Page 490 - Enders_Game_Full_Book

She didn't answer.
Shouter went back into the large log house. Ender turned around and again headed for the forest. Almost immediately Shouter's voice rang out again.
"She commands you to wait," said Human.
Ender did not break stride, and in a moment he was on the other side of the piggy males. "If she asks me to return, I may come back. But you must tell her, Human, that I did not come to command or to be commanded."
"I can't say that," said Human.
"Why not?" asked Ender.
"Let me," said Ouanda. "Human, do you mean you can't say it because you're afraid, or because there are no words for it?"
"No words. For a brother to speak to a wife about him commanding her, and her petitioning him, those words can't be said in that direction."
Ouanda smiled at Ender. "Not mores, here, Speaker. Language."
"Don't they understand your language, Human?" asked Ender.
"Males' Language can't be spoken in the birthing place," said Human.
"Tell her that my words can't be spoken in Wives' Language, but only in Males' Language, and tell her that I-- petition-- that you be allowed to translate my words in Males' Language."
"You are a lot of trouble, Speaker," said Human. He turned and spoke again to Shouter.
Suddenly the glen was full of the sound of Wives' Language, a dozen different songs, like a choir warming up.
"Speaker," said Ouanda, "you have now violated just about every rule of good anthropological practice."
"Which ones did I miss?"
"The only one I can think of is that you haven't killed any of them yet."
"What you're forgetting," said Ender, "is that I'm not here as a scientist to study them. I'm here as an ambassador to make a treaty with them."