Another Short History of Linguistics (42)

How to introduce mathematics into language or we may say how to improve our language by mathematics? In fact mathematics had been dwelling the language for long time, even longer than the language itself. In ancient time, before language appeared, people kept records by tying knots. When they read their dairy, they would find some knots there.

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It tell us that in many times, we don’t need to know what we have done but only knowing how many things we have done. For instance, when we are away from home, to buy some goods, normally if you remember the goods, it will easily to make mistake. Such as cabbage, potato, egg, cheese, bread, tissue and paper. But if you remember there are seven item need to be bought, you will made no mistake. In this way, number is regarded as different profile of one’s memory. Of course the ancient Egyptian know this. The ancient Chinese knew this too. So they invented the Eight Diagrams 八卦 as a binary digital system to counting or describing things.

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 For instance they describe a certain organization from starting to the end as seven steps as:

1潜龙勿用；the dragon hiding in deep water – it means that it is not the time for action.

2见龙在田；Saw Dragon in the Fields

3夕惕若厉；from morning to evening the dragon take care about its behaviour.

4或跃在渊；in a hole or hidden place, the dragon can practice or exercise a while.

5飞龙在天；the dragon flying above heaven.

6亢龙有悔；The proud dragon repents itself have shown off too much.

7群龙无首.   No leader among a group of dragons: it means a group of men in a common cause without a leader. The typical example maybe that when Napoleon paid good money to his generals, as they were rich, they didn’t want to fight for him anymore.  

The question is that Chinese didn’t do further study, as what is between 1 and 2, or 2 and 3? Can we get the further detail? While the Greek did, they studied every detail between any points and later get the Limit Theory and calculus.

This problem might come from the tradition of Chinese didn’t allow anyone to question their ancestors. For instance, in the “易经” it said the world started from one, then two, then four then eight. While in the book of “道德经” it said, the world started from one, then two, then three, then everything. Throughout the two thousand years, no one had ever asked a question which one is right 易经or 道德经? If only someone ask this question, the China will have a different result. So I believe if no one challenge the authority in a society, this society will be corrupted easily.