Where to start? I began by pointing to things in the room and saying the word: table, chair, floor. Then I pointed to parts of my body: finger, hand, face, foot. Not a single alien attempted to say any of the words. My efforts were greeted with silence. That was the first lesson over.
The second lesson was equally unprofitable. Clearly another tactic had to be employed. By using a series of gestures and mouth formations and sounds I was able to articulate each vowel: aaaaaaaaaaaaah, oooooooooooooh, eeeeeeeeeeeeeh, and so on. Again, not a sound was attempted.
I tried everything under the sun for a whole week. Never once did any of the seven aliens attempt even a grunt. I had to resign. I was not the person to be attempting to teach such a thing.
Another teacher was appointed. It took her some time but she discovered the reason for the lack of response. Their mouths were solely for eating and that was all. They communicated via the air-escaping sound at the other end.
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