How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The aunt knew too well how Kildenreans disliked anything outside the common, and she tried to keep Ani's progress hidden. But the household staff noted it, and rumors began that perhaps the queer green-clad nurse-mary possessed unnatural methods of awakening a child's words. (1.11)
It might seem weird to us that no one trusts the aunt just because she knows how to talk to the animals, but if we're being honest, we kind of get it—it's not like most people can talk to nature.
Quote #2
"Some people are born with the first word of a language resting on their tongue, though it may take some time before they can taste it. There are three kinds, three gifts. Did you know your mother has the first? The gift of people-speaking. Many rulers do. You see? And people listen to them, and believe them, and love them. I remember as children it was difficult to argue with your mother—her words confused me, and our parents always believed her over me. That can be the power of people-speaking." (1.29)
In case you had any questions about language in the book, Ani's aunt lays it all out for us here. Some people speak this, some people speak that, but all have a purpose. The only question is: which can Ani speak?
Quote #3
She had listened when he spoke his name, that word that had lain on his tongue while he still slept in the womb. And when she repeated it, he had heard her. After this initial connection, it was not long before she discovered they could speak to each other without other people hearing a sound. (2.34)
Telling us about her secret language with Falada, Ani describes that it's not all horses she can magically speak to—in fact, it's because she's got a special bond with her horse that they can communicate at all. Hmm… that makes us think she's also got a special bond with the geese and the wind too.