{"id":2880,"date":"2014-08-08T01:55:27","date_gmt":"2014-08-08T01:55:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/?p=2880"},"modified":"2019-07-26T04:24:32","modified_gmt":"2019-07-26T04:24:32","slug":"writings-systems-an-introduction-to-their-linguistic-analysis-by-florian-coulmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2014\/08\/08\/writings-systems-an-introduction-to-their-linguistic-analysis-by-florian-coulmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Writings Systems – an introduction to their linguistic analysis by Florian Coulmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editorial notes<\/strong>: The content below is what looks like the beginning of a collection of quotes and thoughts gathered from Florian Coulmas’ [I]<\/sup><\/a> Writings Systems; an introduction to their linguistic analysis<\/a>“[II]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Chapter 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aristotle “On Interpretation” :<\/strong><\/p>\n

Words spoken are symbols of affections or impressions of the soul; written words\u00a0are symbols of words spoken. And just as letters are not the same for all men,\u00a0sounds are not the same either, although the affections directly expressed by these\u00a0indications are the same for everyone, as are the things of which these impressions\u00a0are images.<\/em><\/p>\n

Liu Hsieh “Carving of the Literary Dragon” :<\/strong><\/p>\n

When the mind is at work, speech is uttered. When speech is uttered, writing is\u00a0produced.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The Tao inspires writing and writing illuminates the Tao. What in mind is idea\u00a0when expressed in speech is poetry. Isn\u2019t this what we are doing when dashing\u00a0off writing to record reality?<\/em><\/p>\n

Writing originated when drawing of bird trace replaced string knitting.<\/em><\/p>\n

Plato “Phaedrus” :<\/strong><\/p>\n

Written words are unnecessary, except to\u00a0remind him who knows the matter about which they are written.<\/em><\/p>\n

[Consider the original creation of a written word. It is an act that takes what was previously always transient and gives it a lasting form. The readers already know that words can be extracted from their ephemeral form, but the original speakers did not realize this possibility. Now consider the possibility of extracting words from yet another limitation; remove another shackle that was mistakenly thought necessary.]\n

Ferdinand de Saussure :<\/strong><\/p>\n

Language and writing are two distinct systems of signs; the second exists for\u00a0the sole purpose of representing the first. The linguistic object is not both the\u00a0written and the spoken forms of words; the spoken forms alone constitute the\u00a0object.<\/em><\/p>\n

[The contents of this chapter are not entirely convincing in themselves directly, but I suggest that instead, the cases be considered as illustrations and that the lesson learned requires experiencing these thought experiments as a method for achieving the goal perception (to which I return shortly). I generalize the illustrations by describing them as cultural and historical paradigms in which a substantially different conception of writing is co-represented with a substantially different conception of the meaning of language. So while it might be a shame that I am reticent (i.e. being generous but reasonable to the author) to admit the likelihood of the interpretations produced in the book, having realized that they might serve a greater purpose, I am able to (1) sandbox my considerations of the cases, and appreciate them even if I need some mode of suspended disbelief, and (2) recreate the necessary pathway by my own strategy to achieve the same purpose. NOW I stop and note that it would be more than helpful if I could remember more about the supposed goal…!]\n