Friday, June 18, 2010

Engdustrial Strength Languish - (re-threaded, re-woven, re-stitched)


"It has long been my preferring,
upon returnings to this sight,
that my eyes be feastly treated
with imagings,
graceful in my site."
(ww)

Thus it is, that we ope today's article with a pretty scene from Romeo & Juliet, rather than with a portrait of it's papa apparent, a man who just doesn't do it for me.


Re-introducing the 'word-smythe' who needs no introduction, but is getting three anyway - Meister William Shakespeare.

His threefold face, hinting of something more than it's creative creator might've envisaged.

You see it seems Mr Shakes Pear may have had a penchant for threesomes.

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo"

"Ahh Dewliett ma luv, ah am ovaer ere wiv da three leetle fishies."

Let's ask if Monsieur Shak Espère's three fetish is a little fishy:-

"Three has been recognized as the first sacred number, the number of God, the number of the Western monotheistic religions, the number of divine order in the world. However ... Shakespeare used the language and rhythm of "threes" in Macbeth 1.1. to turn the concept of threes on its head. Rather than being a sign that all is right with the world, the "threes" in the conduct and mouth of the Weird Sisters show the moral confusion of the universe ...


... We are prepared by Shakespeare, then, to enter into a world of confusion and pain, of appearance v. reality, where an ordered world becomes a disordered world, though often retaining the patina of order ... Whether or not the universe is made up of threes, or the human mind is structured to think it triploid patterns ...


... uses of threes in literature indicates that the author is trying to tell us that things are orderly or stable ... Thus it is striking to me that when Shakespeare opens Macbeth, with its 11-line first scene, he uses repeated patterns of threes. However, because of the last two lines of the scene ("Fair is foul, and foul is fair./ Hover through the fog and filthy air," 1.1.10-11), we see that the threes will be used to precipitate moral confusion rather than moral clarity ...


... the message ... may simply be that this quest for order, manifest in our love for threes, is simply laying into the hands of other wicked forces who are far more skillful than we at spinning out threes in speech and action. (from "The "Three"s of Macbeth" by Bill Long).

I couldn't stop myself thinking of nasty modern trends when I read that last line.

And that's pretty much why we are gathered here today.

This is not an autopsy of Shakespearean proportions - I don't have the qualifications.

In this dissecting room, we are going to carry out an autipsy on the English language - this means you can eat, drink & smoke during the proceedings. The only qualification asked for is a pleasantly opened mind.

Scalpel please nurse.

English is the language I was born into & raised up with. I don't stutter, am not dyslexic and have never had a problem with reading, spelling, comprehending or writing. Yet this language & I have had a deeply troubled relationship. From my angle of memory at this time, I would say that the greatest percentage of pain in my life has been tied to this, my native tongue. It has only been within the last couple of years of blogging that I have found a pathway to peace.

What follows is a mix of research combined with personal opinions & feelings backed by a lifetime of frustration & silent rage. I'm guessing that much of what ensues could be unpicked in seconds ...


... by the modern world's Fact-ory Workers (aka 'experts') but let's just say 'bollocks', make like a bullock & charge on backwards.

Here are some splendid thoughts from an olden thinker:

In the 1924 book "History of the English Language", author E. Classen describes language as;

 'the autobiography of the human race'.

He invokes 'accent' (i.e. pitch, tempo) as the; 

"very soul of speech"

& he speaks of;

"the relations which must necessarily exist between thought & emotions on the one hand and their outward manifestation - language - on the other hand."

The 'Father of Modern Philosophy', Rene Day-Cart, is "best known for the philosophical statement "Cogito ergo sum" (French: Je pense, donc je suis; English: I think, therefore I am; or I am thinking, therefore I exist)."

 

Thought/existence  =  the art of language?


Does the Western/Modern World exist because of the English language?


This is my stop.

This is where I jump off the reality train. Feel free to jump too or you can simply make your way back to the internet via your leetle mousse & no hard feelings.


Ok fellow leapers, let's entertain some crazy thoughts to tea. Let's imagine that there is something amiss & amok with, or within the English language.

If this fanciful fantasy held any truth, it would be of import because...

"Modern English is the dominant language or in some instances even the required international language of communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy." Wiki

So ......

"What if there's an angle to Anglish that's just not 'quite cricket'
A lingually mangling, strangling strait jacket,
An angst-wielding languishing tongue-tying potion,
An industrial strength killer of human emotion." 

