ITEM #: SCP-9320
LEVEL-
CONTAINMENT CLASS: EXPLAINED - {$sc}
DISRUPTION CLASS: DARK
Assigned Site
Outpost 9320
Site Director
N/A
Research Head
Dr. Camilla Tawshac
Assigned MTF
N/A
ITEM: SCP-9320
LEVEL-
CONTAINMENT
CLASS: EXPLAINED - {$sc}
DISRUPTION
CLASS: DARK
Assigned Site
Outpost 9320
Site Director
N/A
Research Head
Dr. Camilla Tawshac
Assigned MTF
N/A
Pando, the largest clone colony tree
Special Containment Procedures: Establishment of a preliminary translation guide will be conducted by Dr. Tawshac (linguistics), Dr. Quensolima (biology), and Dr. Koaganno (sophontology), before being released to additional teams for expansion into dialects and linguistic history. Personnel of clearance Level 3 or higher are permitted to learn the language, but are not permitted access to the translation equipment, as the tools used to measure and transcribe the patterns that make up SCP-9320 are delicate and few in number. Any personnel wishing to access the linguistic guide documents may do so via written request, pending approval by Dr. Tawshac. Outpost 9320 has been established in Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Park, Utah, for purposes of gaining detailed knowledge of one specific dialect before branching into others.
Due to the immensity of the discovery and its non-anomalous nature, the Foundation is currently evaluating means of releasing much of the research to the general public following conclusion of the initial investigation.
Description: SCP-9320 is the language used by presumably all species of tree. Initially thought to be anomalous due to a prior lack of evidence supporting the idea of plant intelligence, Foundation research has concluded that the language is, in fact, entirely ordinary, as all of the biological processes used to construct the language are already known to mundane science.
The discovery of SCP-9320 began during an investigation into Pando, the largest clonal colony tree in the world, as a possible anomaly, after readings noticed an unusual series of sound waves emanating from the clone tree's root system. Subsequent investigations into other trees within US National Forests discovered similar and often identical patterns, leading to the translation and acknowledgement of the patterns as a functioning, if rudimentary, language system.To: n.quensolima@scipnet, r.koaganno@scipnet
From: c.tawshac@scipnet
Subject: Pending Publication
Greetings, team,
I am aware that after the notice from powers that be, emotions are running high concerning publication of our research in Utah. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you both to temper your expectations, seeing as if we do get to bring our work outside the Veil, it will likely take years to reach that point. Let's take our time here, be as thorough as we need to be, and enjoy the process. I am looking forward to getting to know you ladies beyond your very impressive resumes. I believe this opportunity will eventually become a highlight of all our careers.
Dr. Camilla Tawshac
To: c.tawshac@scipnet, r.koaganno@scipnet
From: n.quensolima@scipnet
Subject: Re:Pending Publication
Hi Dr. T! I PROMISE I'm not over-excited or anything I think I'm an appropriate amount of excited. This is so cool right?! I'd love to publish but I can wait I mean it's not like we aren't going to have a million cool things to do before then anyway. The cabin looks so cozy! It's going to be just like camping. I'm looking forward to working with you all too!
To: c.tawshac@scipnet, n.quensolima@scipnet
From: r.koaganno@scipnet
Subject: Re:Pending Publication
publishing is such a shit process anyway so idrc if we ever get around to it. weve already got 01 breathing down our necks w this its not like i want MORE attention
To: c.tawshac@scipnet, r.koaganno@scipnet
From: n.quensolima@scipnet
Subject: Re:Pending Publication
We should get them to call us Operation Lorax. Because we speak for the trees? Or I guess we speak WITH the trees.
To: n.quensolima@scipnet, r.koaganno@scipnet
From: c.tawshac@scipnet
Subject: Re:Pending Publication
Hey team,
Maybe we can watch the movie together on one of our days off. See you both next week.
Dr. Camilla Tawshac
To: c.tawshac@scipnet, n.quensolima@scipnet
From: r.koaganno@scipnet
Subject: Re:Pending Publication
we SHOULd watch it it sucks
SCP-9320 Translation Guide
Section I. Vibrational Components
Vibrational components make up what we can most closely understand as morphemes1. For our purposes, we will be studying the dialect of Populus tremuloides2, but variation in the language between tree species appears to be more limited than the variance in human languages, likely due to limited mobility, increased species interconnectedness, and narrower intellect3.
