This quote, reported to be from Benjamin Franklin, seems, at times, utterly prophetic and at other times, out of touch. What happens when the enemy does not want to oppress, does not want to overtax, but simply wants to exterminate. How much should mankind be willing to give up of their liberties to face such a menace? These questions are usually asked and answered by adults, but in Ender's game, this sacrifice of liberties is asked of gifted children, and their families; children who are asked to sacrifice not only their lives, but their childhoods, their innocence, and for some, their very humanity. The language that the characters speak in Ender's Game is a reflection of their stations in life as well as an almost desperate means of connecting to a world that is willing to sacrifice small children for security and survival.
The “normal” children in Ender's Game speak both standard English as well as copious amounts of slang. The conversations between Ender and the “normal” children help develop a frame of reference as to the type of speech the children of earth spoke at the time. What is interesting about their slang is that it has certain characteristics that mark it the speech of a lower social group. The main characteristic that shows this difference in their use of “in” instead of “ing” this is a sign of a lower social economic class. Stilson, Ender's first adversary displays this type of speech: "Hey, Third, we're talkin to you, Third, hey bugger-lover, we're talkin to you. The “normal” children also use a rhyming cadence that the battle school cadets also use. For instance, Stilson taunts Ender. And the children of battle school taunt Ender with rhymes, as well. Ender's trip to the orbiting battle school introduced him to students nearly as gifted as him as well as entirely new forms of speech.
The Battle School has its own slang that is used to unite and also segregate the students in the Battle School. Words such as ; toon and launchie, along with phrases such as ice out and skinning become like a second language to Ender. He encounters this slang the moment that he arrives at Battle school because it is part of the initiation rites that all military members must go through in order to fit into their new social class. The military jargon that the Battle School cadets use is universal, used by student and teacher alike because they are all part of this larger social group, and it helps to solidify their bonds to one another and make them a more cohesive social unit. However the students are children, and they use slang between one another to bond and to connect with their lost childhoods by bringing a semblance of normalcy to their lives by imitating the speech of the children that they should be. Ender is purposely isolated from the group in order to enhance his leadership skills, and as a result, he rarely speaks in the slang of the students, but when he does, the author points out that he is using their speech deliberately to fit in with them, and not because he uses this type of speech routinely. “But the way I brain it," said the Launchy, "I be the best soldier I can, and any commander worth a damn, he take me. Neh?" "Eh," said Ender, with finality. Ender's use of slang to endear himself to the students seems like a way for him to overcome the mental, emotional and social barriers between himself and the rest of the children at Battle School. After becoming the best of the cadets and beloved by his army, his army show their admiration for him by making him an object of their spontaneous horse play. “He got to his friends at the door... They were laughing and slapping him playfully. "You bad!" they said. "You scary! You flame!" Here, it is obvious that the campaign to isolate him has been a great success. Ender does not lose his composure as a leader and join into the horseplay, yet the fact that they feel comfortable about treating him this way without expecting him to engage them shows that their language can connect all of them together without overstepping the boundaries that must exist between the commander and the commanded. Since speaking slang is a means of the children to bond, and to become comfortable with their new reality, Ender speaks, at times, to the students in the same slang that they use, but the author points out to the reader that Ender is only using this slang in order to fit in with the students.