What if English, as a language, comes in extra strength flavour? What if it's too harsh for everyday use? What if it requires very special handling?

For as long as I can remember, I have felt words.

I'd gladly goes miles out of my way, than hear certain words. I avoid doctors & dentists like the plague because of the potency of their a-noun-cements - setting one's fate in concrete.


I get queasy round Newsrapers, oops I mean Newspapers. I can feel positively ill listening to what spews forth from the mouths of 're-porters' ( (porter - "doorkeeper, janitor," 1180s, from Anglo-Fr. portour, from O.Fr. portier, from L.L. portarius "gatekeeper").

Then there's tone too of course - the soul of langauge.


Is it me or have you noticed also, that many speakers of English sound positively spark-less.

Tonight we present, for your viewing pleasure, a smorgasbord of spectacular speculations.
So without further ado - 'Let the feast of a thousand conjectures begin!'


What if the English language is a highly potent elixir - a potion for making things 'real', a real genie-us of a language.

"Because English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a "world language", the lingua franca of the modern era." wiki

Are you paying attention?

What if English is the supreme director of attention ......


... directing where to look & what to see.  Stating, rather than communicating.


What if English is an 'Almighty' language?  A gene-rator of life?

Looky at the anglicised letters of the ACT of Creation....... 
A-C-T-G
 DNA
 GENE - IS IS (verb to be x 2)
 The WORD
Perhaps?



Can the English language bring 'things' to life?


Does the repetition of certain words cause their creation?


Tick, tock - do we really need it spelled out?

What if cancer is a 'word' disease?  

What if there is a form-ula to all those nasty lumps'n'bumps? Perhaps something like this: -


I don't suppose the religious business of Cancer Scientology would be too impressed.


Is this be where a cancer sell (cell) begins?
Is the Pen mightier than the scalpel?

 
Or is it a l-INK, in the p-INK, chain of command?



Cancer - the multiplicated 'sell' disease given life (& so(u)l'd) by the media.  OK kids repeat after me, "Knickers to cancer".

"The impact of the English language globally has sometimes had a large impact on other languages, leading to language shift and even language death and to claims of "English Language Imperialism" ... the 'English language is forever evolving'."


Let's now ponder a little upon the religion to which most of the modern world a-spires (a more Celtic RElaBELling approach might be ass-pyres, butt hey let's not go there).


Behold the stairway to  Holey Wood,  where initiates strive to enter attainment. The huge business of dreaming in this world, is composed in 100 carat English.


Is there a reason why the English language dominates the dreamy scapes of entertainment ?  

Let's play a while with the idea that this tongue is the lingua supremo of story-telling ...


Let's suggest that it's structuring, shaping, spelling & sounding spin wickedly fine webs ...


... within the human mind...

 Let's suggest that this language is a living thing that connects deeply with & within us.

"the 'English language is forever evolving'." wiki

"The Global Language Monitor announced that the English language had crossed the 1,000,000-word threshold on June 10, 2009. The announcement was met with strong scepticism by linguists and lexicographers, though a number of non-specialist reports accepted the figure uncritically" wiki

What if English has an ability akin to a hypnotist's persuasion?


"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase that has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the Oxford English Dictionary) in storytelling in the English language,...



... and seems to have become a widely accepted convention for opening oral narratives by around 1600.  These stories often then end with "... and they all lived happily ever after", or, originally, "happily until their deaths"."


I couldn't help thinking of the ritual formats used to enter & leave the daily doom hypnosis session.

I do not have the linguistic ability to speak knowledgeably of language.  But I have noticed that English seems to have a very powerful ability to direct attention.  When I pay it extra attention I seem to sense strong forward momentum. A feeling of being on a highway, or perhaps in a strong current - very difficult to get to the sides & pull yourself out.

How about a little English vinetasting?


Please take time to sup for yourself.

In the meantime, here is a little word bouquet for you  - it is flavoured by my feeling that English tells wonderful stories & by extension that that power, is being used & abused by the priests/preyists who are ru(i)nnig (amok) in this world.


A precocious & headstrong number that tends to
 dominate other flavours, rich, boisterous, splendid 
bouquet, potent, demanding, young, heady, 
numbing, intoxicating, buttery, cloying, 
candylike, brawny, lingering, nosey,
perfumed, powerful, fleshy, grippy, 
resinous, robust, tarry, volatile, 
woody, astringent, sharp, 
fleshy, foxy, crisp, tight,
 harsh, warm, prickly, 
viscous, syrupy,
velvety, silky, 
breathing,
charming, 
parching,
abrasive,
direct,
stoney, 
angular, steely,
 green, sappy, mouth-filling. 

