Another Short History of Linguistics (54)

The grammar says that the verb behind third person singular has to pulse‘s’. I could not find out why they do this. Is there any particular reason that without this‘s’ the listener will make mistake?

It was said the so called grammar is based on logic (as math), yet in the world there are plenty things illogic. That is to say if a language turned to be exactly logic, it will not be able to express something illogic. The more logic a language is, the narrower it can express, for instance the example of math. Today more and more logic expression is replaced by computer, for every step of computer has to follow a certain logic. That is to say the most logic language lost the value of existent. While on the other hand the pictogram keep going on the channel of nature, so we find that any pictogram language exhausted much more memory than alphabet language, for computer is hard to match its development. Or we may say, the development of pictogram is not based on logic but feeling; that is to say, if you feel expression is ok, then it should be ok.

I regard, language as photo picture, they don’t have any logic them self, what they can do is describe things loyally and faithfully.

In my view, grammar represent that alphabetic language looking for a method to put more meaning in less symbols, especially the symbol of sound. Comparing the irregular noun ‘toothes’ and ‘teeth’, irregular verb ‘taked’ and ‘took’ you may find that each of them can save one oral action. But the verb behind third person present tense plus a ‘s’ is one exception. I could not find any reason for it.

In most cases the so called grammar is in fact double expression. For instance, in the case of ‘five books’ where both ‘five’ and ‘s’ expressed the meaning of plural. In the case of ‘yesterday, I tried that apple’ where both ‘yesterday’ and ‘ed’ expressed the meaning of time. In the sentence ‘he takes the job.’ Where both the ‘take’ and ‘s’ expressed the meaning of third person in present tense.

‘I love her.’ Both the ‘I’ and ‘her’ is expressed the meaning of subject and object twice. The form of ‘I’ and ‘her’ tells the listener they are subject and object, while the position in the sentence repeats the same idea again.  

All these double expression in Chinese would be regard as sick-sentence. For in Chinese, normally each meaning should be expressed only once, except the writer require some artistic effect. Their logic is that why some meanings should express twice and others expressed only once, is there any bias? 

Stories of Chinese word and term (1)

黄粱美梦：Golden Millet Dream. 沈既济 lived in Tang Dynasty, in his《story of pillow》he said:

A youth 卢 passing by 邯郸， he stayed at an inn. There he met a famous Taoist god吕洞宾. 卢 complained his life was bad luck, miserable and poor. 吕洞宾 took a pillow from his luggage and said, “Tonight, use this pillow then you can get your glory, splendour, wealth and rank.”

卢 wanted to test this pillow, so before night he laid his head on it. At that time, the Chief of the inn was just cooking the millet. Soon he fell asleep. He dreamt that he married a beautiful girl from a famous and rich family. Next year, he past the royal examination and became high rank officer. Later he had five sons and when they grew up, all of them married notable family and great clan. Finally he had more than one dozen of grandchildren, they were smart and good looking.

Although he had passed some ordeal, but in most case he got what he had dreamt. Then he died and at that time, he woke up. It was but a dream and it was the right time, the millet that cooking by the chief was ready.

He opened his eyes and found that he was still in the simple and crude inn. He said to god吕洞宾 “thank you for let me experience what I wanted and I understand that is life.”

 Pic from: http://www.mainlandtour.com/UploadFiles/ImageBase/2324701832654238264.jpg

Another Short History of Linguistics (53)

Now let’s talking about tense. When we talking about words of animals, we have said that comparing English word and Chinese word we found that the English word normally are not separable, while the Chinese word are. For instance ‘sow’ in Chinese is ‘female pig’. In this way, we can also regard the designer of English put two meanings in one form of word, while the designer of Chinese only put each meaning in one form. It is the same thing when we examine the tense, the only difference is that in the word of ‘sow’ they put two meanings as ‘pig’ and ‘female’ in one form. But in the case of tense, they put one verb and one time in one form of word. With this arrangement many trouble occurred. I know many teachers, lecturers and professors they could not decide using past present or future tenses. Why this happened, for in many case the listener or receiver didn’t want to know what time it happened. They just want to know what action have been done. If you want insert a time then you have to find out a reason for it. And any reason you find, it will violate the simplification process, so the grammar is a method of anti-science.  

