Delightfully (or frustratingly) vague. I like the answers so far, they all sound like they could be right. I think love is the best answer yet, but the telephone or similar reciprocating device might be technically the most correct. I’ve got few more that may be no more right or wrong; though now that I look back at them they may be more independent of language barriers than able to speak in all languages.
Music
Math (Yeah, I’m a nerd.)
Compassion
Violence (unfortunately)
I like the math answer to.. but the problem is that you cannot objectively quantify many subjective things as mentioned above – love etc in any mathematical description, you need language for it.
About the “words” answer, it’s nice and subtle but for some languages like Chinese you don’t actually have words but just thousands of individual pictographic letters.
I still think a written medium – pen, brush, pencil etc is the answer.
Even languages which are just spoken can be written in a phonetic alphabet where each symbol stands for a sound. Something similar to the symbols used to describe pronunciation of words in a dictionary.
This is fun, what about Microsoft ( Bill can I get commission on this product placement), TV,the internet, songs and Pictures.
Maths is good but I know a few poeple who can not understand maths, if fact The bad news 1 billion people unable to read and write — about 16 percent of world population, so that discounts all meadiums except visual and vocal.
I like Echo. A lot of the things previously mentioned are languages themselves. Like math. It is a language of it’s own and applies to all cultures but it does not speak in any language except it’s own.
Smiles are body language and love is independant of any language.
An echo, however does “speak” in every language.
The word ouch transcends all languages it is know in all cultures as a statement of discomfort or pain. Even if it isn’t the common term, it’s meaning is still communicated.
If this was an actual life or death ‘Sphinx-type’ riddle..it would be too vague and have too many answers that are possible…
The answer is…
a) ‘a picture’ … A picture is worth a thousand words..in any language.
b) people (as mentioned earlier) – people can speak every language
c) more specifically… ‘tongue’ is the part of the people that does the talking in conjunction with ‘mouth’, ‘larynx’, etc…
but i really don’t think tongue makes sense. just because i have a tongue doesn’t mean i can speak any language- you might as well say the answer is a person or a voice.
i think a smile is a very good answer. its universal and undeniable in it’s meaning- and everyone can smile.
GA’s last comment had all answers that are correct. The most popular answer (from where I am from) is tongue. For it is the thing that can speak all languages; from speech, math… love… <– kind of a stretch but meh not wrong.
The only answer that can compete with 'tongue' is 'echo' but that has to hear first before it can speak.
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Yohan said,
February 6, 2007 at 10:16 pm
love
kenny said,
February 7, 2007 at 3:42 am
An echo, a kiss, and love.
Janette said,
February 7, 2007 at 5:17 am
Telephone
Blue said,
February 7, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Delightfully (or frustratingly) vague. I like the answers so far, they all sound like they could be right. I think love is the best answer yet, but the telephone or similar reciprocating device might be technically the most correct. I’ve got few more that may be no more right or wrong; though now that I look back at them they may be more independent of language barriers than able to speak in all languages.
Music
Math (Yeah, I’m a nerd.)
Compassion
Violence (unfortunately)
KDB IA said,
February 7, 2007 at 3:59 pm
All of the above, plus:
a smile
mayank said,
February 7, 2007 at 7:34 pm
I think the answer is pen. With a pen u can write in any language.
Yohan said,
February 7, 2007 at 8:48 pm
i like the pen answer but not all languages have a written component, and Math so far looks like the front runner (we’re all just a little bit nerdy)
Chris said,
February 8, 2007 at 1:02 am
words
mayank said,
February 8, 2007 at 9:53 am
I like the math answer to.. but the problem is that you cannot objectively quantify many subjective things as mentioned above – love etc in any mathematical description, you need language for it.
About the “words” answer, it’s nice and subtle but for some languages like Chinese you don’t actually have words but just thousands of individual pictographic letters.
I still think a written medium – pen, brush, pencil etc is the answer.
mayank said,
February 8, 2007 at 9:55 am
Even languages which are just spoken can be written in a phonetic alphabet where each symbol stands for a sound. Something similar to the symbols used to describe pronunciation of words in a dictionary.
Scott said,
February 8, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Silence. It frequently says all you need to say.
AU said,
February 8, 2007 at 8:26 pm
I am thinking that the answer is the mouth In general
George said,
February 9, 2007 at 6:57 pm
How about the Radio?
kenny said,
February 11, 2007 at 1:11 am
This is fun, what about Microsoft ( Bill can I get commission on this product placement), TV,the internet, songs and Pictures.
