I don't know if this is just my ears that don't work, but the stuff that Barry-Cade screams at BB in the movie's first bot-on-bot fight sounds markedly different to when SS et al talk to each other just before the attack at the end of the movie. Barricade speaks in what sounds more like a spoken language (similar to Megatron's speech) and SS, Bone-crusher,Barricade etc communicate in a more tumbling sort of sound at the end. Two Cybertronian methods of communication? (3 if you count English and a very flimsy 4 if you count that uplink screech when they hack the computer database). Is this mentioned in any literature? I haven't found any references, even in the search function on this site.
Well by the same token you could include Frenzy's gibberish as another language, as well. (I think Barricade's trash talk to Bumblebee was english but there was so much ambient noise and robotic effects to it you can't make it out) I really dont view any of it as language, I mean, for sentient machines audio communication seems rather primitive, especially considering sound needs air to travel on, something their Cybertron didn't seem to have much of. (i.e. none at all) I'd almost equate it to fax machine noise or that old dial-up modem noise, rather what we here is the sound they're making when transmitting data, meaning it's different for all of them because of their different systems.
Actually, I was going to compare it to the fax/modem noise. That would have made what I was saying clearer I guess. Although, if they had no need for a spoken language before, if Cybertron had no air, what is that spoken language based on? And we did hear sounds in the flash back to Cybertron (though having silence was hardly an option, i know.) I guess an advanced autonomous, robotic life-form that is designed to adapt to any environment is going to have that same adaptability in terms of language/communication etc. Still, it is kind of nice to see that they put a little thought into the script in that respect.
I hate to dissappoint some of you, but this is a science fiction movie. It is not real. Repeat. This movie is not real and nobody cares about how sound travels on Cybertron, or if they are speaking multiple languages.
, yeah... or should we discuss why you hear sounds of battle in the vaccuum of space throughout the Star Wars saga as well?
Sound traveled much differently a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Last year, I noticed my movie Prime helmet had Cybertronian markings on the faceplate. And after months attempting to decipher it, it appears to translate as: If you can read this, you're too damn close.
