Didact learnt english pretty damn quickly

Community Halo Universe
1

So I was casually watching the cutscene where the Chief opens up the Didact’s cryptum and a thought struck me. Why was he speaking so fluently in english? (not trolling…well maybe a little…but seriously…)

This alien has been locked up for 100 millennia and he is instantly able to communicate to the chief in english? RUSM.

This is either super lazy by the writers from 343 or there are some very weak and unlikely explanations for this.

  • He somehow neurologically downloaded or learnt english in the two seconds between when chief opened up the cryptum to when he starting speaking.

  • Because chief was communicating to the Infinity through the cryptum the Didact actually had a couple of hours to learn english not two seconds.

  • He hacked infinities mainframe and learnt english real quick.

  • 100,000 years ago ancient humans spoke a very similar form of english dialect hence why the didact was able to speak.

  • He is actually speaking a forerunner dialect but cortana is translating it.

  • 343 writers don’t think that deeply into the script and just “yolo” their way through.

  • I take things way too literally and shouldn’t be bothered by the fact he speaks english.

Im being rather critical here I know, but wouldn’t it have been so much more appealing if the Didact spoke in forerunner? The subtitles would show what he is saying but the chief and cortana would have no idea. Or maybe even the audience aren’t shown the subtitles. That way no one knows what he’s planning. Then maybe towards later in the game he begins to speak in english. Allowing him to do the monologue at the end.

Its just arrogant from a human perspective that a forerunner especially the didact who thinks so lowly of humans would even bother talking in english.

It just adds to the authenticity ya know. Makes things a little scarier.

343 want to show us forerunner culture, why not show us how they speak aye?

I also know that him speaking in english makes it so much easier to drive the plot forward and understand what he’s planning, but sometime its better if the audience doesn’t know what he’s going to do.

Thanks for reading

2

The Didact still had very limited control over Requiem. Not only did he scan the Forward Unto Dawn and the information it carried, but he was also able to manipulate the Infinity’s communications signal so that Chief would release him. He was probably able to quickly learn English in this way.

3

343 guilty spark spoke English. Terminals are translated into English.

4

Forerunner technology is pretty damn advanced, OP. understatement

Consider the fact that a few seconds after a SPARTAN-III talked to an Onyx Sentinel, it responded in perfect Latin (IIRC though, somebody who has the book Ghosts of Onyx should confirm this)…

My opinion is that since the Ur-Didact was messing with Requiem’s systems since the Chief landed (re: the Cartographer, the Cathedral’s Terminus system, etc.) he had plenty of time (for a member of an advanced race who builds planetary-scale megastrucutres for fun, more or less) to study the language. Also, who knows? Latin (or a primitive version of it) might have been the primary language of the ancient human imperium.

> 343 guilty spark spoke English. Terminals are translated into English.

Also note that 343i GS sort of hacked into the PoA’s systems (without anybody knowing about it, not even Cortana) in nine seconds, and got quite a large amount of information about humanity shortly thereafter (ex. cavemen, Thor, the Pyramids of Egypt, Victorian-era England, World War I/II, the atomic bomb, the first Moon landing, human satellites/ISS, some sort of engine?/LHC, Orbital Defense Platforms, and finally the MC). [HCEA Terminal One]

> After all, didn’t Bornsteller and Chakas and Riser communicate well even when he didn’t have his armor on?

Two potential explanations for that: either his body-assist armor’s ancilla taught him the human language during his journey to Earth, or the Lifeworkers managing the devolved human population altered their language so that Forerunners could understand it.

> That or magic.

Forerunner technology seems to skirt the edges of this fairly often.

5

While he was pretty loopy, I think it would have hurt his nobility/intelligent portrayal if he just mouthed off in gibberish the whole time. While he does already have a tendancy to monologue, without English he’d literally be talking to himself.

As others have said, he had just as much opportunity to learn English as the various forerunner ancilla’s that have in the past.

6

> 343 guilty spark spoke English. Terminals are translated into English.

ah yes but 343 guilty spark is essentially an artificial intelligence so he would have no problems quickly learning it. Another example is the Librarian when the chief talks to her on requiem. She is also of digital essence, hence probably why she can speak in english also.

7

We are overlooking the obvious answer: He needed to speak English because the plot demanded it. Of course there are a variety of reasons for him to have picked up the language within the canon. After all, didn’t Bornsteller and Chakas and Riser communicate well even when he didn’t have his armor on?

That or magic.

8

The point is not why they decided to do it in real life. It’s how. And o don’t accept space magic as a valid answer.

Considering didact can share data/experience by touching fingers, if I remember correctly, it seems feasible.

9

> The point is not why they decided to do it in real life. It’s how. And o don’t accept space magic as a valid answer.
>
> <mark>Considering didact can share data/experience by touching fingers, if I remember correctly, it seems feasible.</mark>

The Didact is now ET. XD

The only finger related thing I remember from the Forerunner Trilogy was the legend of the First Human and his giant finger containing the souls of all humans, or something to that effect.

