Language Rocks!

In my post “The Zen of Communication, Part 2“, I wrote about a fellow who said “hello” as he passed me on his walk. About that encounter, I wrote “I’ve had this simple, spontaneous thing happen to me many times, but every time it happens, it reinforces to me the beauty of friendly connectivity and communication between people.”

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What is “upspeak“? Upspeak is when you make a spoken statement sound like a question by raising the pitch of your voice at the end of a sentence (technically called a high rising terminal). If you want examples, just watch any Wayne’s World or Bill and Ted movie, or eavesdrop on teenagers’ or 20 somethings’ shopping mall conversations.

The written equivalent is the simple question mark? However, there is a world of difference between upspeak and a question mark.

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It’s pointless me writing a treatise on Zen. There are plenty of ways for you to read up on it if you’re so inclined. However, I’m going to write about it anyway, and how its ethos can open up our ideas on how we can learn more about ourselves, life, and the marvelous way that ideas are communicated.

Zen Buddhism doesn’t have any formal sacred texts. It has no equivalent of the Bible or Qur’an. So how do Zen Buddhists learn? Well, Zen is about experience.

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A couple of weeks ago I was teaching my son how to spin for mackerel on the shore just in front of our house.

I’d just casted out and was reeling in when a seagull swooped down. I knew what was about to happen and shouted out “Oh NOOOOO!” I felt a tug on the line and thought the worst. It thought my lure was bona fide food. But, as the gull lifted into the air, minus my treble-hooked spinner attached to it, so did my heart.

I didn’t relish the thought of having to wrestle a “live kite” to the ground with a fishing rod, then have to put the poor bird out of its misery in front of my young son.

So, now when we see gulls or gannets circling overhead, or shags, guillemots or eider ducks diving, we just take a breather from fishing and watch the birds show us how it’s really done.

“See it all, till tomorrow”

Author Stephen King once was asked the question (and I’m paraphrasing) “I’ve always wanted to write but just can’t sit down and actually do it. Any advice?”

His reply: “a writer writes.”

That, to me, is pure genius. Genius most often lies in taking a complex idea and making it simple. It’s all about attitude, in my opinion. If you want to write, start writing. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering stuff. Above all, be yourself and just put something down. If you’re not happy with it, change it. If you think your story, article or blog is going nowhere, just take a break and revisit it when you’re in the mood. Don’t force it. Do it when you want to, you’ll enjoy it more, and the result will be more pleasing to you and your readers.

“See it all, till tomorrow”

Linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt said that language is “infinite use of finite means,” perhaps because it has to satisfy the infinite array of potential human experiences. To me this suggests that the roots of language lie deep within us as a universal well of kaleidoscopic expression, and that speech is not solely a learned or conditioned behavior, but is an essential aspect of the journeying pilgrim within each of us: the inner immortal hero that relishes life’s battles, quietly learns from victory and defeat alike, and suffers human weaknesses while urging onward courageously day by day, life after life, towards the light.

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Spoken language has existed since the earliest times, and all the oldest written texts were originally transmitted orally. This oral transmission requires, by modern standards, superior powers of memory since, for example, the Rig Veda alone comprises almost half a million words. In Plato’s Phaedrus (§274) Egyptian King Thamus tells Theuth, the inventor of writing, of the superiority of memory:

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OK, my next two posts are for the geeks, although I hope anyone with an enquiring mind will derive even a little understanding and put it to good use.

A few years ago I embarked on a study of speech and language, because I wanted to learn as much as I could about current and ancient thoughts on what language and speech are and how they developed. The finished article was originally published in October/November 2003, December 2003/January 2004 in Sunrise, the official magazine of the Theosophical Society with International Headquarters in Pasadena, USA.

This piece is long (6436 words according to MS Word), so I’ll split it into two posts.

Part one deals with the history of language and speech and it’s development, drawing from ancient and modern sources.

Part two addresses how we use speech and language, it’s impact on the world around us, and the ethics involved in their use.

As I’m no expert, this study is by no means exhaustive, and only scratches the surface, but I hope it gives a deeper insight into the amazing natural gifts we call speech and language.

“See it all, till tomorrow”

Ingredients
(Serves 2 big portions)

8 tomatoes
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
Tomato purée
Hot chili powder
Olive oil
2-3 bird’s eye chilis
1 Bay leaf
Basil, freshly chopped
Thick cut bacon or smoked suasage (Matteson’s smoked pork sausage is the best)
Double cream
Tabasco (optional)
6-8 oz penne pasta

How to do it!

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I just added a recipes section to Language Rocks!

You’re now asking “what has food got to do with communication?” The answer is it has everything to do. Escpecially these days.

Sharing a meal with friends or loved ones has always been a time not just for eating, but for talking and communicating. “What did you do today?”, “what do you think of this…?”, “did you hear the one about…?”  Today’s busy lifestyles don’t always make this possible, but it’s worth it as it brings us closer together and makes memories.

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