Language (Post class 9-11)

This week in class we discussed the idea of language. Specifically, we spoke about the power of words, their meaning, and what they represent. The idea of language is interesting, when you think of how similar different languages across the globe are in how they work. What is also interesting is the minute differences between these languages, in their grammar. For example, in English there are little to know words which serve only a minor purpose, whereas in a language like Japanese there are several whose purpose is strictly positional or are subject indicators. In languages like French and Hebrew, words which have no gender in English such as nouns, adjectives or even verbs, are sexed. This feature of their language seems to serve no purpose and rather complicate the language to a new learner. The fundamental idea that a word represents an idea and the structure of a sentence expresses a sophisticated thought process seems to be unique to humans and higher mammals (such as gorillas and dolphins). The auditory nature of human language is enabled by the physical structure of our mouths and throat, making speech what is perhaps an incidental product of our biological evolution. Also, the structure of our larger brains is highly responsible for our ability to communicate. I like to think about whom the first human or humans were that began to speak, their circumstances, and how that language developed into the more modern lingual structures that we see today. Written language came about as a way to record agricultural and financial transactions, eventually also being used to publicize the laws of the land and record cultures’ history and spiritual beliefs. Literature came shortly after, by my guess starting off as historic account and simultaneously developing into historical fiction and legend. I’d be interested in seeing what new forms of language develops over the next few thousand years.