ed meanings for words that makes communication possible But definition for Leto was much more like stipulative definition Many of Leto s statements underscore this difference He remarked on various occasions, "Words can carry any burden we wish," or again, "All words are plastic Word images begin to distort m the instance of utterance '9 Leto was perhaps the most divided creature the universe has known he was pulled al ways in two opposing directions With a hfespan of millennia, he was himself witness to linguistic changes that go unnoticed to ordinary men and women the Galach of 13700 would have been unintelligible to those born in 10208, the year of Leto's birth To talk to others (and it must be remembered that it was only through speech that he could commune with others) he had to continuously revise his languages in pace with the changes of those around him On the one hand, this feeling that his native speech, part of his own personality, was slipping steadily away from him could be slopped only if language change was stopped But this was impossible, although he tried with the immense powers at his command to bring social change to a halt On the other hand, this one cause of separation from his fellows could be removed if everyone shared his problem-if language change was fast enough so that all would feel that speech was a foundation that shifted beneath their feet Hence his empha sis on plasticity of meaning, and his hatred of sjstems "Dangers lurk in all systems Systems incorporate the unexammed beliefs of their creators Adopt a system, accept its beliefs, and you help strengthen the rests tance to change "I0 Yet this observation would bring his attention back to the fact that he FREMEN MENSTRUATION FREMEN MENSTRUATION was creating and maintaining the most rigorous system the worlds have ever seen The Fremen and the Atreides illustrate well the conclusion that Duke Leto came to at the juncture of their histories "You can plumb us by our language "u WE M NOTES 'Cited in Princess Irulan Atreides-Comno, Conversations with Muad Dib (Work-m-Progress, Arrakis Studies, Lib Conf Tbmp Ser 346) p 189 2Zhana Feiiin trans Liber Ricarum B G Foundation Studies 4 (Diana Tevis), p 206 3This example is drawn from HaravarsH Kloursh and Eewa W Kluursh Psychology and Language (Topaz Ludlow), ch 14 4Rakis Ref Cat 89 M844 5Cited with numerous examples m Rauvars Shaigal, ed , Fundamentals of the Way A Bern Gesserif Menial Exercise Book (Qnataam Lodm), p 498 Shaigal, p 117 'Cited m Harq al Ada, The Story of Kynes (Work in Progress, Arralus Studies, Lib Conf Temp Ser t09), p 245 Patdot Kynes was a romantic at heart, there is no special iconic quality of Fremen which allows its writing system to picture that which it represents, although a fanci ful imagination may well be stimulated by its graceful forms For example, the Fremen for ' grove" (literally, "the place where trees are gathered" trees were rare on Dune and there was no single word for the concept) was mawda jatm l-al tunar, in the Fremen script- ^P^JU T'& kale-'oe a^f picture trunks and roots, but the resemblance rests in one's eye, not in the language *Ralds Ref Cat 70-A392 "Rakis Ref Cat 10-A3H and 34-A218 10Rafas Ref Cat 34-A218 ''Quoted ti) Princess Irulan Aaeides-Comno, MuafPBib, Famfy ConvMiQanes (Wo^k-in-Progress, Arratas Studies, Lib Conf Temp Ser 437), p 186 FREfflEfl MEMSTRGAT10M.