Gleick's view of the African ritual of communicating with drums is interesting and thoughtful. Though these people were seen to be uncivilized, and yet they had discovered a method of communication that far exceeded the supposedly more advanced inventions of the Europeans. It took a long time for the Western world to catch onto this idea and have the ability to send messages far distances. With the invention of the telegraph and Morse code, messages could be easily transmitted from far away; a revolution after letters had to be sent across seas.
The question arises of whether or not we consider these types of "codes" actual language. Morse code can not be spoken, but rather the marks made symbolize other marks that symbolize spoken language. Though this may not seem like an important question, what we decide to call these codes can give them and the people who use them creative power.
This reminds me of when my father would sail me and my siblings around to different secluded locations. He would show us these codes that were etched into wood and stones. They were only pictures but they told tales of bad men, good food, and nice places to sleep. When I think of the Chinese language, I'm reminded of these similar symbols that speak volumes of advanced language.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of morose code as an actual language is something that I think may people seem to forget, because it is not spoken aloud. We have this weird idea that if a language is not actually one which can be expressed vocally then it really isn't very important. I think that the fact that these 'savages' as they are too often called are more advanced in some ways than even we as 21st century beings are.
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