Tag Archives: language

How in the World Did We Learn to Talk?

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I guess the experts tell us that talking started a long time ago, before we knew about nouns and verbs. Now how did that happen? I mean, when I started the fifth grade, my teacher stood in front of the class and said, “A noun is a person place or thing.”

So, how was it that I learned to talk, probably about the age of two. Oddly, I stated using nouns and verbs the way I was supposed to and it would be years yet before I would know what a noun or verb is.

My guess is the talking came first. I suspect not many Romans knew what nouns and verbs were. Nonetheless, they communicated well. Many people today are still reading their writings.

Someone, someday decided to come up with some names for words and rules on how to use them. Truth is, I have no earthly idea when that happened.

Somehow, for, perhaps hundreds of years, we got along without the rules. How can that be? How did we manage to survive without the rules. I wonder if we need them now.

Is it really necessary to know what a dangling participle is? Do we really need to know what an adjective phrase is? Really, for thousands of years we got by without knowing about any of it.

What’s more, 3 and 4-year-olds communicate pretty well without knowing about the existence of parts of speech. Now how is it that they do that?

I am not saying that we don’t need to know some of that. However, I do believe there is too much emphasis placed on it. I mean it is possible for a person to know a lot and not know anything.

The day that Abe Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address, another man spoke for a long time. He was considered to be an expert orator. Yet, today, few if any know his name or what he said.

I don’t know what he said, but he talked for 2 hours and his name was Edward Everett. He was very well educated. You can verify it by looking his name up on the internet. He had credentials as long as my arm, maybe a little longer. I think Abe knew a whole lot more.

Lost in Translation

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I guess my memory still manages every now and then, but apparently, it works best on the older stuff. It seemed to me that I remembered an old I Love Lucy episode in which there were a number of people working together to perform a translation. I was right. I looked it up and the episode is titled “Paris at Last.” It seemed that while they were in Paris, as usual Lucy got them in trouble. So they are stuck in a Paris police station with 2 policemen, a stranger and Lucy could not explain her situation to the desk sergeant. So, she explained it to Ricky, who also knew Spanish, of course. Ricky explained it to the stranger who knew Spanish and German. The stranger explained it to the policeman who knew German and French. Then he explained it to his boss.

Oddly, while I was chasing down the episode, I found out that there were actually several such instances in Europe, though the string was not quite as long. I guess it does make us appreciate the computerized translators we now have access to, even though they might not be perfect.

However, the story I was really after was one from West Wing. I did enjoy that show, though I did find it leaned a little left. For those who read my post, “Humorous Things, Mostly,” I did find this show very humorous almost every week. At first, my memory partially failed me. I couldn’t remember if that was the show that had this episode, so I looked it up… and yes it was one of the better ones. The title of the episode was “Lost in Translation,” and it kept me laughing almost all the way through it. Like “Paris at last,” several people performed a translation.

It all started when those responsible for receiving foreign dignitaries realized that they just might have overlooked something. So, in a panic, they started looking a translator that could speak English as well as the little known foreign language. As you can imagine, they could find no one. However, they did manage to gather 6 or 7 people who, together could do the job, one of these, the head cook.

As you can imagine, when the dignitary arrived, they apologized as they explained that it was the best they could do. Then too, you can imagine one spoke to the one who spoke to the other who…. Well, you have the idea.

Amid out-roars of laughter, they were managing, though it was something like an awkward game of telephone. Finally the visitor suggested, “Don’t you think this would all be much simpler if I just spoke English?”

It was of course the punchline which they performed far better than I can portray here. I suppose there were those who expected it, but I certainly didn’t It was all carried out very well and it simply never occurred to me that the man could speak English, though, nowadays, English is likely the most common second language in the world. Common sense tells me that most heads-of-states do speak English, at least to some degree.

Both stories, especially “Lost in Translation,” prompted me to a thought. When we, who hardly know anything, accept Jesus as our Savior, we are permitted access to the King. And guess what. He understands our language. No chance whatsoever of anything being lost in the translation. Why would anyone want to pass up a opportunity like that?

In itself, it just about makes it worthwhile accepting Jesus as our Savior, which allows us to talk to the creator of the universe, Himself. By the way, their are many other benefits too, some which last forever.

Let’s Build Things Right

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Just for grins, I thought about spelling right, write, which would be wrong. Because I have a horible time with spelling, especially homophones (used to be homonym in my youth). Ironically, rite, wright, right and write are especially easy to get wrong as they are a group of 4. Most are groups of 2 or 3. Naturally they all have similar spelling. The English language would suddenly become easier if they were all spelled the same. Much better if true for all homophones.

However, instead, someone way back when decided to complicate my spelling life and came up with 4 spellings, each with its own meaning(s).

Now why am I speaking of spelling when my intention is to speak on fridges and washers. Well, I guess there is oddly a similarity. I promise.

In 1972, a long time ago, before the age of personnal computers, I purchased a 14 cubic foot coldspot fridge that, as far as I know still works. About 2005, I made a mistake. I wanted a bigger, better fridge…with an ice dispenser. It barely outlasted its 1 yr warrentee. I had it repaired. It broke again.

I bought another. It lasted 2 years and broke. Anyone notice a pattern here? Is there something wrong that they they can’t build them right?

When our washer broke, we bought another. Now that was a bad idea. I should have had the other one repaired. It was just a belt. I don’t have any memory of the old one dancing around the kitchen during the spin cycle. Thought about figuring a way to nail the new thing to floor.

The problem was, it works just the way it is supposed to. I can’t expect them to fix it on warrantee. It is simply a design defect. They didn’t design it right.

Guess I’ll be forced to buy a front loader. All the top loaders seem to like to dance. It is the result of an effort to decrease water usage. Well, I guess I could go back to the old wash tubs. It is just the two of us. It isn’t that hard. Fortunately, I still have a good gas dryer. If it breaks, I will get it fixed. I really might not like a new one.

Now. As for the new fridges. They have 3 things wrong. The old ones used a grate on the back of the unit as a condenser. No moving parts and easy to get at. The old ones used simple mechanical timers, which were simple, realiable, inexpensive and easy to replace. Modern ones use computers, complex, expesive, difficult and nearly impossibie to get to. You’d think such parts would have an easy access panel.

Then there is the coup de grace. Instead of using a heating element for defrosting, they use lights, which must be replaced on a regular basis. With us, it was about yearly.

Now, here’s the connection I promised you between the spelling and engineering. In general, people do expect me, an amateur, to get it right, though, I must admit I am prone to mess up now and then. These characters, engineers go to college four years and they are paid a bunch to get it right. They don’t and they still get paid.

As a short word in the defense of the engineers. They are under a lot of pressure to go green. (you know, Environmental, Social, Governmental, ESG)

You see, just as they decided to make English more difficilt, they have also decided to make appliances more difficult.

Okay. It is a stretch, a big one. Stll you get my point.

Incidentally, I wonder if it ever comes up in board rooms that they can make more profit off units that they can advertise as computer controlled instead of the old mechanical ones.