Phonology - In addition to known bioacoustic methods of sound wave creation present in all plant species, trees utilize a specialized set of five sounds to construct vibrational morphemes that can be modified by electrical and chemical modifiers (more in Sections II and III). The sounds are created within the roots, trunk, branches, and leaves of the tree. Language is only distinguished from ordinary movement and VOC4 emission through patterns and context, contributing to the difficulty in initially deciphering communications as language. These sounds are described in the following table and are presented with the location used to create them and the corresponding romanized notation, meant to mimic the sound intuitively to English-speaking translators.
| Sound | Notation | Location |
|---|---|---|
| large tap | T | roots |
| small tap | t | roots |
| scrape | R | branches |
| groan | U | trunk |
| rustle | S | leaves56 |
Morphemes are also constructed using two types of stops, a hard stop [.] and a soft stop [,]. These stops are created physically, similar to oral and nasal stops in human languages. Stops represent delineation between syllables. It is noted that morphemes have never been observed to begin with [S] or [t], suggesting that the strength of the beginning phoneme is part of how subjects distinguish between non-linguistic vibrations, and actual language789.
Ladies,
Please try to avoid stacking our annotations. It impacts the legibility of our working draft. Thank you!
- Camilla
Noun Construction - SCP-9320 only consists of three two10 types of words - nouns and verbs. All other parts of speech are created by modifying nouns and verbs using electrical and chemical modifiers. Nouns are created from two parts, a defining independent root and a specifying dependent root. Both the independent and dependent roots are constructed to replicate the vibrational "sound" that the noun in question emits, as perceived by the tree through its root system. Each prefix consists of two phonemes followed by one stop. So far, we have observed five different defining vibrational prefixes and have listed below glosses of their phonetic components, translations, and hypothesized mimicry.
Tt,
(large tap)(small tap)(soft stop)
'Animal'
Footsteps
UT.
(groan)(large tap)(hard stop)
'Object'
The impact of a falling rock
Rt.
(scrape)(small tap)(hard stop)
'Insect'
An insect landing on a surface
RS,
(scrape)(rustle)(soft stop)
'Plant'
Movement of leaves and branches
UU,
(groan)(groan)(soft stop)
'Location'
Undetermined Multiple tree "voices," as heard in a forest11
Noun suffixes are more flexible in their number of phonemes and stops, with researchers observing as few as two sounds and one stop to ten sounds and seven stops. Regardless of the number of phonemes in any complete word, all words end with a stop. Similarly to the prefix, the suffix serves to elaborate more on the sound waves created by the noun in question, with objects and locations producing shorter suffixes, and mobile creatures producing longer ones.
Because of their extremely limited sensory perception and passive culture ? Explain12, trees have very little motivation to develop specificity in their language, leading to nouns that are broad and generalizing, distinguishing on the primary basis of the sound an object or creature makes. Take for example the morpheme [Tt,tt,R.].
Tt,tt,R.
(large tap)(small tap)(soft stop)(small tap)(small tap)(soft stop)(scrape)(hard stop)
'Small vocal animal'
Quiet footsteps and quiet vocalization
This word is constructed of the prefix [Tt,] meaning 'animal,' and the suffix [tt,R.], which is built of phonemes thought to represent small footsteps [tt,] and vocalization [R.] that is both prevalent enough to be defining, but quiet enough not to warrant a groan phoneme [U] or a second scrape [R]. The hard stop encodes additional information, hypothetically representing a lack of echo or a shortness of the vocalizations themselves.
This word [Tt,tt,R.] refers to any kind of small land animal that regularly vocalizes, and can include house cats and raccoons, but excludes animals of similar size that do not vocalize often, such as rodents and possibly reptiles, which are described with the different but similar morpheme [Tt,tt,S.] with the substitution of the softer sibilant rustle [S] replacing the stronger [R]. Similarly, small animals that dig often include the sound [RS,], as in the word for foxes and small dogs [Tt,tt,R.RS,], or burrowing animals like badgers and rabbits [Tt,tt,S.RS,]. Large animals substitute the diminutive [tt,] for the stronger [TT,], and large animals that vocalize loudly for longer periods often include a dual groan and a soft stop [UU,], as observed in the words for deer, elk, and moose [Tt,TT,S,UU,] and wolves or large dogs [Tt,TT,RS,UU,]. The word for 'human,' [Tt,Tt.U,RUR.] includes in its suffix the syllable used in the word for 'car/vehicle/machine,' [UT.RUR.], linguistically attaching humans to our machines and furthering the hypothesis that SCP-9320 was not developed until after the industrial revolution13.
