Comments on: In-vitro language surgery http://james.lab6.com/2003/09/15/surgery james.lab6.com Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:34:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: James http://james.lab6.com/2003/09/15/surgery#comment-244 James Wed, 25 Feb 2004 10:05:02 +0000 http://james.lab6.com/2003/09/15/surgery/#comment-244 Ah, long time since I wrote this. Writing is flatly two-dimensional so it obviously can't compete on bandwidth terms with the fuzzy waveforms of human speech. Something like Iain M. Banks' 'glyphs' from Look to Windward seem to apply all the non-discrete advantages of speech to the written form. > That's where its engine is, its drive. I like that. But I don't see why language should be based on speech forever. Smells of sound-chauvinism to me :) Ah, long time since I wrote this. Writing is flatly two-dimensional so it obviously can’t compete on bandwidth terms with the fuzzy waveforms of human speech.

Something like Iain M. Banks’ ‘glyphs’ from Look to Windward seem to apply all the non-discrete advantages of speech to the written form.

> That’s where its engine is, its drive.

I like that. But I don’t see why language should be based on speech forever. Smells of sound-chauvinism to me :)

]]> By: An Dor http://james.lab6.com/2003/09/15/surgery#comment-243 An Dor Tue, 24 Feb 2004 10:57:59 +0000 http://james.lab6.com/2003/09/15/surgery/#comment-243 Language is primarily a spoken thing. That's where its engine is, its drive. Writing, a very recent innovation, can only ever be a pale reflection of the spoken (or sung or chanted, intoned or shouted) form. The reason readed is ugly is not because it "looks" wrong, but because it doesn't reflect the spoken form. That writing has problems with accurate reflection is not speaking's fault. Once the written form dictates what should be spoken, then language is doomed. I thought Orwell pointed this out. Language is primarily a spoken thing. That’s where its engine is, its drive. Writing, a very recent innovation, can only ever be a pale reflection of the spoken (or sung or chanted, intoned or shouted) form. The reason readed is ugly is not because it “looks” wrong, but because it doesn’t reflect the spoken form. That writing has problems with accurate reflection is not speaking’s fault. Once the written form dictates what should be spoken, then language is doomed. I thought Orwell pointed this out.

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