SPEECH OF THE ALIENS - 1

This article, written by P. M. H. Edwards, a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Victoria, examines the linguistic aspects of reported extraterrestrial encounters. Edwards expresses skepticism regarding the value of witness accounts in ufological publications, noting that such reports are often subjective and provided by individuals without scientific training. The document is divided into three parts. Part I discusses cases where witnesses claimed the entities spoke human languages, often with accents or in broken speech. Edwards highlights the difficulty of verifying these claims, noting that even if a witness reports understanding an alien, the possibility of hypnotic suggestion or misinterpretation remains. Specific cases cited include reports from 1953, 1957, 1964, and 1967. Part II details reports of 'ET voices,' including a 1958 account from a Sheffield newspaper regarding a musician who recorded alien sounds, and various sightings in France, Brazil, and the United States between 1947 and 1968. These reports describe sounds ranging from 'unintelligible' to 'nasal' or 'gurgling.' Part III focuses on cases where witnesses reported that the alien language was entirely unintelligible, citing incidents from 1909 to 1967 in locations such as Wales, Spain, Brazil, France, and Canada. The document concludes with a separate, unrelated excerpt from E. G. Schary's book 'In Search of the Mahatmas of Tibet,' describing a 1917 sighting of a luminous disc in Tibet, which locals referred to as 'Pearls of the sky.' The article serves as a critical review of the anecdotal evidence currently available to researchers in the field of ufology.