Babel-17 is a 1966 science fiction novel by Samuel R. Delany in which the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (that language strongly influences thought and perceived reality) plays an important part. It was joint winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1966 (with Flowers for Algernon) and was also nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1967.
Delany hoped to have Babel-17 originally published as a single volume with the novella Empire Star, but t...
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Babel-17 is a 1966 science fiction novel by Samuel R. Delany in which the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (that language strongly influences thought and perceived reality) plays an important part. It was joint winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1966 (with Flowers for Algernon) and was also nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1967.
Delany hoped to have Babel-17 originally published as a single volume with the novella Empire Star, but this did not happen until the 2001 reprint.
During an interstellar war one side develops a language, Babel-17, that can be used as a weapon. Learning it turns one into an unwilling traitor as it alters perception and thought. The change is made more dangerous by the language's seductive enhancement of other abilities. This is discovered by the beautiful starship captain, linguist, poet, and telepath Rydra Wong. She is recruited by her government to discover how the enemy are infiltrating and sabotaging strategic sites. Initially Babel-17 is...
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