Sublime

For decades, linguists of all persuasions, both nativists and culturalists, have been trotting out the same party line: all languages are equally complex. But I will argue that this refrain is merely an empty slogan and that the evidence suggests that the complexity of some areas of grammar reflects the culture of the speakers, often in unexpected

De Duitse dichter Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) schreef ooit: Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen. ‘Daar waar men boeken verbrandt, verbrandt men uiteindelijk ook mensen.’ Het is een uitspraak die ik wil hertalen. ‘Wanneer men mensen kanker, invasieve exoten of een plaag noemt, is men uiteindelijk ook bereid mensen te

These two scenes show us the value-shifting magic of language. Language can shape how we frame our experiences. Language can make us pay extra attention to what we consume and direct our attention to specific parts of the experience.

Before Arabic numerals came around, money counters had to make do with an abacus or a counting board. The Germans called the counting board a Rechenbank, which is why we call moneylenders banks. At that time, banking methods were primitive. Not only did they use counting boards, they used tally sticks to record loans: a money value was written

Why couldn’t even the strong, brainy, cold-proof Neanderthals survive our onslaught? The debate continues to rage. The most likely answer is the very thing that makes the debate possible: Homo sapiens conquered the world thanks above all to its unique language.

Se todos os espécimes só cuidassem de si, grande parte morreria cedo demais.

Só que esse latim arcaico, de uma fase mais antiga, provinha, ele também, de algum outro idioma que, por sua vez, provinha de outro. As línguas se modificam sem parar.