Nouns are pluralized by repeating the first defining syllable, changing "human" [Tt,Tt.U,RUR.] to "humans" [Tt,Tt,Tt.U,RUR.] and "fox" [Tt,tt,R.RS,] to "foxes" [Tt,Tt,tt,R.RS,]1415.
Does that mean they can't tell the difference between each of us? Sorry I didn't want to add another annotation because you said not to! -Q
Modified Nouns as Pronouns - SCP-9320 lacks specific morphemes for pronouns, instead using electrical components to modify existing nouns with first, second, and third person cases. This means that instead of having a dedicated word for "me," "him," or "you all," SCP-9320 constructs phrases that translate literally to (for example) "human that is me" [_Tt,Tt.U,RUR.] or "tree that is it" [^RS,UU] or "foxes that are you all" [-Tt,Tt,tt,R.RS,] As trees display an extremely limited perception of individuality, the first person and third person cases are often used interchangeably when referencing themselves, with phrases like "tree that is me" and "tree that is this one right here" carrying the same meaning. More information will be provided in Section III on electrical components.
Verb Construction - Where nouns consist of two roots, verbs are always created using only one syllable. Although only one stop is permitted when constructing verbs, an upper limit on phonemes has not been observed. This makes it possible to modify a noun into a verb16, a concept which will be explored further in Section II. Like nouns, verbs are constructed to mimic the sound of the action being described, which leads to interesting articulations of abstract actions, like the heavily modified [xabcd[sr](O)^UUS,_], which is roughly translated to "think." Contrarily, while nouns can generally stand on their own through only the vibrational morpheme, verbs depend heavily on electrical and chemical modifiers to encode meaning.
Modified Verbs as Adjectives - Although they possess multiple senses, trees' perception of outside objects and forces is based almost entirely on tangible, physical input, primarily vibrations17. And although trees do have systems for detecting light, this too manifests in physical "touch" input rather than vision. Because of this perception, trees think of descriptors as actions that a subject is doing, rather than something it is inherently. Trees have no concept of how an animal looks, and a limited idea of how a creature smells, but a much more complex grasp on how a creature sounds and moves. When describing a noun, instead of using a phrase like "small foxes," SCP-9320 constructs phrases that translate literally to "foxes that are smalling, always." These modifications are applied using chemical components, which are detailed in Section II.
Modified Verbs as Prepositions and Adverbs - SCP-9320 eliminates the need for prepositions and adverbs by using electrical components to encode a verb with a physical description of the action. This functions similarly to manual languages and their use of movement to add additional layers of information to an action. This idea will be described more in Section III18.
Translation Notes - 4 August 2024
[UT.SURT,]19
Object? Effect?
Uses every vibrational form in the suffix! -Q
they use this as an all purpose word but R and U for animal vocals -K
"Noise20"
[UU,URST (I)TtTtURUR.]
??? human(?) ??? human (verb) (ADJECTIVE)
"City?" [UU,URST] also appears in reference to other animals -T
not to trees though. "forest" is [UU,RS,UU,] -K
"Human dwelling" "Cabin21"
Audio Transcript
Tawshac: Out with it then, Dr. K. You're already practically beside yourself.
Quensolima: It's so weird when you're sarcastic.
Tawshac: I'm not being sarcastic.
Koaganno: I'm so psyched I could lick the demon core.
Tawshac: What have you found?
Koaganno: All the times we have translated "rain," we've only observed this chemical prefix.
Tawshac: Affix.
Koaganno: Yeah- whatever, you knew what I meant. The point is this, here.
Quensolima: Oxygenated compounds!
Koaganno: Yeah. With the word "rain," we only get oxygenated compounds as affixes. I've never seen the other two chemicals.
Tawshac: The other chemicals pertain to pests and outside stressors.
