random brain-spew

How did the question mark become the symbol for question? How did "s" become the symbol for the sound it represents? (Perhaps as a logogram evolved from a pictogram for a snake, then abstracted to represent the sound a snake makes?) This is what I get for reading a book on Sumerian Cuneiform.

Transliteration into English introduces myriad problems in pronunciation... X as Z (xenophobe, xerxes), X as the Chinese sound "sh" (xia, xiu), X as "ks"--ox, box. Can a symbol be a pure representation of either (a) meaning or (b) sound? Must it all be purely arbitrary and abstract?

An alternative resource (should you choose to accept it)

During my travels along my path on my quest for the perfect language...

...I ran across some notes I'd jotted down in my Mormon scriptures--specifically The Pearl of Great Price. This book, should you choose to believe it, is a set of two small books of scripture: the book of Abraham and the book of Moses. I cannot recall the exact nature of its acquisition into the Mormon canon, but i'm sure there are plenty of online sites that give you more than you'd ever need to know about it. I'm gonna say that the books are sort of similar to the concept of the Dead Sea scrolls or something. I'll have to look it up later.

Anyways, I figure "If i've got the extra info, why not use it?"

So here it is, for you, my fellow perfect-language seekers...the Mormon insight into the original language on Earth, spoken between God and Adam.

Idumea-the world (D&C 1:36)

Zion-the name of the Lord's people, who are of one heart and one mind; they dwelt in righteousness (Moses 7:18)

Shinehah-the sun (Abraham 3:13)

Kokob-star (Abr 3:13)

Olea-the moon (Abr 3:13)

Kokaubeam-stars, or all the great lights in the firmament of heaven (Abr 3:13)

Kolob-the greatest of all kokaubeam, the nearest unto God (Abr 3:13)

gnolaum-eternal (referring to beings or things, without beginning or end) (Abr 3:18)

woman-name for the second human on earth (a female), because 'she was taken out of man' (Abr 5:17)

I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones I'd marked several years back, whilst doing my dutiful daily scripture study. (Such a good little Mormon, I was!!) ;)

Theories Abound.

Johannes Petrus Ericus assumed that Adam had named each animal by a name that reproduced the sounds that each emitted; then he elaborated a rather credible phonological theory identifying classes of letters such as 'per sibilatione per dentes,'...'per contractione palati,'...'per respiratione per nares.' Ericus concluded that Adam used vowels for the names of the birds of the air, semi-vowels for the names of the beasts of the fields, and mutes for the fish. This rather elementary phonetics also enabled Ericus to deduce the seven notes of the musical scale as well as the seven letters which designate them...

The Search for the Perfect Language, Umberto Eco.

On the trail of the Language Assassins...

Someone bastardized our language.

I'm gonna find out who--and I'm gonna kick their butts...

(In a graceful, linguistic way, of course.)

And now for something completely different...

Meaning without context

Does ANYthing have meaning without context?

Been playing with words (again) lately; laughing at misuse, colloquialisms, bad pronunciation... 

Also into graffiti (not only spray paint, but slogans, slurs, limericks in Sharpie on the underground ads). Nothing mind-bending; in fact, I'd taken a little time-off for my mind...it was refreshingly ordinary without seeming mundane. 

Singing in Hebrew for Danny tonight must've gotten my subs a-stirring... Came home, flickred for a while, ate nachos with Framboise. Had some cereal. And some Hershey's kisses. Ok: a LOT of Hershey's kisses.

But the word 'perfect' came into my head (from a previous journal entry about 'perfection' as 'ideally suited' not 'inherently flawless').  Also, then, the word 'chosen'--that some feel guilty about and try to explain away. Why do people only see this word as 'the zenith of all options' rather than 'the best option suited to a particular task'? (Think: hammer vs. screwdriver-- I 'choose' which to use based on the purpose for which it's been designed and what my current needs are, not the inherent 'betterness' of one tool over the other.)

Then I started thinking about other words--but silly things like "poncho" (as in: a raincoat/slicker or : that cop on Chips). How about 'rich'? My kids would say 100 pennies is 'rich'; I would probably say $100,000 is more like it. But Mr. Fancypants CEO might say $40 million.  "Home"--castle, hut, prefab, lean-to, teepee, tree, plantation?

Can we perceive motion without a reference object to measure it against?

Can we perceive any meaning without context? Can any word, thing, idea, image, feeling have meaning without context?