Their language had a limited number of phonetic elements, and a finite limit to the length of a word. Therefore, context and inflection were essential, as they were the only way to determine if 'Bob' meant rain, or weightlessness sickness, or a shade of yellow, or any of a few dozen words and phrases.
They understood that to us it was a name, my name. I was the best translator we had, but at a crucial moment...
It ended up with another meaning. "One who cannot distinguish a friendly greeting and a heinous insult."
It comes up a lot now.
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