In this blog I'll explore the landscape of language in my own unique way contributing my proverbial piece of the puzzle. I've always been fascinated with words and I've come to believe that they are literally the code we run on just like the computers we're all staring into right now. And just like computer code our language is riddled with bugs, malware, spy ware, and the like. Ironically, we protect our computers more diligently than we do our own neural operating systems.
The English language is part of a family of European languages that has largely conquered the planet in an eerily silent war of words, or more accurately a war of languages. We don't speak much of this war because it's a mere biproduct of cultural domination, or colonialism. But without a clear motive to spread a language like a pandemic disease, it has been one of the most successful accomplishments of the colonial era. But sadly a language dies every other week or so, and the many thousands of languages in the world are quickly dwindling down to a handful of conquering dialects. And just like the pharmacopoeia of the Amazon jungle, these languages are rich with insight and wisdom.
The European family of languages has served well the purpose of empires throughout history because they are suited to misrepresentation and manipulation. Especially when compared to the languages of those tribal societies the empires were ferociously absorbing. Languages represent concepts and many tribal people had no concept of "ownership" or "property" as was the case in much of the Americas. From the dawn of time some people have migrated while others remained year round, while many were migrating their territories were being purchased as property. To this day the conquered people of the world wander the land that they did not know was there's until someone took it from them.
The practice of law and politics complicated language to a high degree effectively excluding commoners and foreigners from comprehension of higher levels of language. So that even within one language such as English or Spanish, other languages exist like lingual country clubs and gated communities. Even the institution of education is fallible to the extent that it is exclusive of those who cannot afford it, thereby creating and reinforcing class structure. From these elite communities come our politicians who have mastered the art of rhetoric, saying everything and nothing. To say what everyone wants to here without saying anything at all is the art form we reward with the highest seats in government.
I love words like I love the world around me, and I feel the same awe and wonder in a verbal concept as I do in a pristine landscape. So it draws me into action when I witness the destruction of this wordscape. Just as the protectors of the trees throw their bodies in front of the chainsaws, I hope to cast light into the darkest corners of discourse. It's imperative that we re-define our words and our worlds to be meaningful to us and liberate ourselves from the dictates of the dictionary. Words are more than just simple symbols, they are the code that informs our beliefs and shapes our minds. Though I take serious issue with the use of language to manipulate, I also believe that words are the only tools that can solve the greatest riddles of all. I love a good riddle.
