Comment by Kiri

Raising the dead doesn't mean they're automagically strong enough to break out of their coffins, huh.

Interesting that Sev can't read (what I'm assuming is) letter signing, but just knows the sign for graverobbing? 8D;;

Reply by Random Passerby

I can kind of see how it might have happened, he'll have been picking up Handsign from Tareth, and she seems to mostly use word signs simply because she's fluent enough to do so.

Still brings up the question of what happened that brought graverobbing up in the conversation? XD

Reply by Shazzbaa

It's just the signs for "Grave" and "Steal" put together, which in context of Jonan is probably not too hard to put together. xD

But yeah, you're right -- Severian isn't following the fingerspelling!

Reply by Karen

Which leads me to wonder if Sev can read/write at all... Given his background I don't imagine he had anyone around to teach him till recently. And he has asked whether the little dot on the map was a city...

Reply by Kris

I don't see it as weird. When you're around someone who signs you pick up on there means of signing. There's more than one type of Sign language, and just because you know one don't mean you know them all.

Reply by Karen

I suppose, but I do think there's other evidence to indicate Sev can't read.... Tarri reads Jonan's written explanation of the spell rebound aloud at first, and then switches to signing when that proves annoying to Jonan.... I assumed it was just because she was sitting closer to Jonan and Sev couldn't see it from that distance, but now I wonder if it was a translation of necessity rather than convenience.

Reply by The Wing

I have a working theory that Severian is illiterate, mainly because of this page:

http://runewriters.com/index.php?c=68

It may just be that he had just leaned in and hadn't read it yet, but it did look an awful lot like Tareth was translating it for him.

He also didn't even try to read the message from Jonan on this page:

http://runewriters.com/index.php?c=90

... but that would be consistent with his character. Shazzbaa has made this a very strange mystery and I wonder why. :)

Reply by Sharsarannon

I agree with you. He doest seem not to be able to read, but we hadn't had why -or why not-mentioned, I don't think. Should be interesting but it might be because of his upbringing... His past has been hinted at.

I myself have a character in a fantasy setting who is illiterate because he's what we would call very dyslexic. He's tried to learn to read but he can't manage it- the letters are too messy to him.

Reply by The Wing

Learning how to read and write is a huge pain so I can understand anyone not wanting to go through the trouble - though I wouldn't be aspiring to become a linguist today if I hadn't! I have quite a few protagonists in a fantasy setting who are illiterate, as there are cultures whose languages have no written script, and others whose scripts are borrowed from others for trade and diplomatic purposes.

Severian's backstory seems very compatible with illiteracy, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if his circumstances prevented him from learning how to read. I can't imagine he had the opportunity to go to school, and if he did, it was likely a Varænski school to which he was 'brought over' - and I don't believe Severian would have been willing to stay there. He did run away fairly quickly, after all.

Reply by Phini

Also, he doesn't help Tarri reasearch when she's at the library http://runewriters.com/index.php?c=66

Reply by Shazzbaa

Handsign isn't literally ASL, but since that's what I use for the signing in RW --
for ASL, fingerspelling isn't really a separate sign language, it's how you handle letters! They come up in handshapes in a few places, and new names and some words are normally just spelled.