would you rather know all languages or be able to speak to animals

@nwname i made this thread way to fast and forgot to move it to off topic, can you switch it for me? (since i cant change polls)

Humans are animals checkmate

Languages.

@vex_haid: Am I fluent in all of these languages, and do I indefinitely retain the ability and knowledge to speak all of these languages, or do I need to practice?

I might be overthinking this lol but I want to know the specifics

@jaylinfreeman said:

you dont need to practice, you will instantly know them

since your a mod can you switch this to off topic? i forgot to do that

@vex_haid: No problem.

@vex_haid:OH OKAY, THANK YOU.

Bump

Languages.

The only way "talking to animals" works, is if you endow them with a human level of sapience. Then we would have an animal apocalypse to contend with.

Unless I also get the power to control animals, in which case, I would choose that.

Speak to animals easily. Far more interesting.

I agree with that. So many people are boring or hatefull.

Languages. We already know how animals think, real life isn’t like a cartoon where animals have something complex to say. Animals only care about survival. There’s nothing they can say that we couldn’t figure out from just observing them. Some of them are too dangerous to even be around and communicating with them won’t change their instinct. On the other hand, humans are articulate and have a lot to say. Being able to communicate with all humans has a much greater application than being able to communicate with animals who don’t care much at all about what humans have to say

You do know not every animal hates humans and is super agressive right? Lol.

Hence why I said “some of them.”

Languages.

Which means I'll simply just talk to the friendly/non-aggressive ones.

@dragonoidpower said:

Humans are animals checkmate

@firestarlord73194 said:

Languages. We already know how animals think, real life isn’t like a cartoon where animals have something complex to say. Animals only care about survival. There’s nothing they can say that we couldn’t figure out from just observing them. Some of them are too dangerous to even be around and communicating with them won’t change their instinct. On the other hand, humans are articulate and have a lot to say. Being able to communicate with all humans has a much greater application than being able to communicate with animals who don’t care much at all about what humans have to say

I mean, animals are capable of complex thought, and though they are more survival oriented than humans, they still have other ideas and are capable of expressing so. Meaning, if we could speak their same language we could also communicate different ideas to them.

As phrased, putting aside the natural fact humans are animals, probably languages.

Speaking to isn't necessarily the same as communication, and there are so many animals with different ways of interaction with each other, that are so foreign and unique to how humans communicate... So even if we go with the more liberal interpretations of being able to speak to animals, in that we can communicate, and understand each other enough, on whatever level that may be, to make interactions meaningful... what does that mean? Are we going to acquire new pheromones and chemicals we can emit? Will our body change to accommodate new organs and body parts to pulsate, flash, vibrate or so on? Will be like Beast Boy mixed with Suneater? Some animals communicate with dung. Like there are all sorts of complexities and questions and clarifications that would need to be had with "speak to animals/communicate with animals".

However... if it were some sort of word of god type power, and or you got to change your physiology to command animals... you could do a lot with that, it would be the more powerful choice. On the flip side, at its more mundane, you would be able to confuse animals who don't understand what you are trying to tell them, and if they do understand they will ignore you, or try and take advantage of you, as they beg to you for more food.

Languages with other humans, is somewhere in the middle. The potential ramifications not as high, but its lowest application is higher than the lower ends of animal speaking. You could have a very satisfying life, being able to communicate with so many more different types of people, including those that might have rarer languages. You may even be able to save preserve history by helping document dying languages. It could get complicated though, potentially... is maths a language? What does knowing all of math even mean? Are you going to be able to advance science this way? In what ways? Do you know alien languages? Does this circumvent the rules, as aliens could count as animals? How is your brain coping with all this knowledge?

depends on if the animals have anything interesting to say.

Animals.. you can't just lean that on Babble...

I already did this thread

I'd pick speak to animals.

As someone said earlier, you would need to bump up the intelligence of animals for this to work. Even animals capable of complex thought would not care about what humans have to say to them. Think about what ideas you would even try to express to them, chances are they would not care. Most animals are driven by the instinct to survive, meaning their top priorities are food and procreating. Some enjoy playing with their own kind as a secondary priority. They run on instinct. A whale is going to continue being a whale when you talk to it. What incredible and profound thing do you think it will respond back to you with? Animals are instinctual creatures. Humans are emotional creatures with complex thought that greatly surpasses the thought of animals. If animals could speak, they’d only know around 3 words. Food, run, procreate. You would need to change the entire mental makeup of the animal for this to have any real effect

Depends on the specific mechanics. Is it magic? Can all animals speak to me on some intelligible level? Would I have to practice all languages in order to retain them? I might just go for the power to speak to animals, there are so many translators in the world, but no Zoologist that can directly speak to animals, if I had that power I could be a celebrity Zoologist

ofc all languages.