10

Could be a translator device like the Covenant used to have in Halo 1 ~ 3/ODST. On that note, I miss the wacky things the grunts used to say… I really don’t like their alienspeak in Reach onwards. Makes them so much less funny.

11

Why does there need to be an explanation? He speaks english because that is the universal language that the series is based off. The covenant spoke english in the original trilogy. Was an explanation needed? No, because it needed to be created in a way that the audience can understand what is being said or happening in the applicable scenario. This was later changed to make the covenant seem more foreign and ferocious, but that is just to suit the theme of the plot. I think your taking it too literally, humans and forerunners are both derived from precursors, maybe by coincidence, english was somehow the default language?

12

but jul spoke elitish…

13

> Why does there need to be an explanation? He speaks english because that is the universal language that the series is based off. The covenant spoke english in the original trilogy. Was an explanation needed? No, because it needed to be created in a way that the audience can understand what is being said or happening in the applicable scenario. This was later changed to make the covenant seem more foreign and ferocious, but that is just to suit the theme of the plot. I think your taking it too literally, humans and forerunners are both derived from precursors, maybe by coincidence, english was somehow the default language?

Actually, I always assumed that the Covenant in Halo 2 were indeed speaking their own language, and that it was simply “translated” for gameplay purposes. It wouldn’t have been very practical to require subtitles for half of the game. Plus, why would they speak our “heretical” human languages when it’s not even necessary?

And no, English was definitely not the “default language” of the Forerunners.

14

Forerunners have incredibly advanced translation technology.

A single Onyx Sentinel was capable of speaking Latin from hearing just a few words in English. Couple sentences later, and it was entirely fluent.

Considering that the Didact was manipulating Chief and Cortana remotely, I’m sure he was monitoring him too. Because his armor is connected to his mind like all Forerunner armor, he has instant comprehension and fluency.

It’s also possible he received comprehension when the Dawn was scanned.

15

> Actually, I always assumed that the Covenant in Halo 2 were indeed speaking their own language, and that it was simply “translated” for gameplay purposes. <mark>It wouldn’t have been very practical to require subtitles for half of the game.</mark> Plus, why would they speak our “heretical” human languages when it’s not even necessary?

Didn’t stop 343i from doing it in Halo 4. If you want to be organised, you would at least make sure that the player can distinguish between english and alien language. And as for why they would speak our language, again, one would expect that Bungie just had them speak in english because it was easier for the player understand. Plus, if you think about it on the level high charity, when the brute says “the demon has infiltrated the council chamber? Protect the hierarchs, seal the exits!” Cortana has no problems replying to him perfectly. I doubt she had to go through the effort of translating what he was saying just to reply to him under her breath. They spoke in english for gameplay reasons, yes, but so the characters can effectively communicate with one another, instead of speaking gibberish at one point, and then alternating to english.

> And no, English was definitely not the “default language” of the Forerunners.

Perhaps i worded that wrong. When i say default, i mean its probs a language that they all mutually understand, despite having a language of their own? It’d explain how they understand each other so fluently.

16

Did you guys all miss the cutscene where the Didact motions to Chief with, what I’m assuming is his index finger, to hold on a second, then sits down with a copy of Rosetta Stone English, puts on his glasses, then we sit through a 30 minute montage of him learning proper preposition usage?
No? That’s right; this is a video game. How is it lazy writing to not include how this 13 foot tall, 150,000+ year old god-like alien who can make structures float and defy physics with his mind figured out a language?
Guilty Spark knew English.
So did the ancient humans that fought the Forerunners 100,000 years ago

17

> Did you guys all miss the cutscene where the Didact motions to Chief with, what I’m assuming is his index finger, to hold on a second, then sits down with a copy of Rosetta Stone English, puts on his glasses, then we sit through a 30 minute montage of him learning proper preposition usage?
> No? That’s right; this is a video game. How is it lazy writing to not include how this 13 foot tall, 150,000+ year old god-like alien who can make structures float and defy physics with his mind figured out a language?
> Guilty Spark knew English.
> So did the ancient humans that fought the Forerunners 100,000 years ago

One like of dialogue explaining this would be enough. Its just weird that stuff like this happens a lot, literally one line of dialogue would have answered this.

And GS is a computer. Computers are faster.

18

> Did you guys all miss the cutscene where the Didact motions to Chief with, what I’m assuming is his index finger, to hold on a second, then sits down with a copy of Rosetta Stone English, puts on his glasses, then we sit through a 30 minute montage of him learning proper preposition usage?

I think we can all agree that this scene should have been added.

19

> We are overlooking the obvious answer: He needed to speak English because the plot demanded it.

And soon, Master Chief will be a woman for plot demands.

20

Cortana absorbed ALL the data from Instillation 04’s control room. I highly doubt a basic understanding of the Forerunner language wasn’t included in that. Translation seems likely. Also the Didact scanned Forward Unto Dawn AND Infinity and got the location of Earth easily, I doubt an understanding of UNSC basic wasn’t included in that.