Koaganno: Nah. Because look at this.
Quensolima: What's that say?
Tawshac: "Car," I believe. But we already know that they've acknowledged our presence.
Koaganno: Then why does "car" get all kinds of chemicals when "rain" only gets one?
Quensolima: I would assume that for objects not directly tied to a tree's bodily processes, it might be random. Possibly whatever VOC they can most easily produce at the time.
Koaganno: I don't think that's what it is. I think it's opinions.
Tawshac: There's little to suggest that they would have any need for-
Quensolima: See, that's not exactly true. They have family structures, they have communities. If they can use their roots to share VOCs the normal way, why couldn't they use it to pass other info, especially if they have a whole language already?
Koaganno: And just because emotions in other species don't work like ours or happen for the same reasons doesn't mean they don't have them.
[Dr. Quensolima squeals.]
Quensolima: I want to find out what they think of us.
End Log
Section II. Chemical Components
SCP-9320 employs Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) to encode verbs (and sometimes nouns) with additional information. These compounds are emitted regularly for ordinary purposes known to the public, but their subtler release in smaller volumes and in correspondence to vibrational morphemes is knowledge exclusive to the Foundation. VOCs in the context of SCP-9320 function as the intonation of the language, similarly to changes in pitch in English. The compounds are organized into three categories, according to their intonational function within SCP-9320 .
Isoprenoids (I/i) - Chemicals released in response to stress. Ordinarily used as a defense mechanism to redistribute or stockpile resources during a crisis, like drought or disease. Linguistically, these chemicals indicate introspective, defensive feelings, similar to anxiety, caution, or sadness.
Oxygenated Compounds (O/o) - These are the chemicals involved in the production of oxygen. In the context of SCP-9320 , these chemicals indicate positive or neutral opinions, like happiness and contentment24.
Green Leaf Volatiles (G/g) - Chemicals used in defense against pests and herbivores. Different Green Leaf Volatiles can serve to discourage pests and herbivores by introducing unpleasant smells or tastes, or to attract the predators of creatures that could harm the tree. Within SCP-9320 , these chemicals indicate external, active feelings, such as anger, assurance, or strong dislike or displeasure.
Chemical components are considered affixes for the purpose of translation to human language, based on their release corresponding to a specific vibrational morpheme, typically a verb. These chemical affixes are only present as prefixes and infixes. Suffixes and circumfixes have not been observed in any SCP-9320 dialect to date25. This is hypothesized as a method to avoid confusion between a chemical suffix of one word followed by a chemical prefix of a subsequent word. When romanized, chemical affixes are noted in parentheses before the modified word with minor affixes indicated by a lowercase letter, and major affixes by a capital.
| Affix(es) | Tense | Notation |
|---|---|---|
| single minor prefix | past tense [PST] | (g) |
| single minor infix | future tense [FUT] | (o) |
| single major prefix | temporary tense [TMP] | (I) |
| single major infix | permanent tense [PER] | (O) |
While the placement of chemical affixes is consistent, the specific chemical used for the affix encodes more meaning, pertaining to how the user feels about an action or a descriptor. Example verb conjugations are listed below.
| Root | Past | Future | Temporary | Permanent | Chemical Inflection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| run | ran | will run | is running | be running26 | x |
| TtTt. | (g)TtTt. | Tt(g)Tt. | (G)TtTt. | Tt(G)Tt. | I do not like that it is running |
| TtTt. | (o)TtTt. | Tt(o)Tt. | (O)TtTt. | Tt(O)Tt. | I like that it is running, I am neutral that it is running |
| TtTt. | (i)TtTt. | Tt(i)Tt. | (I)TtTt. | Tt(I)Tt. | I am anxious or wary about the running |
Note that due to differences in the perception of time, SCP-9320 lacks a present tense, opting instead for a tense indicating that a subject is in a temporary state of being or a permanent one. Permanent tense is most frequently used to modify verbs into adjectives or adverbs, changing a verb from an action being presently, actively taken by a subject, to an action that is passively taken by a subject at all times.
| Tt,tt,R.RS, | T(O)S. |
| fox | <PER>to be small |
| 'small fox' | |
Exception: Negative Chemical Affixes - There exist two exceptions to the rules regarding the use of chemical affixes. The most common is technically a rule itself, though one that differs from all other uses. In SCP-9320 , affirmation is assumed, but negation [NEG] is expressed using isoprenoids and green leaf volatiles combined. This is noted as (ig) or (IG) depending on the minor or major case of the affix used. For example, "not jumping" is expressed in SCP-9320 as [Tt(IG)Tt.]. Negation can also be applied to nouns, typically in the permanent [PER] tense, as is the case in the phrase "not foxes" [Tt,tt,(IG)R.RS,]. No other uses of combined VOCs within affixes has been observed.
