From: squilluncus
Message: 39673
Date: 2005-08-19
>Je te souhaite le même!
> I think that a switch from sign to speech is really
> simply more of an evolution towards greater symbolism
> or abstractification. I'm not even sure what advantage
> abstractification gives us, but we can see that
> while sign language directly paints visual pictures
> in thin air, vocal communication (aside from
> onomatopeia) is largely very removed from the
> qualities
> of the object being discussed.
>
> When we say "bull", there is really nothing about the
> sounds /b/, /U/ or /l/ which paint the picture of
> a 'bull' in our brains. Rather, 'bull' has become a
> highly abstract symbol of the object in question, one
> not inherently obvious to those outside the circle.
> Yet, if you sign with your two index fingers bent
> outward against the two sides of your head, suddenly
> the symbolic human brain can see the speaker
> anthropomorphized into the bull being discussed.
>
> The issue here is about increasingly complex
> symbolism.
>
> More food for thought. Bon apetit.