LONGECITY

Lets say we would somehow meet Aliens (like them comming to us), how would we even start to communicate with them if they would be fundamentally different from us (like Jelly fish swimming in Acid)?

Where should we even start?

I guess that communication between two smart "races" will not be a problem. Maybe they do not have "ears" and therefore have no communication based on sound (like us). But as thay can see the initial communication could be through writing. Then we will try to decipher their writing and they try to decipher ours.

 

Maybe we can start with a body language(a little weird). But maybe they would bring a translator before coming to us.

Talking to an alien could be dangerous. I think it would be better to capture or kill it depending on the situation.

Safety first!

 

 

Lets say we would somehow meet Aliens (like them comming to us), how would we even start to communicate with them if they would be fundamentally different from us (like Jelly fish swimming in Acid)?

Aside from the jelly thing, it doesn't sound to me like a totally unfamiliar situation. So we should have some training from past experience. 

Talking to an alien could be dangerous. I think it would be better to capture or kill it depending on the situation.

Safety first!

On the flip side, she may agree with you. 

I think there is a most likely answer to this -- by actions and light/radio waves.

If you encounter alien life then either you are in proximity of that life or you can transmit light to that life. If you are in proximity then you need to decide what to do -- get closer, follow it, let it follow you etc. While you are making those actions you may transmit light in patterns that signify each action you take. For example 1ms beam for get closer, 10ms beam to stop moving etc. That way you build a language between yourself and the other species.

I think it is highly unlikely we will be able to communicate long distance without showing any actions for the same reason chatting online is not efficient, and children can't typically learn a language from the TV.

Let's take at this from an other angle. How long does it take at present to understand an unknown language unrelated to others. Like for example anthropologists stumbling across an undiscovered and isolated tribe in the Amazon. Now consider the following hypothetical situation : we find on Mars a tablet with writing on it. How long would it take to decipher. Potentially it could never happen, since even on our planet Earth there are examples of ancient writing systems that have yet to be cracked.

But for the sake of the argument lets presume a life alien and not an inventory report by a hypothetical ancient Marsian. And that their technology is on level around us or below us. So no star trekkie universal translator that would do the work for us. I would presume that we would first seek to learn the words for concrete objects and then move on to grammar and more abstract concepts. A process that could potentially take years. But would be easy because we would have a life alien to help us deciphering his language. 

Now if we received a radio signal that contained part of some alien talk show, things would become a lot more difficult. And would be more akin to the situation with the Marsian inventory list. 

Really?  This is a topic?