if some other intelligent form of human turns up elsewhere, then I'll welcome it as readily as the next man - provided it behaves itself.
    "What sticks in my gullet is when someone brings back this couple of overgrown hogs that wallow in their own filth in a way no self-respecting Earth pig would do. given the option, and insists that we try and prove that they are intelligent people! It's just crazy. You yourself said that these hogs show no interest in trying to communicate with us. Very well. then, isn't that a sign that they have no intelligence? Who in all this room can honestly say they would want these hogs in their own house?”
    Uproar broke out again. Everyone turned and argued, not merely with Lattimore, but with each other.
    Finally it was Mrs. Warhoonss voice that rode over the rumpus.
    "I have a great deal of sympathy with your position, Mr. Lattimore, and I am very glad you have consented to come down and sit in on our meeting. But the brief answer" to you is that, as life takes a multitude of different forms, so we should expect intelligence to take differing forms.
    We cannot conceive a differing form of intelligence. We only know that it would widen the boundaries of our thought and understanding in a way that nothing else could. Therefore, when we think we have found such intelligence , we must make sure, even if the effort takes us years.”
    "That is part of my point, madam," Lattimore said. "If intelligence were there, it would not take us years to detect We should recognize it right away, even if it came disguised as a turnip.”
    "How do you account for the space ship on Clementina ?'" Gerald Bone asked.
    "I don't have to account for it! These big hogs should be able to account for it If they built it, then why don't they draw