"Specialized how?"

"It can only communicate to other devices of its type, or to specific computers. Phones can talk to any other phones or to any other computers or interact with anything computers can, as well as have games and books in them or other interesting applications, and record images and sound and take notes..."

"Why would you want the kind that can do fewer things?"

"It's smaller and cheaper, for one. And also it's more secure—people can retrieve information and remotely access your phone without your permission, if they know how, whereas the comm is much harder to intercept like that."

"Oh, huh, okay."

And at a narratively appropriate moment, the elevator arrives, and he leads her to her room. It's not particularly big, but it contains a bed and a desk with a computer and its own bathroom and a wardrobe and a bedside table and a telephone and pens and pencils and paper.

All useful commodities. "Thank you. What's that and that?" The computer and the phone, which isn't a rectangle.

"That's a phone, but a less sophisticated one, it only makes and receive calls. It can make calls to the rectangle phones or any other phones connected to the same network. That is a computer, which is more like the rectangle phone except it can do more things, has a bigger screen, and is generally better. I can show you how to use it but it won't have menus in Welchin."

"If there's no immediate prospect of getting me home I should learn the local language anyway."

"That would be a good idea, probably. I could try to help!"

"I'd appreciate it."

"Okay! Is there anything you want to do right now? They're going to see if they can figure out the technological solution I mentioned earlier so they'll tell you when that happens."

"Can I get a starting phrasebook of the language?"

"Sure. Lemme see if I can get one here..." He walks over to the phone, taps some keys, and says something into it.

"Thank you."

A couple of minutes later there's a knock and he gets an English phrasebook from the person on the other side.

She sits ready to take down Welchin translations.

He starts reading the phrasebook in Welchin then pronouncing the sentences in English.

She translates and transliterates each one as he goes in neat little handwriting.

The book is fairly short and it doesn't take long for them to be done.

She tries pronouncing things. "Good morning," she attempts.

"Good morning!" he chirps right back. "How are you?" he asks, slowly.

She looks that up, then recites: "I am fine!"

"Where are you from?"

"Welce," she says. "Where are you from?"