Wardhaugh terms language as a “communal possession”: an entity that belongs to a certain group of people.
However, it can be argued that scripted language is not only a possession but also evidence of the existence of a people and culture: the absence of any written records from the Xia dynasty keeps us from acknowledging it as China’s first historical dynasty.
Scripted language disguised as inscriptions on oracle bones or streaked characters in the foreground of modern artwork, carry forward the “great chain of ancestral being”.
Since scholars have been unable to decrypt the language on the bones, most of the information extracted from the inscriptions is useful for developing a “performance” based understanding of the script. The inscriptions …show more content…
While the mere existence and history of the carvings lend important insight into cultural and social stratification, an understanding of the complexity of the language and its rules would lend an understanding of the inclusivity of the language. If the script was easy to learn and withheld from the subjects of the empire, it can be discerned that knowledge of the script was used to yield power. On the other hand, if the script is found to be relatively complex, it can be understood that a certain level of literacy had been achieved in the Shang …show more content…
The reading mentions the current use of the metaphor “writings on shell and bone; the origin and comprehension of phrases such as this are indicative of knowledge that is embedded in culture – While the accurate historical understanding may be diminishing, the underlying meaning of the metaphor is only implied due to the ritual of the king’s forecast being common knowledge. Hence, to gain a thorough understanding of the relationship between language and culture, it is important to look at language in all its forms: scripted, oral, inscribed and
However, it can be argued that scripted language is not only a possession but also evidence of the existence of a people and culture: the absence of any written records from the Xia dynasty keeps us from acknowledging it as China’s first historical dynasty.
Scripted language disguised as inscriptions on oracle bones or streaked characters in the foreground of modern artwork, carry forward the “great chain of ancestral being”.
Since scholars have been unable to decrypt the language on the bones, most of the information extracted from the inscriptions is useful for developing a “performance” based understanding of the script. The inscriptions …show more content…
While the mere existence and history of the carvings lend important insight into cultural and social stratification, an understanding of the complexity of the language and its rules would lend an understanding of the inclusivity of the language. If the script was easy to learn and withheld from the subjects of the empire, it can be discerned that knowledge of the script was used to yield power. On the other hand, if the script is found to be relatively complex, it can be understood that a certain level of literacy had been achieved in the Shang …show more content…
The reading mentions the current use of the metaphor “writings on shell and bone; the origin and comprehension of phrases such as this are indicative of knowledge that is embedded in culture – While the accurate historical understanding may be diminishing, the underlying meaning of the metaphor is only implied due to the ritual of the king’s forecast being common knowledge. Hence, to gain a thorough understanding of the relationship between language and culture, it is important to look at language in all its forms: scripted, oral, inscribed and