Mailing List complex-science@necsi.org Message #9680

From: <complex-science@necsi.org> (JohnM)
Sender: <y3list1@necsi.org> (Yaneer Bar-Yam)
Subject: Re: compexity of words and complex-science>language -
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:37:34 -0400
To: complex-science
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Thanasis,
I did not copy your endless list of etimology.
Linguists are scary: using enough diversity of spelling and
sortiment of (old?) languages every word can be explained
in ways just opportune for a usage.
Not to mention the languages that became extinct, or at least unusably old - giving place to similar newer variants
(Koran-Arabic, Old Egyptian, Sumerian, Toltek, Celtic etc.)
  
Do you really believe that a word's usage STARTED at the time when the 'now-findable' *written* sources are dated? Words and meanings were used in areas without script and for purposes that were not fixed in 'writing' (no matter what kind). The Dravidians left no written documents (maye they did, only it was destroyed - or not discovered so far). In the Andes the textile-based oldest kwipu-s were oxidized away and most cuniform notes on wood did not survive either.
Language is a 'live' vehicle, changing continually as the times change (and they do always). Books are ageing off and computer memories become (unreadably) obsolete.
 
 

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