Language of Confusion

A trickling stream, a song by the Beatles, a giggle, a crescendo, whistling, a cat meow - none of these require translation or definition, they form a universal language understood the world over and by many animals, not just humans.

Words are where a sound carries a definition and must be explained culturally and learnt.

Cheers!! we say - A Thai person hears the rude term of you calling them a big lizard.

Fuk Yoo they say (offering you a desert) and you hear an invitation to leave.

There are no good sounds or bad sounds only the interpretations but some sounds are purer that that; a trickling stream, a song by the Beatles, a giggle, a crescendo, whistling, a cat meow...


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EDIT:

Wow I fell into my own trap :) Sorry Rambling Taoist and all. ;)

I was intending to say that no sounds had any qualities that we do not give them.

As we hear some sounds as good and some good ones can seem bad to others who attach different meanings to them - then there is no need to have issue with any sound.

Fuk Yoo, cheers, a trickle are nothing but mere vibrations on our ears and the sound made in our mind - any further like or dislike is entirely subjective and not needed.

A so called bad sound, work or the words of another can be heard as being nice or not heard at all.

4 comments:

  1. C. OmFebruary 24, 2009 at 4:51 PM

    Indeed! No wonder music is considered a universal language. We interpret it not by definition, but by the way it makes us feel.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Rambling TaoistFebruary 24, 2009 at 8:01 PM

    I don't think I agree at all. Everything in life is subjective. Some people (not me) don't like any song by the Beatles. Whistling sometimes causes me to cringe.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ta-WanFebruary 24, 2009 at 8:04 PM

    Then we are confused in language :)

    I said "none of these require translation or definition".

    The good or bad are subjective of course.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ta-WanFebruary 26, 2009 at 2:14 AM

    Wow I fell into my own trap :) Sorry Rambling Taoist and all. ;)

    I was intending to say that no sounds had any qualities that we do not give them.

    As we hear some sounds as good and some good ones can seem bad to others who attach different meanings to them - then there is no need to have issue with any sound.

    Fuk Yoo, cheers, a trickle are nothing but mere vibrations on our ears and the sound made in our mind - any further like or dislike _is_ entirely subjective and not needed.

    A so called bad sound, work or the words of another can be heard as being nice or not heard at all.

    ReplyDelete