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mattman4 mattman4
 
M$2 March 16, 2009 01:10 AM

Did the Buggers of Ender's Game and the rest of the series have a written language?

Is there anything in any of the books that hints towards them having one? Or did they not need one because of their hive mind?

I started wondering because of dbspringer's comment about communication in ants and bees on:
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/social-science/what-would-we-be-doing-instead-of-this-if-written-language-was-never-invented-imagine-describe
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greenscree... greenscree...
 
 March 16, 2009 03:39 AM
The Buggers were a hive mind. Since they were deeply interconnected at all times there was no need for writing, thus they had no written language. Also, they maintained their species accumulated memories in their DNA, which is how they passed down knowledge from one generation to the next. If you recall at the end of the series *SPOILER* the way in which the Bugger's culture was preserved was by stashing away one of their eggs and hatching it far away from humanity.
Asker's Rating:
• Good points. I guess it is possible for an advanced civilization to form without a written language.


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markjeffre... markjeffre...
 
March 16, 2009 04:34 AM
This is the correct answer ... I liked how you called out the spoiler for those who may not have wished to know. Well done!

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chazzyfen chazzyfen
 
March 16, 2009 02:20 AM
I don't think that they have a written language themselves, but I believe that they can understand other written languages. They were able to find out a lot about Ender when they attempted to make a link with him, so it seems they could have very easily learned about written language from him.

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carriep carriep
 
March 16, 2009 02:31 AM
Mmm...love the deep geeking question and answer. Makes me want to re-read Ender's Game now.

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icechristi... icechristi...
 
March 16, 2009 03:06 AM
No, I am fairly certain they did not have a written language because, as you say, they communicated via the hive mind.
I cannot recall any references to the "buggers" having any understanding of other written languages, but neither can I recall any reference to the contrary.

If you really want a definitive answer on this, I recommend getting in touch with the hard-core Orson Scott Card fans on:
http://www.hatrack.com/

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