Skin Hunger is one of those books where magic works by reciting rhymes and songs. But there's another layer to it as well: after the last age of magic, when it seemed like magic had all but died out, it turns out that magic was preserved in the songs and rhymes of the Gypsies. Other nonsense phrases had been passed along to children as nursery rhymes. So language is both a vehicle for magic and the means by which it was preserved, which is pretty nifty if you think about it.
And then there's all the stuff about commoners not being allowed to read or write, and translations and copies being an important issue in the characters' lives, and so on. Lotsa language happening here.
Questions About Language and Communication
- Why do you think it's illegal for commoners to learn to read and write?
- What would you do if you were in Sadima's place and had a chance to teach yourself how to read?
- Why does Hahp have so much trouble with learning the magic songs when he's already, like, trilingual?
- What is the basic idea behind Somiss's method for recovering the ancient spells?
Chew on This
Access to language skills (such as reading and writing) should be a universal human right.
Encoding magic spells in songs is the best way to make sure they survive in a hostile environment.