I'm wondering as to how Pokemon communicate with each other. In the TV show and the games, pokemon are generally shown as only speaking their names. However, they can understand each other, even between different species, and they can understand human speech. So, we end up with two different "languages" of the Pokemon series- human speech, which everyone can understand; and Pokemon speech, which only Pokemon can understand. It's also generally accepted that humans and Pokemon cannot speak each other's language, so any communication between the two groups is strictly one-way. HOWEVER, this assumption ignores some key points:
-Pokemon clearly have the ability to speak in english. Evidence- Meowth from the TV show and Bill from Pokemon Red and Blue version. Both can speak English with little effort.
-I remember an episode where a Ghastly hypnotised Meowth into speaking english for him. Why didn't they just speak english themselves?
-If, then, pokemon are not physically incapable of making sounds other than their names, why don't they speak English all the time? They hear it constantly, they obviously understand it- but they just don't do it.
-How can Pokemon possibly understand each other? Everything they say sounds exactly the same!
-How can different species of pokemon understand each other? How do they get this incredible, instinctive gift of universal communication?
-We know that the people transformed into pokemon in Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon can communicate with each other. How can they speak to each other, if no human understands their language?
-Even if this understanding was somehow magically passed on to these people, why would they speak it? Bill could speak English, these people should too! We'll never know, however, because there's no people in Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon to tell us if they can understand what they're saying!
-FINALLY, assuming that people in Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon can speak human language, does this mean they are incapable of speaking Pokemon language? Can they even understand native pokemon language in this scenario?
After much philisophical debate, I've come to the following conclusion:
Pokemon speech is more complex than simpily speaking one's name repeatedly. There are many frequencies that humans are incapable of hearing that Pokemon can hear quite clearly. The only part of the speech that humans can hear is the "name" part- which, as I've said, is only part of their speech (sort of how elephants can communicate with sound waves). Pokemon are also primarily driven on instinct. They are born with the ability to speak and understand each other's language. They don't speak human language for this very same reason- their brains simpily don't allow them to speak any language of their own.
However, there are exceptions. Meowth from the TV series overcame this limitation, giving up his "Pay Day" ability in the process. I figure this is because the majority of a Pokemon's energy is spent on attacks, not cognitive complexity. Mewtwo was another exception, but the scientists who created him probably thought removing this limitation would make him more of a "superior" pokemon. Finally, Bill is another example that pokemon are capable of this, and is enough evidence to suggest that humans, when turned into pokemon, are 1. still perfectly capable of speaking human speech, and 2. are incapable of speaking Pokemon speech. This means that the "pokemon" in Pokemon in Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon are actually speaking english, not their native languages. Essentially, Pokespeech has been eliminated entirely from the game. However, this does not account for the possibility that Bill's and the humans in Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon were tranformed in completely different ways, but I find this detail relatively unimportant until proven otherwise.
And if you say "it's just a game", I'll have to kill you.
Dude you think too much.
Yes, you overanalysed, but I think it is a perfectly good theory.
They communicate through vibrations and sounds humans can't hear, but the "name" sound is still heard by humans.
Good stuff. :cool:
Hah, I'd say you overanalyzed, but I do it all the time.
That's actually a pretty good idea. Well done.
... It's just a game.
*Waits for the sweet embrace of death*
The sad thing is that I really did argue with some people about this. If you can imagine some kid in high school asking random people how Pokemon talk, that would probably be me.
I actually think that Pokémon speech is a bastardisation present in the TV show to make it more accessible to children and more acceptable - you are, essentially, sending out slave creatures to fight to exhaustion. If it can communicate to you that it is happy to do that, it's a lot less morally objectionable.
If you pay attention to the game lore and nothing else, Pokémon are simply animals that take commands. Dogs can't really talk to cats, can they - yet if you have both pets in the same house, there is an unspoken relationship there that forms through body language and alternative forms of expression.