Exception: Other Chemical Modification to Nouns - While SCP-9320 lacks dedicated adjectives, individual subjects sometimes use chemical infixes to encode descriptions of age into noun words. There is no consistent rule for this usage, and its appearance is inconsistent and irregular. The word "fox" [Tt,tt,R.RS,] could be modified to loosely mean "baby fox" [Tt,(o)tt,R.RS,], "dead fox" [(i)Tt,tt,R.RS,], or even what Foundation linguists hypothesize to mean "comically old fox" [Tt,(O)tt,R.RS,], to use a few previously-observed examples. Due to the infrequent use and lack of established patterns around chemically modified nouns, we hypothesize that these words may function as a form of slang, which implies that subjects possess something similar to a human's sense of humor27.
Translation Notes - 21 August 2024
[(O)USSR, Tt,Tt,Tt.U,RUR. UT.U,RUR. Tt(O)TtURUR. RS(O)UU,]
TMP.own/have PL.human car? <PER>human(verb?) <PER>tree(verb?) -T
what does it mean to have human and tree as verbs -K
They're not verbs in this context, they're adjectives for that third morpheme. -T
Car? :0 -Q
I think it may refer to something else this time. I don't know if a car would be "tree-ing." -T
theyve called the ac unit a car before maybe it just means any machine -K
What machine would be "tree-ing" and "human-ing?" -T
omg what if that's our translator -K
Hey EVERY verb in this sentence uses the positive inflection. -Q
"The humans have a translation machine"
Audio Transcript
Quensolima: But think of it! We could be at the start of one of the biggest scientific discoveries in history! One of the biggest civil rights discoveries!
Tawshac: Watch the edge of that rug, dear, it tends to flip up.
Quensolima: I'm watching- Aren't you more excited?! I mean, this goes beyond the Foundation!
Tawshac: Nickie, there is very little that goes beyond the Foundation.
Koaganno: Any of this is putting a lot of faith that "Nothing Ever Leaves Co." is going to be up for setting any of our work loose to the filthy normies.
Quensolima: Shut up, Renee, I know how much you love those normies.
Koaganno: I love dirt and grime.
Quensolima: Can't you see it, though? We could start right here, in the Foundation! We could lobby Congress to get the National Forests expanded! Or- Or we could buy up more of the land ourselves!
Tawshac: Maybe someday.
Quensolima: You'd be up for it, right? You two? I mean, we would have to be, wouldn't we? The first people to translate their language? We would have to stick up for them! We'd have a moral obligation. I mean, look what we've been doing to them for hundreds of years! Thousands of years!
Koaganno: Jury's still out on when they developed intelligence in the first place. Everything we've got says they haven't even had language for more than a couple centuries.
Quensolima: Which means they've had it long enough to remember plenty of loggings! This is huge! They have language, they have feelings, they have jokes and holidays and art! They have all your culture stuff!
Koaganno: Not all of it. Most of it. But maybe we'll have to redefine what makes a culture too, now.
Quensolima: I'm sorry. I know I'm being loud. This is just so big and I can't believe I'm a part of it. This has to be one of the biggest discoveries the Foundation has ever made. Normal discoveries, anyway.
Koaganno: I fuckin' hope not.
Quensolima: …Why not?
Koaganno: Because the best place to be in this ass company is good enough not to get the shit work, but not important enough to get put in charge of the really shit work.
[A few seconds of silence]
Koaganno: Look, I'm not trying to rain on your parade or something. I'm just saying- you know, be careful what you wish for. The Foundation doesn't exactly give a shit about the "rights" stuff. That's all.
Tawshac: Do you think they evolved the ability to use language because of us?
Koaganno: I dunno. But we're the only other species that has it.