An extraordinary method of directing attention would be a godsend for directors of attention.


"spielA lengthy and extravagant speech or argument usually intended to persuade.  A fast excuse or sales pitch." hmmm not getting you ..... oh I see you mean a movie!

It is interesting to note that one who may have been the greatest English salesman of all time ...


... "invented 1,700 English words or at least first recorded their use."

"Shakespeare's writings greatly influenced the entire English language. Prior to and during Shakespeare's time, the grammar and rules of English were not fixed. But once Shakespeare's plays became popular in the late seventeenth and eighteenth century, they helped contribute to the standardization of the English language, with many Shakespearean words and phrases becoming embedded in the English language"

This (potential) story-telling, scene-setting language par excellence, has moved into the fields of of science & technology & all things logical & factual.

"Modern English is the dominant langauge or in some instances even the required international language of communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy"

"A working knowledge of English has become a requirement in a number of fields, occupations and professions such as medicine and computing; as a consequence over a billion people speak English to at least a basic level. It is also one of six official languages of the United Nations."

Has the language of guided fantasy been shanghaied & set to work for the other side?  Our modern world is apparelled in apparent fact. Science & technology reign supreme.  If it can't be explained it doesn't exist.

But what if the language that's been employed to present these facts, is in fact a creature from the realm of fantasy?

What if,
Behind the scenes & screens of modern life,
Black magicians are busily crafting.
Weaving definite articles of fantasy into FACT,
Cutting & pinning & sewing stories together,
Tearing & tangling truth into tatters,
Spinning statistics into gold,
Thro' the use of linguisticalchemicals

What if Babel was not the loss of one language, but rather the loss of many?


What if once we spoke many languages, but Babel buggered it up?

What if we are supposed to speak in many tongues - varying use according to need?

What if we were meant to love in French, argue in Italian, conduct business in Japanese, tell stories in English & philosophise in Greek?

Part of the reason English may be such a forceful scene setter, is it's use of a few little magickal herbs ...


... sorry I mean verbs;


"the English verbs “to be”, “to do” and “to have” are very peculiar"

"Two verbs are normally ommitted from Arabic .... These two are to be and to have."

"the verb to be is ... a verb of existence"

I came across E-Prime some time ago on Dedroidify's site. It popped up again on research for this article. E-Prime could be described as the non-surgical removal of the verb 'to be' - shhh, don't tell Herr Shhhakes Pair or he may turn in his grave:-

"To be or not to be– that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous media claims,
Or to take hold of the remote control
and by pressing, end them."


If you're game to continue,  let's  play a little more in-sane-ly.

What if the linguistical over-Englishing of the globe, is the modern component of a long prepared for event?

What if this Englishing World-Cup was kicked off yonks ago through the wordy-works of Herr Shhh Aches Pair. How terribly amusant to recall just where the English language first went round the Globe.


Loquation, loquation, loquation

They've always been there you know. Those elegant of pointers to a lingua mystique - alchemical alphabetting, magical spelling & wizardly words, conjuring conjunctions & mortal sentences.

Take a peek at these three weird sisters:-

Rite - Write - Right
All for one & one for all eh?
... & in case you think that I'm s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g things a little with the 3rd sister, I think you'll find that the hoitiest of society, court her presence:-


"Dieu et mon droit is the motto of the British Monarch. It appears on a scroll beneath the shield of the coat of arms of the United Kingdom ... refers to the divine right of the Monarch to govern ... The motto is French for literally "God and my right"."

Could Shakespeare's riting be wrapped up in ritual & divine rule?

Certainly it is interesting that the name attributed to 'greatest play-rite of all time' should be composed of words (words = sword = sharp weapon = spear).

Will. I. Am. Shake. Spear(e)

"I AM" = popularised by another divinity that dabbled with the Rite Hand.

Here's some bit's'n'pieces' I found upon a rosy cross site - I have picked & pickled what interested & left the rest - take or leave as you see fit:-

"After God," writes Alexander Pushkin, Russia's greatest poet, "Shakespeare is the greatest creator of living beings. He created an entire humanity"...

... for the mighty creative impulse that manifested in Europe as the Renaissance and found its primary English expression in the brilliant literary lights of the Elizabethan Era -- the greatest of which was Shakespeare. Thus Shakespeare becomes a link in a chain of inspired mediators through whom the race of men have come into possession of an ever-increasing knowledge of the divine Mysteries...


