➢ 004 | VIDEO

[looksfine]

[You may be pleased to know, certain residents of Keelai, that Aya had no intentions of offering another long-winded highly detailed technical analysis of...whatever it is she's up to at the moment.  In fact, her latest message is surprisingly simple:]

It has been brought to my attention that my choice of vocabulary and diction is considered...unnecessarily formal by some.

[To put it mildly.]

I have made several attempts to alter my speech patterns, but have realized that I still lack a more concise understanding of what precisely entails formal versus familiar speech.  Therefore, I am seeking any an all information regarding more colloquial expressions or terms that may be used in everyday conversation, which I will do my best to learn and subsequently employ accordingly.

Thank you.



((PRIVATE TO: HAL JORDAN (2011) - 100% AYA ENCRYPTED))

[Her eyes narrow, however, when the following message is delivered.  Anger was not quite an accurate assessment of her emotions at that particular moment...but annoyance wouldn't have been a stretch.]

You did not follow through with your agreement to meet with me last month, and have since done nothing to rectify this error.

I wish to know why.

Comments

video;

[washitaway]

I don't see why it matters. Everyone talks the way they know how to talk.

I don't always understand the words people use, but I figure as long as we all get the idea of what we're tryin' to say, what does it matter?

video;

[looksfine]

[His initial response garners no immediate reaction from her, positive or negative. She simply listens quietly, and even nods her head in agreement at the latter.]

You are correct.

Comprehension is not an issue. [...most of the time] It appears to be more an issue of social and/or cultural significance, and something which I would be pleased to learn more about, given the variety of representations present here in Keelai.

[oneofthegoodguys]

Look for repetition. The less often words are used, the more formal they tend to be, like 'colloquial.'

Also, use contractions. Those can make anything sound more informal.

[He thinks on it a moment and decides that's the best advice he can think of.]

But hey, people will always talk different and that's a good thing. Don't change unless you want to.

[looksfine]

[The first seemed almost contradictory; how could she explain precisely what it was she wanted to convey without using exact terminology? Was there a more colloquial term for 'colloquially'?]

Oan does not employ the use of contradictions in its grammatical structure; is there a general rule for what words may be shortened and yet still understood?

...and you need not worry about me. It is not a matter of changing on behalf of others. I consider it another learning experience. One more opportunity to grow and evolve.

[whitelotustile]

Your best bet is to listen how others talk to you. After all, most people use different ways of speaking to others, depending on how they perceive the relationship.

I suppose it's rude to tell you to eavesdrop but you can observe how people talk less formally from that too.

[looksfine]

[Rude, perhaps, but not something Aya was lacking in experience with. In her defense, she had warned the boys on multiple occasions that she was capable of hearing everything they said on the Interceptor.]

Yes, that was what prompted this inquiry. It was not so much the way I speak, but how I tend to speak to those I should be most familiar with.

I had not realized there was meant to be a change until it had been brought to my attention.

[backinakidflash]

... I think you're gonna hafta strip down your English down like a car engine and put the whole thing back together again. And. It's just "thanks", y'know?

[looksfine]

[Aya stared after the screen for a moment. Blinking twice before replying.]

I...do not understand the metaphor.

And, technically, I am speaking Oan at this particular moment. It is the Universal Translator that allows you to hear English.

video;

[werethatgood]

[ Cassie's not up to her original cheerfulness, but she's sort of trying. ]

That'd be easier to explain if there was only one way of informal speaking. But there are almost as many as there are people who've been speaking for a long time, experienced peer pressure and liked movies or songs or other stuff that have affected how they - we - talk.

So the best you can do is probably just listen to how people you talk with actually talk and... see if somebody's got a speech pattern that you like, then stick to that. With possibly additions from other people.

But if you don't want to bother, you can just keep on talking the way you do. It is understandable, so it should do, and anyone who tells you that you have to change just because they want you to should just. Think about it a second time.

video;

[looksfine]

[Hello, Cassie. The gesture on Aya's behalf is greatly appreciated.]

I did not expect there to be a single answer. If I had, I would have gone straight to those I am most familiar with. But instead, I choose to ask the Network as a collective group.