End Log
Section III. Electrical Components
Trees, like all flora, are capable of transmitting electrical signals between cells, from their canopy to the furthest reaches of their root systems. These signals can be shared between subjects, and the same interconnected systems can transfer nutrients and resources to other trees to maintain the health of the colony. The Foundation has discovered that these networks can also be used to project "images" of one individual subject to another individual, allowing one tree to "feel" the signals of another tree's "body" within their own "body." SCP-9320 utilizes this system for an additional layer of meaning that can be applied to its vibrational morphemes, particularly verbs, but nouns as well.
Electrical components occur on two axes28. The first is vertical, consisting of the roots as one area, the trunk as a second, and the canopy as a third. For simplicity, this is designated the Y-axis. The second is a flat, radial plane around the base of the tree, located in the root system. Where the Y-axis has three areas of operation, the radial plane has three concentric circles where signals can move in any direction. For translation, this plane is labeled with nine points. This is designated the X-axis.
fig 3.1
The Y-Axis - The physical signals may be the same in each area, but the meaning is not. The Y-axis refers to perspective, with the canopy area indicating third person, the trunk second, and the roots first29. Y-axis electrical modifiers are applied to verbs to indicate who or what is performing the action. The notation for the three areas is indicated below.
| Area | Meaning | Notation |
|---|---|---|
| canopy | third person [3] | caret (^) |
| trunk | second person [2] | dash (-) |
| roots | first person [1] | underscore (_) |
Electrical component notation is applied at the beginning of the morpheme, after the chemical notation if one is present. It is not contained in any kind of bracket. Below are examples of Y-axis electrical modifiers applied to a verb and a noun.
fig 3.2
The X-Axis -323334 X-axis electrical modifiers are more difficult to notate in writing, but easier to understand in theory. In place of a set of prepositions used to describe the nature of actions, trees use electrical signals to "show" how and where the action took place. This means that these descriptions are not always exact, as their meaning is partially up to interpretation by the receiver. X-axis electrical modifiers are broken into two parts, a locational segment and a descriptive segment. Intuitively, the locational segment details where the action took place, which direction, distance from the speaker, etc., and the descriptive segment details how the action took place. Both are noted in superscript before the chemical prefix (or before the morpheme, if it uses a single infix), with the descriptive segment enclosed in square brackets.
The locational segment lists up to four points on the X-axis planar chart to manually describe the action. The inner points (a, b, c, d) describe an action closer to the speaker, the outer points (e, f, g, h) describe one far away, and the center point (x) describes an action that occurs on, in, or directly against the speaker.
| ab(o)Tttt. | Tt,Tt.U,RUR. | TS(O)SR, |
| (nearby over a small area).PST(positive).walk | human | PER.friend35(verb) |
| 'The/A friendly36 human walked (over a short distance near me).' | ||
The descriptive segment describes three manners of movement; speed, linearity, and regularity. Notation of the descriptive segment follows the locational and is enclosed in brackets.
| Manner | Notation |
|---|---|
| fast | f |
| slow | s |
| linear | v |
| nonlinear | w |
| regular | r |
| irregular | i |
| ef[fv](o)TST. | Tt,tt,R.RS, |
| (far, small area).(quickly, linear).PST(positive).jump | fox |
| 'The/A fox pounced (far away from me).' | |
Translation Notes - 17 September 2024
[efghUR(O)ST, UU,RS,UU,]
(around, far).<PER>live/exist forest -T
Shouldn't it be [abcd] since they're so close together? -Q
maybe theyre not talking about this forest -K
"The forest is everywhere."
[bx(i)SURT. ^Tt,Tt,Tt.U,RUR. _RS,RS,RS,UU//]
(to).FUT.noise 2.PL.human 1.PL.tree -T
You make noise at us? :] -Q
Can't be. They have a morpheme for "make" or "create." If it were "make noise," then "noise" would be the direct object and would be placed between "you, humans" and "us, trees." -T
do they have a word for "speak." -K
They have words for animal vocalization, I think that's how they recognize our speech. -T
we havent been vocalizing with them -K
"You speak to us."
[xR(I)US, _RS,RS,RS,UU ^Tt,Tt,Tt.U,RUR.]
(in).PER.know 1.PL.tree 2.PL.human -T//
"We know you."
