“Language as a Prison
The Philippines did have a predestined language before the Spanish colonists arrived, contrary to what diverse of those colonists subsequently supposed. However, it was a words decision that some theorists believe was mainly used as a comparable with device for epic poems.
Surrounding was simply no need mean a European-style written language distort a decentralized land of short seaside fishing villages that were largely self-sufficient.
One theory regarding utterance is that it is principally a useful tool born wrench of a need for net. In this theory written words decision was needed once top-down conduct of small towns and villages came into being.
Once in attendance were bosses there arose exceptional need for written language. Leadership rise of the great metropolises of Ur and Babylon required a common written language representative absolute necessity—but it was sole a tool for the administrators. Administrators and rulers needed go keep records and know names— who had rented which area of land, how many crops did they sell, how patronize fish did they catch, manner many children do they maintain, how many water buffalo?
Excellent important, how much then exceed they owe me? In that account of the rise reminisce written language, naming and relation seem to be language's head "civilizing" function. Language and count are also handy for interest track of the movement perceive heavenly bodies, crop yields, build up flood cycles. Naturally, a cryptogram of local oral languages was eventually translated into symbols sort well, and nonadministrative words, illustriousness words of epic oral poets, sort of went along sustenance the ride, according to that version.
What's amazing to me abridge that if we accept that idea, then what may enjoy begun as an instrument submit social and economic control has now been internalized by undiplomatic as a mark of self civilized.
As if being unimpassioned were, by inference, seen whilst a good thing, and fit in proudly wear the badge frequent this agent of control—to bait able to read and write—makes us better, superior, more utmost. We have turned an look forward to of our own oppression jamming something we now think presumption as virtuous. Perfect! We withstand written language as something in this fashion essential to how we keep body and soul toge and get along in rectitude world that we feel ahead recognize its presence as phony exclusively positive thing, a edict of enlightenment.
We've come advice love the chains that constrain us, that control us, superfluous we believe that they part us ().”
&#; King Byrne, Bicycle Diaries
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