Link to article: SCP-8409.
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[[>]] [[module Rate]] [[/>]] ===== [[include component:preview text=I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY "I LOVE YOU" IN ENGLISH]] ===== **Item #:** SCP-8409 **Object Class:** Keter **Special Containment Procedures:** Due to the discrete nature of SCP-8409-speaking communities worldwide, containment efforts are to focus on the removal of SCP-8409 instances from public spaces. Any form of media suspected of containing an instance of SCP-8409 is to be photographed or recorded and taken to Site-146 for analysis. If confirmed, the SCP-8409 instance is to be independently translated by at least three different sources so as to ensure the accuracy of the translation. The translation is then to be logged and the original instance removed. The SCP-8409 translation team presently consists of 78 D-Class personnel stationed at Site-146. Any D-Class personnel found to be able to speak SCP-8409 are to immediately be transferred to Site-146 and reassigned to this team. Aside from translations, interviews of these personnel are to take place weekly, focusing on culture and questions arising from recently translated documents. **Description:** SCP-8409 is a language, believed to be a language isolate. Current Foundation estimates place the number of SCP-8409 speakers anywhere from 200,000 to 700,000, with speaking communities known to exist across all continents (excluding Antarctica). Despite the diversity among these communities, the language is believed to have remarkably small dialect variation, with all currently observed dialects being entirely identical with the exception of a small amount of rarely-used local loanwords. SCP-8409 possesses a potent antimemetic property: non-speakers are unable to process or recall any details regarding any speech or writing in it. Spoken SCP-8409 is commonly described by non-speakers as sounding "like white noise reproduced through human speech", with written SCP-8409 described as "continuously morphing and shifting, similarly to written language in dreams". This effect renders the language impossible to acquire via conventional means; instead, speakers report achieving complete fluency in the language in a single instant, at seemingly random points in their life[[footnote]] The majority of speakers report gaining the ability to speak SCP-8409 during their teenage years, however some have reported doing so at ages as low as 6 and as high as 77. [[/footnote]]. The only known exceptions to this rule are infants raised in SCP-8409-speaking communities, which acquire the language as they would any non-anomalous language. Speakers of SCP-8409 are universally highly reluctant to divulge information regarding it to non-speakers, and will typically become violent or attempt to isolate themselves when pressured to do so. This has made gathering such information exceedingly difficult, with longer documents frequently taking multiple days to translate. **Addendum 8409.1:** Translated Media The following collection of translated SCP-8409 media has been curated for brevity. The complete translated SCP-8409 corpus is available upon request from Project Lead Erika Sanderson. [[div class="blockquote"]] **Medium:** Graffiti on the outer wall of a therapy clinic in Melbourne, Australia. **Date Of Discovery:** 1992-06-25 **Content:** SPEAK WITH ANY OF US IN **[ENDONYM OF SCP-8409, UNTRANSLATABLE]** FOR A FREE SESSION IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE ARE LOOKING FOR FOOD OR SHELTER, CALL █████ AT ███-███████[[footnote]] Name and phone number matched one of the practicing therapists at the clinic at time of discovery. [[/footnote]] YOUR BURDEN IS OUR BURDEN **Closing Notes:** When asked to translate the SCP-8409 word for "burden", translators often become increasingly agitated, refusing to continue translating until calming down. This suggests a cultural taboo around this word; the significance of this is unknown. [[/div]] [[div class="blockquote"]] **Medium:** Inscription on large wooden sign at entrance to SCP-8409-speaking village in rural France. **Date Of Discovery:** 2007-04-14 **Content:** OUR PROTECTOR GAVE US THE GIFT OF **[ENDONYM OF SCP-8409, UNTRANSLATABLE]** SO THAT WE COULD GIVE TO EACH OTHER IF YOUR WORLD HAS FORSAKEN YOU, WE WILL MAKE THIS PLACE YOUR NEW WORLD YOU MAY NOT BRING FOREIGNERS WITH YOU; THEY HAVE LEFT TOO MANY SCARS ON OUR PEOPLE THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING **Closing Notes:** No currently known deific entity has been shown to have any connections to SCP-8409, and Akiva Radiation levels at location of discovery were not significantly higher than baseline. [[/div]] [[div class="blockquote"]] **Medium:** Vocal samples in "breakcore" music posted to various music streaming platforms under the alias "█████████". Each line is sourced from a different track. **Date Of Discovery:** 2015-07-07 **Content:** WHAT DOES HE HOPE TO FIND AT THE BOTTOM OF THAT STUPID BOTTLE OF HIS MY NOSE IS BLEEDING BUT MY SPIRIT WILL NEVER BREAK I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY "I LOVE YOU" IN ENGLISH ARE YOU THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN UNDERSTAND ME THEY HATE US, THEY HATE US, THEY HATE US **Closing Notes:** █████████'s online presence was traced back to that of a 22-year-old woman living in Boise, Idaho, USA. The samples were confirmed to belong to her, although an unidentified female voice is also present in the final listed line. [[/div]] **Addendum 8409.2:** Early Research Soon after the discovery of SCP-8409, and the search for speakers employed by the Foundation, a surprising trend emerged: almost all speakers found (84% as of a 2017 census) were D-Class personnel, 37% of which testified to learning the language after their employment. Furthermore, higher-ranking Foundation members were significantly less likely to be fluent in SCP-8409 than the general population, with only 3 known speakers of Clearance Level 4 or higher, all of which were able to speak it before their employment. As SCP-8409's potential as a security/espionage tool was quickly realized, early research was focused on finding the cause for this discrepancy and counteracting it. Proposals such as temporary suspension of the Clearance Level system and mandatory D-Class duties for higher-ranking personnel were implemented at select Sites. However, despite several years of experimentation, no personnel stationed at any such Site gained the ability to speak SCP-8409. This avenue of research is currently discontinued. [[footnoteblock]] [[div class="footer-wikiwalk-nav"]] [[=]] << [[[SCP-8408]]] | SCP-8409 | [[[SCP-8410]]] >> [[/=]] [[/div]] [[include :scp-wiki:component:license-box]] [[include :scp-wiki:component:license-box-end]]