Civil Conversation was a style of spoken language in Tellarite culture. It used a specific intonation, and also made extensive use of insults and Tellarite humor. In Tellarite conversation, the use or non-use of Civil inflection often made the difference between constructive insult and improper personal attack. (TOS novel: Prime Directive, ST - Myriad Universes novel: The Tears of Eridanus)