Yet why some linguists insisted to make grammar complex? Like the irregular noun, in the ancient time, people say ‘took’ would be easier than ‘taked’ or ‘have take’ in their simple life, they find a new word in order to reduce an action of mouth. When speak slowly, you will find that comparing with ‘taked’ the word ‘took’ will save one action of mouth. This is the original motivation of inventing such a word. But when the grammarian involved this process, they invented a signal ‘ed’ for every verb and they announced that every verb has at least three tenses. And a language without such symbols would not be a logic language. Yet the funny thing is that only in ancient time people separate time into past, present and future, but today, people treating time more carefully. They want exactly the time of one second, or even one percent of one second. If the grammarian wanted to invent new tenses, they have to give every such verb a new form, such as a verb +ea=past 1 second, +eb=past 2 second, +ec=past 3 second, +ed=past 4 second and so on.

Grammar was regarded as the logic of language. Yet the rule of grammar was invented by ancient people, they didn’t know what is microscope, telescope and iPhone, how can they know that such rules could be suitable to any development of human’s expression and another question is that why that in the world, we could not find two different languages with the same grammar. Is that means to say, each language has a different logic?              

The Meaning of Plants (30)

南柯一夢 A dream about south pagoda tree. It is a long story written by 李公佐 of Tang Dynasty（618－907AD）, I can only translate the brief introduction here. The hero named 淳于棼. He was a very chivalrous and generous person. But he always had a bad luck.

One day, in the year of 792, July 9the of the lunar calendar, after a big banquet with friends, 淳于棼 felt tire, servants helped him lay down on the bed. In the obscuration he saw two heralds wearing purple cloth, came to his house and said “We have the order of emperor of 槐安 to invite you a travel to the 槐安empire.” Then, unconsciously, he followed them out of his room. There was a carriage with four horses following by eight servants waiting aside. To淳于棼’s surprise they drove to the big pagoda tree in his front yard and suddenly all the grass and trees turned different with their normal shape. Soon they arrived a big city it was a prosperous empire. They arrived the court and the emperor married his daughter to淳于棼. They lived together for many happy years. 淳于棼 did merit and achievement to the emperor. But one day, his wife, the princess died. The fortune teller said to the emperor that this empire was facing a disaster. Some of the high rank officer blamed淳于棼bringing the bad luck to this empire. The emperor knew淳于棼 was home sick and asked him if he could have a look of his own hometown.

The same heralds brought him home and he woke. It was a dream. Some friends found that the so called 槐安 empire was but the pagoda tree in his yard, and the people of it were but ants in that tree.

That night a thunderstorm destroyed the tree and all the ants were gone, it could be a real disaster of what the fortune teller told them.  

Pic from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yqIH9y19NyJY2zuapVHHGGen2Ki7rHwj3VP8zH8ILKr95ebPXwlIYJirhm9yGuip0bRxqYOVyLpaMRQXj1xE9PRbYzCP-9GtEY0PXY2smpU6MQAjnUcWxvRkHcj-vlfg_6jCAjgIvjI/s1600/Magic-Pillow.jpg     

Another Short History of Linguistics (52)

The development of mathematics; the scientific language is simplification. If you don’t trust simplification, then many calculation could not be achieved. For instance the multiplication is simplifying the addition, equation is simplifying a group of mathematic sentences and calculus is simplifying unlimited calculation. In this way, Leibniz is a great expert, he invent mechanic computer was intending simplify the calculation process, he was also the inventor of calculus, his idea of characteristica universalis or semantic primitive is simplifying the expression system of humankind, although it was inherited from Descartes.

Yet the grammar acts in a diametrically opposite way. The grammar is going to make the expressing system complex. I don’t deny some of grammar could be useful such as SVO order. But in most case, grammar is making our expression complex. Such as plural and tense. Here I just talk about plural.

The grammar said, if plural, we should put (s) to the noun (regular). The reason is when the number is larger than one, a singular noun turned to be plural. There are many scholar have argue this, if the number changed shall it changed the quality of this noun as a different thing? But no one give a good answer to this question. Now I have another question: what about a number smaller than one. I got so many answers, linguists insist, that except one, every number need to put the (s) on the following noun. While scientist believes if the number less than one, you have to regard it as one, for the expression is 1/3 of (one) apple. So every time, when we express a number less than one, we have regard it as singular. This idea was written on my son’s text book, it could be the standard answer, no matter how the linguists argue.

