Talking Backwards.

[wolven7]

Magical Theory/Practice question: In DC/Vertigo Comics, the line of Zatara can perform any feat of magic, if they focus enough, and most use the focus tool of talking backwards (see previous post).

My question is as follows: Because it is never discussed, thoroughly, is the talking backward phonetic or is it more in the form of a recording being played backwards? Considering that a young boy first did this, reading Da Vinci's diaries aloud, I am more inclined toward the former, but I have to wonder, a little.

Your thoughts?

Comments

[thurisazshole.livejournal.com]

maybe its the focus on each word, since each letter has a meaning. a story, if you will. and if you focus further... think fractals, to get a broad visual of what i'm getting at. you can focus and focus and focus...as long as you don't get lost in it. i could see, with a certain logic, that there is a lot of power behind that.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

So far as what's happening in the mind of the actor, I can definitely see this as a possibility, but I'm more concerned with what I'd actually be hearing, if I were to listen to him talk. Conversely, with what I'd actually be saying, if I were to attempt it.

[moonandserpent.livejournal.com]

If I recall correctly, it sounds like a recording being played backwards. This might clear things up for you. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w602vFk7EA)

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Hmm. They never did get into the main stream JLU, did they? I'd take that as canon, personally.

[moonandserpent.livejournal.com]

I think she did end up in JLU... or maybe just Batman. I'm iffy on my animated stuff.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

No, they have her listed. I need to go back and watch those, again...

[thurisazshole.livejournal.com]

that almost sounded phoenetic though.. listen when she douses the building with the fire hydrant and says retaw... or maybe i'm just exausted moreso than usual.


on a side note - wolven, toss this (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/Zatara_Action_Comics_no_1.jpg) pic up on your screen, and throw a mirror up next to it. even a blank CD/DVD will work.

tell me, would that work like an inverted king of swords if spoken that way, or just gibberish that amounts to wasted breath?

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's each individual word, backward, not the sentence as a whole, which makes it slightly trickier, as our instinct is to do the whole thing. Hence, concentration aid.

I think that reading it Backwards-Backwards would probably invert but not negate the effect, if it did anything at all. Like, instead of 1/4 you'd have 4. Only with magic.

[arktoi.livejournal.com]

If that's you in your icon, you get +123910823 points for awesome purple hair.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

That's totally him.

[moonandserpent.livejournal.com]

Yay! I like points!

[arktoi.livejournal.com]

You get lots of them, because your hair is made of awesome and win.

[misanthropic1.livejournal.com]

you want it in the form of a recording played backwards. incidently we accidently found, with our wierd english accents, that 'we love rufus' sounds like 'lucifer' when played backwards.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but the question becomes what human being can reliably perform that? Much training. I would think the initial phonetics would be enough, for simple operations.

[(Anonymous)]

its really just like learning any language - practise makes perfect.
we have a cheating way to do it though :D

get a nintendo DS. can't remember the name of the game which does this (darknirv will know so i will ask him later and update)but there's a music game thing where you can speak into it and it will play back your voice distorted, slower, faster, or backwards.

say what the word forwards would be into the DS, play it back backwards a few times, get used to how it sounds. then say it backwards into the DS, play it back backwards and see if it is the word you were hoping to say. if it's not, then practise until it is, then move onto the next word. keep going until you have your required sentenc/ spell/ incantation/ shopping list/ imaginative swearing session that your students will never understand.

[misanthropic1.livejournal.com]

the above was me, btw, went straight from email reply mode, didn't notice wasn't signed in. stupid thing.

ymra eht nioj

[raidingparty.livejournal.com]

Not quite the same, but I had a complaint about that episode... "Eeemrah" would work back words, as would "Neeohj", but "Et" is definitely not how to pronounce "The" backwards. Although... huh. I wonder if they could be charged with subliminal messaging.

... which then brings me to another wonderful, horrible thought. Which I shall not broadcast, but might share with you later.

How did non-phonetic languages translate those episodes? I can imagine just printing the characters backwards; not sure how you'd say that, but then, I'm not entirely sure how you'd say some of the backwards English.

Re: ymra eht nioj

[wolven.livejournal.com]

That is another difficulty. For full pronunciation, your best bet is to record the pertinent phrases and play them backward. Practice.

Re: ymra eht nioj

[misanthropic1.livejournal.com]

ah there you go...you already thought of it.

[arktoi.livejournal.com]

I'd say it's more of the phonetic talking backwards, though the recording-played-backwards version would be more of a mental exercise, i think.

[arktoi.livejournal.com]

I used to read backwards when I was a kid. Regular books got boring, after a while.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

I still do, sometimes. Good for getting information.

[arktoi.livejournal.com]

Sometimes things make more sense that way.

Or less, which is more fun.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

I think you're right.