You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'language' category.
Language is a construct, and because of this it is ultimately limited in its ability to express all ideas. Some ideas are well characterized linguistically, but this is not true of all ideas–in fact, many ideas and concepts cannot even be reasonably translated between languages! As a corollary to this, any derivative of a language system (such as logical manipulation of language symbols) is also a construct. Thus, if we limit our view of the world to only that which can be known through language (or logic, or mathematics) we risk minimizing our exposure to ideas that can only be expressed otherwise.
Fortunately, this type of worldview is almost impossible to maintain, at least for someone with even minimal exposure to the arts. In addition to music, visual art, and dance, poetry (including lyrics) provides an intermediary between the world of language and art. Poetic expression uses the same lexicon as spoken language, but the devices of metaphor and (somewhat) free reign on syntax and form create an art of language, in a sense. Powerful ideas captured in poetics have the ability to transcend the literality of words and convey an untranslatable message.
Musical and theatrical performances, then, strive to achieve this super-linguistic degree of communication (with varying degrees of success). But I think it is important to realize that a wordless song or dance can convey an idea just as real, true, and applicable as a book or speech. Ideas come from people, not from words.
David’s recent musings at The Edge of Grace got me thinking about the way we transmit and share information and experiences–as well as mystery. Language is a vehicle for communicating many ideas, ultimately language breaks down in its ability to share the experience of mystery.
This limitation of linguistic communication made me realize the importance of alternate communication modes, namely through various art forms. When I play music with others, there is a deep level of communication that is maintained through the sounds even though no words are spoken. The communication that develops over time among musical friends is without parallel in linguistics and cannot be sufficiently described in prose. Yet I am confident that any practitioner of an art form also finds expression and mystery that cannot translate into words.
And speaking of music, Cootie Brown albums are now available online! They are available directly from the Ekora webstore as well as on CD Baby.
Why is it that many (most?) people prefer to categorize themselves whenever possible? Categories are a useful construct for discussion, but given the emphasis our culture places on individuality, it is interesting how often people apply a broad category in their own description. These may be ideologies (republican, democrat, libertarian, anarchist), philosophies (nihilist, materialist, Hindu, Christian), or qualities (race, gender, nationality)–nearly everyone (at least in our culture) puts themselves in such categories.
There is a language benefit in referring to a population by a category, but often an individual will cling to the identity of a category. Is it really useful to have a binary construct of politics (republican or democrat only), gender (masculine or feminine only), or religion (theist or athiest only)? When such binaries are constructed, most of us tend to fall somewhere on a spectrum between the two (sometimes arbitrary) opposites; yet we find a need to identify with a single side than to exist along the spectrum.
Perhaps categories create and enhance a sense of community, but they might also act to impede creativity.
Language reflects the way we think, but it does not necessarily constrain us from thinking in new ways. There is a problem, though, when trying to express a foreign idea in an unsuitable language. Languages evolve quite rapidly, so they are well-suited to express the most commonly held current worldview; implicit assumptions in a language thus make it difficult to formulate a new worldview into words.
This does not mean that new ideas and new worldviews are never formed, of course, for paradigm shift has certainly occurred in the past. Part of the challenge of introducing new ideas is transcending the implicit language barrier of any human culture. Metaphor, simile, and storytelling are excellent vehicles for communicating ideas that are not easily framed in a culturally-dependent language. Conveying ideas via story is more difficult than direct expression, but sometimes direct expression is not possible.
Language is often an excellent indicator of thought patterns for a society. Implicit in any language are certain assumptions that people often take for granted.
I have commented on the use of the words anthropogenic and natural as they relate to human activity in the world. Since the distinctions anthropogenic vs. natural and anthropogenic vs. non-anthropogenic both carry unspoken assumptions, I present an alternative word.
Mesopogenic effects are caused by human societies who trace their agrarian roots to the Agricultural Revolution ~10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. Today, this includes nearly every human society that practices a non-sustainable type of farming known as totalitarian agriculture.
Thus the distinction becomes mesopogenic vs. non-mesopogenic. An increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide from fossil fuel consumption is mesopogenic. The rise of atmospheric oxygen in the late Archean was non-mesopogenic.
Of course, I don’t expect anyone to adopt this termonology; I just thought I should present a positive definition instead of several negative ones.
Recent Comments