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Oct. 8th, 2009 02:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
things I read recently on the power of words and languages!
In my English reading book Major Themes for Modern Writers, the author Harvey Wiener wrote an introduction to a group of essays about language and said:
the word is divine! see, that's one of the few things about Christianity that I love so much. words are important to them. REALLY important. I mean, some of the more annoying Christians manage to turn even that into this huge fuck-up, but still. words are important! I love religions that place an importance on language. *happy sigh*
anyway, it was one of the essays right after that one that I originally wrote down things from, because the guy writing it quoted something Samuel Johnson had said, and the something was awesome.
a lot of the essay was talking about how languages change, which I really feel like just shoving in my dad's face and making him read it (this is the man who refuses to use the word 'fun' because it used to mean 'profane'. YES. I am not kidding - I could not make stuff like this up). and then there were two small things that made me sigh happily too in the essay itself (which was by Tony Earley).
so yay for language stuffs!
In my English reading book Major Themes for Modern Writers, the author Harvey Wiener wrote an introduction to a group of essays about language and said:
Yet we cannot help asking what exactly is language. ... It is a gift of the supernatural, societies with a strong belief in magic assert. In the Judeo-Christian world, the idea has lingered: In the beginning was the word, the Bible teaches; the word is divine.
the word is divine! see, that's one of the few things about Christianity that I love so much. words are important to them. REALLY important. I mean, some of the more annoying Christians manage to turn even that into this huge fuck-up, but still. words are important! I love religions that place an importance on language. *happy sigh*
anyway, it was one of the essays right after that one that I originally wrote down things from, because the guy writing it quoted something Samuel Johnson had said, and the something was awesome.
Sounds are too volatile and subtle for legal restraints; to enchain syllables, and to lash the wind, are equally the undertakings of pride.
a lot of the essay was talking about how languages change, which I really feel like just shoving in my dad's face and making him read it (this is the man who refuses to use the word 'fun' because it used to mean 'profane'. YES. I am not kidding - I could not make stuff like this up). and then there were two small things that made me sigh happily too in the essay itself (which was by Tony Earley).
Words and blood are the double helix that connect us to the past.
Sometimes the truest answer to "Who are you?" is "I don't know."
Sometimes the truest answer to "Who are you?" is "I don't know."
so yay for language stuffs!
among other things, Jensen Ackles running full-tilt is an amazing sight to behold, and I don't even know why. I like it when guys run! shut up. yes I'm shallow.
ALSO, ahsklghldkfjsldghs man! in the awesomeness of Castiel and all the crazy wicked cool stuff Seasons 4 and 5 have brought us, I'd completely forgotten how completely awesome Seasons 2 and 3 were! (there will be no talking about Season 1. yes, it was awesome. yes, it was predominately centered on the monster of the week and I had a great deal of difficulty watching most episodes.)
more things I had forgotten about TV! LEE. APOLLO. the man is gorgeous!
AND LASTLY, MORGANA HOLY SHIT THAT WAS COMPLETELY AWESOME. WHEEEEEEEEEEE!
beyond that, I have no words for how awesome Merlin and SPN were this week. (no, I have yet to watch either this week's or last week's Glee episode, though now that I have a recap in hand I'll probably watch last week's tonight or tomorrow. no, I haven't watched this week's Heroes - very little Peter, apparently. I dunno. I like this show, I just wish it would live up to it's completely awesome potential. if I had any say so I would have axed anyone who had a say in the Villains arc and then Heroes itself and then done a spin-off. or something.)
OH YEAH. I do have some words! Castiel was awesome in this episode! future Castiel, now Castiel! completely awesome. possibly the best line ever? "This isn't funny, Dean! The Voice says I'm almost out of minutes!"
(what? it sounded like a capitalized word to me!)
ALSO, ahsklghldkfjsldghs man! in the awesomeness of Castiel and all the crazy wicked cool stuff Seasons 4 and 5 have brought us, I'd completely forgotten how completely awesome Seasons 2 and 3 were! (there will be no talking about Season 1. yes, it was awesome. yes, it was predominately centered on the monster of the week and I had a great deal of difficulty watching most episodes.)
more things I had forgotten about TV! LEE. APOLLO. the man is gorgeous!
AND LASTLY, MORGANA HOLY SHIT THAT WAS COMPLETELY AWESOME. WHEEEEEEEEEEE!
beyond that, I have no words for how awesome Merlin and SPN were this week. (no, I have yet to watch either this week's or last week's Glee episode, though now that I have a recap in hand I'll probably watch last week's tonight or tomorrow. no, I haven't watched this week's Heroes - very little Peter, apparently. I dunno. I like this show, I just wish it would live up to it's completely awesome potential. if I had any say so I would have axed anyone who had a say in the Villains arc and then Heroes itself and then done a spin-off. or something.)
OH YEAH. I do have some words! Castiel was awesome in this episode! future Castiel, now Castiel! completely awesome. possibly the best line ever? "This isn't funny, Dean! The Voice says I'm almost out of minutes!"
(what? it sounded like a capitalized word to me!)
no subject
Date: 2009-10-08 07:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-08 09:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-08 09:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-08 10:36 pm (UTC)*weeps*
whyyyyyyy can't he be real?
ALSO
Date: 2009-10-08 09:47 pm (UTC)"Yes, generally."
I bet Misha had LOADS of fun filming that episode.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-08 08:30 pm (UTC)HOW TRUE IS THIS.
this class on translation has been absurd with all its "the answer to a theory of translation is THERE IS NONE" and "the solution to this problem is FOLLOW YOUR INTUITION" and "translation is a progress towards an IMPOSSIBLE GOAL". and yet we keep reading this stuff that tries theorizing and comes to the same non-conclusion. So it's refreshing to see this put so succinctly in your quote.
Also I totally agree about the changing languages thing. You should take a linguistics class, it totally tears down norms and rules and any standard for language. It's very freeing and sort of tore me away from that linguo-centric nostalgia that glorifies tradition and even archaicisms. That class taught me more about prejudice than anything else has.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 06:41 pm (UTC)hahaha! oh, classes that don't really give you an answer. and then going on and on about how there is no answer. silly people, the point of having no answer is that you have nothing to say. (but that would mean no textbook to make money with, so. :P)
oh, man, I can't wait to take some sort of linguistics classes. I don't think DSC actually offers any, which is so sad. D: but linguistics is one of the things I'm going to require in my college, so. heh.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 09:10 pm (UTC)Linguistics is interesting! I didn't end up going into it because once you tear down those things and say All languages are too different to be comparable, all forms and stages of language are too different to be comparable, all the rules you try to put on language are stupid because it's all up to the user and the agreement between the speaker and interlocutor - after you say all those things it just turns languages into these things you deconstruct and dissect, observe and model with science and math, at least in the intro courses here. ugh. yeah, that's why I'm not a linguistics major.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 02:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 06:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-09 04:44 am (UTC)YES.
Words are sooo important, and while I totally think that they have histories and those histories have power and sometimes we have to say "It doesn't matter what this word means now, what matters is what it used to mean" (or the other way around, sometimes)...sometimes also the words have changed and the meanings are different and that is okay. So, um, I don't know, I guess is what I'm trying to say.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 06:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-11 03:48 am (UTC)YES. <333 Oh, this reminds me of how at
nerdcamp we read some essays on stories/language, and how it needs to be passed from generation to generation, and how it connects people across the world and lets us understand what they see, and how it is our connection to the past and that people preserve them to feel a oneness with their ancestors. YES.Did that make sense?no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 06:53 pm (UTC)