Writing is an Idea
Quote from Ideas A History From Fire To Freud by Peter Watson:Writing is an idea, a very important idea, which was invented before 3000 BC. Today, however, we tend not to regard letters or words as inventions, as we do computers or mobile phones, because they have been so long with us. But inventions are evidence of ideas. I have treated language an an idea, because language reflects the way that people think, and the ways in which languages differ characterize the social and intellectual history of different populations. In addition, most ideas are conceived in language. Thus I consider th history and structure of the world's most intellectually influential languages: Chinese, Sanskrit, Arabic, Latin, French and English.
posted by april zhang @ 2/24/2008 06:50:00 PM
2 Comments:
But what is language?
Is it the speaking piece?
Does it include reading?
Does it include writing?
In any culture, pretty much everyone, except for the very young, speaks.
In some cultures, large numbers of people can read, although to aim for universal literacy (say, being able to read newspapers) is simply a hopeless task. (There is a great deal of doubt that someone with an IQ of 85 could be able to read newspapers, for example).
In all cultures, a relatively small number of people actually write.
I think language is a tool that lifted humans thousands of years ago.
Because of language, humans could work together better, spread further. It may start from the rock carvings long time ago. And that may be the very first writing format.
Isn't language the thing that bond all of us together?
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