It is not so much a bother as another learning opportunity. I have already thought about it, and can assure you that I am both content in my current status as well as open to the possibility of further growth.

voice;

[michaeljangelo]

For what it's worth? I like the way you talk. But I can totally understand the need to fit in. I mean really, I know. And for that? I've found watching a really good source, and copying what they do, to be the best teacher.

Well...that and practice.

voice;

[looksfine]

[She recognized the voice instantly, which is why she had no need to question why there was no video on the console.]

Thank you.

Is this your way of volunteering to be one of my sources?

audio;

[imaginate]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the way you talk.

audio;

[looksfine]

[And Kyle's response, of course, gets the warmest smile of all. For many reasons.]

I know.

[Video]

[deusrexmachina]

[Rex rubs the back of his neck in thought, still a bit leery of dealing with an AI. But maybe if this one learns to loosen up a little bit and somehow goes the way of being more human and less machine, she won't go down that nasty path of eventually deciding that all organic life needs to be annihilated there's less of a chance of something going wrong at some point.]

From what I've seen and heard? People learn to talk the way they do because they're influenced by the people around them - family and friends - and by what they pick up from other sources. Everything from school classes to popular movies and television shows. And sometimes certain words in a language go out of style. Like where I'm from, the slang from a few decades ago? Totally different from the slang being used right now.

[Video]

[looksfine]

[Oh, the irony of her one day going cray-cray because she basically got dumped]

[Aya remembered this face well from their last conversation. She remembered all faces she had encountered, and this one was definitely listed under amicable acquaintance. Which warranted a warm smile from the effort at trying to help her.]

Before my arrival at Keelai, I had regular exposure to only three individuals, although we did travel extensively to many planets and met various species. Two of them did not speak in a formal manner.

However, the one who I became closest to did possess speech patterns similar to my own.

[...in other words, his theory held merit.]

Video

[runawayandroid]

[Victor's not sure he should ask this, but...]

You're Aya, yeah? The AI people keep telling me about?

[He's trying to sound just... curious, mostly.]

Uh, right. Well, it probably helps if you don't always use the long words. I mean, usually, the shorter and more general the word, the less formal it is. Like, instead of employ, you could just use "use", you know? Maybe less adverbs might help, too.

Video

[looksfine]

[Now, it wasn't that Aya didn't pay attention to every word of that explanation. Much of it was repetitive, but she saw that as further verification of the majority's opinion. Which left room for her to focus on the first part of his opening response:]

People have been telling you about me?

voice;

[denyamenti]

[ Given that there's no need to stick to the anonymous text from before, Bakura forgoes it thus Aya will have a new voice to "meet". ]

You realize that "formal" is subjective and that you're setting yourself up to fail?

voice;

[looksfine]

[A voice she had not encountered personally; however, subsequent cross-references with previous Network Posts turned up a...less than favorable analysis.]

The possibility of failure is a poor reason to not make any attempt at all.

video

[reliabletraitor]

[Ah, look. A familiar face. Alvin has his arms folded and a smile on his face.]

Well...I don't have a problem with the way you talk. A little formality never hurt anybody.

video

[looksfine]

[She also recognized him.]

Thank you.

You are not the first to express such a sentiment. It is greatly appreciated.

text, private;

[corage]

[Argh why are you hunting him down he doesn't want to deal with thisssss.]

I forgot, okay? It slipped my mind.

[Totally not sorry about it though.]

text, private;

[looksfine]

[Tough.]

We made plans. Pending unforeseen circumstances, or a significantly alarming lapse in your memory, there was no reason for you to alert me of the change in plans.

You are avoiding me.

video

[goodanswer]

[...what the...]

Are you a robot or something?

video

[looksfine]

Yes.

[...]

[That was it. Ask a simple question, receive a simple answer.]

Video;

[maipokerface]

So is this changing your speech thing something you want to do?

Video;

[looksfine]

I am not being forced by any third party, if that is your concern.

[Preemptively attempting to nip that one, based on previous responses.]

It is something I am interested in exploring further.