Also a Freeze-Frame Bonus: When Picard examines Dathon's journal, we see their written language resembles an organizational or flow chart rather than a linear series of symbols— exactly what you'd expect from a language based on expressing ideas in the form of connections to other ideas, and minds that would have such a language.
Some reviewers have pointed out that the Tamarian language also explains some of the interactions between Dathon and his first officer during the first meeting with the Enterprise. We see them getting into a heated argument with one another regarding the course of action Dathon is proposing. A very unprofessional thing to do by Starfleet standards; you'd be hard-pressed to ever see Riker contradict Picard so passionately in front of the crew - or in front of aliens they were trying to make a good impression on, for that matter. But since the Tamarian language is so focused on their mythology and legends, they likely identify with their Culture Heroes more intimately than Humans do. Their language is full of references to bold Heroic Archetypes, so they're naturally more inclined to act them out in real life. There is also a brief mention that from what Starfleet's been able to tell, the Tamarians stress cultural identity over individual identity, so this seems likely... it's acceptable for a subordinate to argue with their commanding officer because they're doing what a heroic figure in a story would do, therefore it's not taken personally or as a reflection on them as individuals. And the commanding officer is following his own Heroic Archetype, proving his wisdom and experience over a younger Commander Contrarian.
The Tamarians are repeatedly called "the children of Tama", a quite unusual language construction on the show. There are Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans, etc. This is an indication the Tamarians have a quite different concept of language.
The Tamarians chose to initiate contact with Starfleet because they observed other Alpha Quadrant powers for some time and decided the Federation was the most likely to attempt peaceful contact.