Shakespeare has been called "The Rosicrucian Mask" ...


... People see and read the plays for pleasure and pastime. In doing so they expose themselves to a magic that, by its very nature, works upon their inner being, imparting to it basic patterns ... charging it with impulses"

When I mentally leap back to what feels like the beginning of our modernish history, I always seem to stop at Elizabeth I ...


... her father is simply lost-in-space somewhere in a room titled 'Dangerous Bastard' & doesn't get a look-in.

If you peer closer into those Elizabethan times, you will see strange repeating patterns - Renaissance means rebirth. Was it spelled 're-birth' because it's all been done so many times before?

On 25th August (Ludwig II's future birthday) 1530, one of the most powerful bastards of all time was born - he would become known as Ivan the Terrorist, sorry I mean the Terrible.

"His long reign saw the ... transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost 1 billion acres ... Ivan oversaw ... the transition from a medieval nation state to an empire ... and became the first Tsar."


Two weeks after Ivan's 3rd birthday party, Elizabeth I made her bonny wee appearance - the year was 1533:-
"Out you popped, out of your mummie's tumkin and everybody shouting,
'It's a boy, it's a boy!'
And somebody said,
'But it hasn't got a winkle!'
And then I said,
'A boy without a winkle? God be praised, it's a miracle. A boy without a winkle!'
And then Sir Thomas More pointed out that a boy without a winkle is a girl, and everyone was really disappointed."
(Marvellous humour from Nursey in 'Blackadder')

Liz & Ivan's reigns laid down monumental foundations for two huge-to-be modern empires. These monumental monarchs had twinning beginnings.

- Both had father's whose first marriage failed to produce a lusted after son.
- Both manoeuvered their first wives into a controversial divorce & then remarried.
- Both second wives conceived, although to Anne Boleyn's detriment, the girl child she bore nominated her for a death sentence.
- Ivan's father Vasili III died when his son was three years old.
- Elizabeth's mother Anne died after three years as queen.

It was during Elizabeth's reign, that the Emperor of English, rose to power

'Twas in the reign of Lizzie the First
That on to the stage, young Willie burst
The crowd were delighted 
By all they had sighted
The bard gave a bow & reversed

When Lizzie eventually bowed out, she was replaced by the not particularly bonnie King James.

Thanks to Wille the Spear Shaker, James survived an assassination attempt by a guy with some explosive forks.


Willie of course invented the word assassination, which gave Guy something to aim for & James something to run away from.


James went a big step further in bringing modern English to town when he called for a new improved version of the famous old classic Harry Potter & Holy CruciBible under the pen name KJ Royaling. It became a best seller.

"Modern English, that includes the works of William Shakespeare and the King James Bible, is generally dated from about 1550, and when the United Kingdom became a colonial power." wiki


The coming of the second extra long-lived Queen, saw another huge leap forward in the staking of the English claim.


Queen Victorias' reign, would see the injecting of the English language into a host of nations.

"At its height it [the British Empire] was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1922, the British Empire held sway over a population of about 458 million people, one-quarter of the world's population at the time, and covered more than 13,000,000 square miles (33,670,000 km2): approximately a quarter of the Earth's total land area. As a result, its political, linguistic and cultural legacy is widespread"

Could the spread of the British Empire have been necessary to further the spread the English language?
Two world war's later confirmed that winners spoke with the queen's tongue - not literally, that would be gross.

Ahhhh.... 'A Frikken Queen'

America became super-dooper powerful & made daring moves & movies that further furthered the spread of the queen's genioglossus muscle.

"The growing economic and cultural influence of the United States and its status as a global superpower since World War II have significantly accelerated the language's spread across the plane."

Music rocked as long as it lingered in tones of dulcet l'anglish ...


... & just about everything progressive & successful seemed to be supplied in the lingo of l'Angleterre.

And so it continues today...


Ok kiddies it's nearly bed byes time.  

We'd better pack our game away. I hope you have had some wondering fun - remember we're not here to find answers, we're simply playing with what we've been told & sold, reality is.  Maybe by playing, we'll find it isn't what we thought.  Maybe we'll find a way to rite our own rules & so we can get a really good game going.


Is English a language of hyp-GNOSIS?

A Jedi of a force?

Can we make up our own New Stories instead of being force-fed News Stories?

You bet!

OK it's YOUR turn to play.

Additional:  A short show of a rather interesting Shakespearean playing (Thanks Aferrismoon)