Those interested in language in sci-fi could do worse than to read The Sparrow (Mary Doria Russell), about a Jesuit exploration mission to a foreign world disco

Those interested in language in sci-fi could do worse than to read The Sparrow (Mary Doria Russell), about a Jesuit exploration mission to a foreign world discovered after a song signal captured by SETI efforts. The protagonist is a Jesuit linguist, and the story features a first encounter that I found quite moving.