"We know what we're talking about, Dr. Millar," said Speidel.
"You're suspicious of language because our imperialism went hand in hand with our language," she said.
Speidel looked at Langsmith. "You talk to her."
"If there actually were communication in the sounds these Galactics make, you know we'd have found it by now," said Langsmith. "You know it!"
She spoke in sudden anger: "I don't know it! In fact, I feel that we're on the verge of solving their language with this new approach we've been working on."
"Oh, come now!" said Speidel. "Do you mean that after our finest cryptographers have worked over this thing for seven months, you disagree with them entirely?"
"No, no, let her say her piece," said Langsmith.
"We've tapped a new source of information in attacking this problem," she said. "Primitive dances."
"Dances?" Speidel looked shocked.
"Yes. I think the Galactics' gestures may be their adjectives and adverbs—the full emotional content of their language."