Zelston: While your Narrator's explanation may be more realistic, it goes against the spirit of the Specialty system in the first place. It has been said many times (mostly by Ross) that the character should never be penalized for not having a specialty. That's why having the specialty is a bonus instead of a separate score.
So, by the letter of the rules, you're right. But, it is his game and he is encouraged to do what he feels is right. You might be able to use some of the examples shown in this thread to convince him to change his mind, though...
Former Decipher RPG Net Rep
"Doug, at the keyboard, his fingers bleeding" (with thanks to Moriarti)
In D&D3E, Abyssal is not the language of evil vacuum cleaners.