SV: SV: [Y-Indology] a fortunate exchange

[Guest guest]

Stephen Hodge [sMTP:s.hodge] skrev 4. mai 2001

04:34:

> I came across a wonderful example of this recently quoted in a work on

the

> Western reception and understanding of Chinese culture. The quote came

from

> a book published by a "reputable" linguist in 1993 (I didn't take a note

of

> the details) who asserts that the Chinese language is so primitive that

one

> may suppose that it can have hardly developed much beyond a Neanderthal

> level ! Absolutely mind boggling !

 

This IS mindboggling, and particularly since it comes from a linguist. One

of the things I was taught as a student is that there is no such thing as a

"primitive" languages. Some languages have complex inflectional systems

whereas others are non-inflected. If "non-inflected" is typical of

"primitive" languages, then Norwegian is getting pretty close to the rough

and uncivilized end of things. Chinese (and a bunch of other languages in

the world) has no inflections. But why should we assume that the

Neanderthals had none?

 

> Again, I am writing some contributions to a forth-coming book on world

> mythology by a prestigious academic publisher. Looking at the proposed

> contents, it struck me as strange that it treats many beliefs of living

> religions such as Hinduism or Buddhism (as well as ancient cultures) as

> mythology but is entirely silent on the question of Christian mythology

--

> as though such a thing non-existent or perhaps taboo ! Talk about double

> standards.

 

Definitely. But at least I have seen fat books on Christian mythology

elsewhere, and the concept of Christian mythology is well-known to

academics in the field. I therefore feel inclined to ask: is your publisher

targeting the general public? If he is, he might sell less books if he

includes a section on Christian mythology. To believing Christians, there

is not supposed to be such a thing. If he is targeting Academia, I think

the omission is preposterous.

 

Lars Martin Fosse

 

 

Dr. art. Lars Martin Fosse

Haugerudvn. 76, Leil. 114,

0674 Oslo

Norway

Phone: +47 22 32 12 19

Mobile phone: +47 90 91 91 45

Fax 1: +47 22 32 12 19

Fax 2: +47 85 02 12 50 (InFax)

Email: lmfosse

[Guest guest]

INDOLOGY, Lars Martin Fosse <lmfosse@o...> wrote:

 

> This IS mindboggling, and particularly since it comes from a

>linguist. One of the things I was taught as a student is that

>there is no such thing as a "primitive" languages. Some languages

>have complex inflectional systems whereas others are non-inflected.

> If "non-inflected" is typical of "primitive" languages, then

>Norwegian is getting pretty close to the rough and uncivilized end

>of things. Chinese (and a bunch of other languages in

> the world) has no inflections. But why should we assume that the

> Neanderthals had none?

 

Tamil too has no iinflections, and have been called as

demons (raksasas). We didn't know about Neanderthals then.