They don't like us. :'(
I guess I'm not surprised. Apparently their fungal networks stretch so far that most forests are connected, if they're on the same land mass. That's how the language stays relatively consistent. And that means that the trees in U-W-C know about places that have been clearcut and logged and burned and all that. They know it's us. I wish they could tell the difference between me, Camilla, and Renee, and the rest of the people who are actually doing things to hurt them. I feel so guilty! I'm using a wooden desk right now and even that makes me feel bad. But what would life even look like if I had to cut out wood? It's worse to use plastic and stuff, so what else is there? Stone? But even that is still taxing.
Renee says they don't hate us, they're just not very fond of us. They talk about us like we're some kind of pest. Not very flattering, but I guess they have a point. They think so different from us. They always seem to use the positive inflection when they talk about the translation machine, though. We're getting close to finalizing our report. I just hope we can find that one portable translator before someone comes down here to review our work. They're crazy protective of those machines. Our cabin is so small, I have no idea where it could have gone.
Section IV. Sentence Structure
Sentences in SCP-9320 are constructed using a single specific pattern. Being a language in relatively early development, SCP-9320 will likely develop new structures, especially with human intervention37. The common sentence structure is as follows:
Predicate > subject > descriptive verbs > direct object > descriptive verbs > indirect object > descriptive verbs
The following is a full sentence, Leipzig glossed38 for translation.
| e[fv](I)TtTt. | ^Tt,Tt,Tt.U,RUR. | TS(O)SR, | |
| (around, near)(fast, linear, indirect).TMP(positive).run | PL.fox | <PER>(positive).to be small | [1]-tree |
| "Small foxes are running around me39." | |||
Full stops to sentences come in the form of a deep "click" noise and an accompanying cessation of noise. For our purposes, a double forward slash (//) is used to indicate the end of a sentence. SCP-9320 does not yet have conjunctions or compound sentences, as language among trees is used rather sparingly compared to human communication. SCP-9320 also lacks of any kind of structure that suggests a question. The versatile vibrational suffix [S,] exists as a means of describing an unfamiliar or unknown object or creature, but SCP-9320 does not seem to have a means of asking questions. This makes research difficult, as lacking a means to express questions severely hinders a tree's ability to answer them40.
The following are several glossed sentences as additional examples.
| abx(I)URST, | Tt,Tt,Tt.U,RUR. | _RS,RS,UU,// |
| with-TMP(cautious).live | PL.human | 1PL.tree |
| "There are some humans living with us." | ||
| efgh(I)TUS, | Tt,Tt,Tt.U,RUR. | efgh(O)URST, | (O)Tt,Tt,Tt.U,RUR. |
| far, around.TMP(cautious).to be many | PL.human. | far, around.TMP(positive).live | TMP(positive).PLhuman. |
| "Humans are numerous, but short-lived." | |||
| efghU(G)T. | RS,UU, | US(IG)SR. | U.R.RS,UU, | UT.(G)URT |
| far, around.<PER>(negative).exist | tree | <NEG>have | forest | <PER>(negative).buried object |
| "A tree with no forest is a prisoner." | ||||
NOTICE
This message is to inform you that Dr. Koaganno has been suspended from SCP-9320 research indefinitely following an incident in which a proprietary Foundation device used in translating SCP-9320 was found hidden in her personal vehicle. Dr. Koaganno has been amnestitized and reassigned. Attempts to contact her will result in disciplinary action.
Thank you for all the work you do in service of our mission!
To: m.lee@scipnet
From: c.tawshac@scipnet
Subject: Unauthorized Reassignment
Dr. Lee,
As I am sure you are aware, one of my staff members was recently transferred from my team. I am sure you are also aware that I was not present for any confrontation or initial disciplinary action, as Dr. Koaganno's alleged infraction was discovered off company property during her weekend. I was not consulted at any point in the process between her assumed arrest and her reassignment. Due to this flagrant breach of protocol and disrespect of my position as Dr. Koaganno's superior, I am formally requesting for my sophontologist to be administered mnestics and returned to Outpost #9320 for a more thorough investigation, with myself at the head. An apology would also be appreciated.
Dr. Camilla Tawshac
This article has been updated to reflect changes in required clearance.