Maths is good but I know a few poeple who can not understand maths, if fact The bad news 1 billion people unable to read and write — about 16 percent of world population, so that discounts all meadiums except visual and vocal.
isis said,
February 12, 2007 at 4:23 pm
i think it is ink
Jables said,
February 12, 2007 at 8:40 pm
it could be any emotion — hate, greed, lust, love. but i like the math answer myself.
kaoro san said,
February 13, 2007 at 5:55 am
hmmmm..maybe its the television..
Locke said,
February 15, 2007 at 10:03 am
Ya idiots, anyone see Mean Girls? I’m ashamed I have, but it says in the movie, math speaks all languages.
Its math.
Demosthenes said,
February 15, 2007 at 10:05 am
How about intimant relations? It requires no words.
Brian said,
February 15, 2007 at 8:27 pm
How is it that no one has said tongue yet?!
Demosthenes and Brian said,
February 22, 2007 at 1:58 pm
We’d like to announce we are getting engaged. The honeymoon starts soon. The intimate relations answer got me so turned on. I’m freeing the babymaker.
Janette said,
February 22, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I agree with SMILE. It is used in all countries meaning the same basic thing, unlike putting up the forefinger. I think it is smile.
Ashley said,
March 26, 2007 at 4:22 pm
paper
Ashley said,
March 26, 2007 at 4:38 pm
or maybe a dictionary
Martin said,
March 29, 2007 at 10:16 am
You are all trying to pass around… “The world” is the awnser
Erin said,
March 29, 2007 at 12:03 pm
I like Echo. A lot of the things previously mentioned are languages themselves. Like math. It is a language of it’s own and applies to all cultures but it does not speak in any language except it’s own.
Smiles are body language and love is independant of any language.
An echo, however does “speak” in every language.
Erin said,
March 29, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Oh, and to just add in response to the microsoft comment. Computers/programs are ruled out as well because they speak in binary code.
Anonymous said,
April 5, 2007 at 6:31 am
I’ve seen this one before, the answer is tongue.
Tweek said,
April 17, 2007 at 8:32 pm
A gun
narutolsaid said,
April 24, 2007 at 7:56 pm
amen with anonymous it is tounge
liss said,
May 5, 2007 at 6:41 pm
A Human. Not just 1 but humans across the world. they are the 1 thing that speak all languages.
Renee said,
May 6, 2007 at 6:59 pm
a smile
Naldak said,
May 19, 2007 at 2:16 am
Ouch
The word ouch transcends all languages it is know in all cultures as a statement of discomfort or pain. Even if it isn’t the common term, it’s meaning is still communicated.
Although this is a riddle, so I’m probably wrong.
ACE said,
August 19, 2007 at 8:00 am
A tongue.
Nobody said,
December 5, 2007 at 11:07 am
A baby…….
Kula.Shaker said,
June 4, 2008 at 11:51 am
The finger.
GA said,
March 12, 2009 at 12:42 pm
If this was an actual life or death ‘Sphinx-type’ riddle..it would be too vague and have too many answers that are possible…
The answer is…
a) ‘a picture’ … A picture is worth a thousand words..in any language.
b) people (as mentioned earlier) – people can speak every language
c) more specifically… ‘tongue’ is the part of the people that does the talking in conjunction with ‘mouth’, ‘larynx’, etc…
GA said,
March 12, 2009 at 12:44 pm
….I forgot the last one…
d) an echo … it ‘speaks’ every language that it ‘hears’….
Rachael said,
March 13, 2009 at 7:03 am
i like the baby answer ;)
but i really don’t think tongue makes sense. just because i have a tongue doesn’t mean i can speak any language- you might as well say the answer is a person or a voice.
i think a smile is a very good answer. its universal and undeniable in it’s meaning- and everyone can smile.
thezenutz said,
April 9, 2009 at 11:58 am
how about a micophone??
Marcus said,
November 24, 2011 at 2:27 am
Babelfish
Aaron durham said,
May 6, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Body ( language )
Sovkel said,
March 5, 2013 at 9:52 am
GA’s last comment had all answers that are correct. The most popular answer (from where I am from) is tongue. For it is the thing that can speak all languages; from speech, math… love… <– kind of a stretch but meh not wrong.
The only answer that can compete with 'tongue' is 'echo' but that has to hear first before it can speak.