My question is, what if we are talking about variable, for instance (1+(-1/2)ⁿ)? Do you put the (s) on the following noun or not? For the number can be changed if the n is even number, it large than 1, if it is odd number, it smaller than one. Another case is about the question and answer between teacher and student. A teacher ask the student: “365 days are how many year(s)?” Do you put the (s) or not? Put (s) you are illegal, don’t put (s), it is one year, that is to say, the teacher tell the student answer. That is to say, in the case of ‘five books’ the meaning of plural is double expressed. In the expression of ‘five books’ the ‘five’ tells us it is plural while the (s) tell us it is plural again. Just because this double express made the dilemma that the teacher could not ask a proper question to the student. Without the (s), the teacher can confidently ask the student ‘365 day is how many year?’

Now let’s think about in a different way, what if we abolish the plural and singular from English? That is to say, we never put any (s) after and noun, do we understand each other? Yes of course we can. That is to say, the plural (s) is but a trouble maker, without it, we can make clearer and easier expression.

Now let’s think about how this symbol (s) emerged in the mind of ancient people? The explanation would be that in ancient time, when hunting animals, people only cared about one or more than one. Later, they found that sometimes, by changing the vowel they can easily express the idea of one or more than one, for instance, goose and geese, tooth and teeth. Later when linguists intervention the development of language, they fabricated a new type of noun. They claimed that there were two types of noun, one is singular, and the other is plural. They put (s) to every regular noun to bring about what they said. Then the idea of number in a sentence that to describe noun had doubled. In fact, the irregular noun is but the ancient people express the meaning of more than one in an easy way. Comparing with goose and gooses, tooth and toothes one may find both words have to utter an extra (s). It proved a rule of language science that people in the world want a language that sending more information but costing less action, sound and energy.  

The Meaning of Plants (29)

树欲静而风不止，the tree wanted stand still but the wind don’t stop. It was from Confucius:  ‘树欲静而风不止，子欲养而亲不待。’ the tree wanted stand still but the wind don’t stop. And the children wanted to care their parents but they don’t waiting for it. (It means they died before the children can take care of them.)

泉眼无声惜细流  mouth of spring run quietly for cherishing the trickle,

树阴照水爱晴柔，shade of the tree covered water for loving  its delicate,

小荷才露尖尖角，Young water lily just reveal its horn,

早有蜻蜓里上头。The dragon fly have stood on the top already.

Pic from: http://image.sciencenet.cn/olddata/kexue.com.cn/photo/upload/bigimg/2010325144038125.jpg

正是西湖六月中 right in the middle of June at West Lake,

风光不与四时同 the scenery looks different with other seasons.

接天莲叶无穷碧leaves of water lilies link the sky appearing infinite green,

映日荷花别样红Lotus flowers reflect the sunshine showing other style red.

Pic from: http://pic1.nipic.com/20090313/2198747_021200312_2.jpg

Another Short History of Linguistics (51)

I believe that the biggest different between science and religion is that religion always flatter the old doctrine in new way, while science always enlarge the detail of doctrine and to find fault in it. All the languages experienced from ancient simple society and todays complex society. Of course some requirement for today was not thought by ancient people. So, every language has to change its structure according the necessary of development. History told us that nearly all science was developed depending the big tree of mathematics. Normally any other development would be degenerated into a deliration. Yet today, most linguists don’t even know what the meaning of mathematics is. For the education system don’t require them to learn it.

Nearly all science is according a certain train of thinking, that is once we don’t know something, we try to split it into simpler or smaller pieces or elements then try to understand it, if still couldn’t then split these pieces or elements again until we understand it. The biggest question for linguist is what is the basic element? Some thought it is the sentence, others believe it is the word and another would regard the alphabetic letters, phonetic letter etc. but I think the basic element is the sound. For in the world, everybody uttered the same sound when utilize language. And sound must be uttered one by one, from ancient time until today, so only count the number of sound will lead us to understand the language mathematically. It is the simplest thing for everybody not just linguists, but it seemed the most simple thing could be the hardest one for some scholar.

I have meet many scholars, some of them know mathematics and English but don’t know what is tone language, others  know English, tone language and mathematics too, but all of them don’t want link these knowledge organically. For the tradition is not like this. Perhaps they believe that math is math and language is language, totally forget what Pythagoras said that everything can be expressed by mathematics. In fact mathematics is another sort of language. And when we describe a changing system, mathematics is better and clearer than normal language.