Many professional writers and editors lament that the English language is being erased by the casual use of more symbolic language on mobile devices and on some social networking sites. They cite two main complaints, which are that casual writing formats are showing up where formal writing styles would be more appropriate, and that most people don’t know the difference. Are we witnessing the demise of a modern language or the birth of a new way of communicating that has its roots in ancient traditions?
The history of language and the written word is a fascinating journey through the evolution of human thought. Well-crafted alphabets, such as Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, and Syrian, have deeper functions than simply conveying words. They contain the essence of sacred sound, number, as well as the origin of change and movement.
For example, symbolic communication is seen in certain ritual dances. Some Asian and Polynesian cultures still practice this art, and the stories represented by the dances are passed down to the next generation. However, to foreign eyes, the symbols are just pretty moves and the story is lost due to the lack of translation. This type of symbolic communication through movement has its roots in primitive language. The prehistoric tales around the campfire were probably not passed down using long sentences joined together. They consisted mainly of gestures augmented by sound and a few words. This method still serves as the basis of modern sign language. A number of current linguistic historians have explored such ritual gestures as a possible origin for what eventually became the Hebrew language. When gestures are made that imitate the letters that make up some of the basic Hebrew words, their functional meaning becomes quite clear.
Greek letters also represent numbers. Athena was a virgin goddess and her sacred number was seven, which is a prime number indivisible by any other number. The numbers associated with the Greek letters in her name add up to 77 (length). The letters of her epithet, which is Pallas, add up to 343, which is seven cubed (an indication of volume). The letters of her clap, which is parthenos or virgin, equals 515. The degree angle of a heptagon, a seven-sided figure, is 51.5 degrees. This indicates area.
Image-based written languages, such as those found in China and Japan, are purely rooted in symbology. They were first developed to convey complete ideas, not individual words or letters. The hieroglyphics of the Egyptian language were very similar. The name of the pharaoh was not as important as the fact that the symbol represented the incarnation of the sun god.
The idea of using symbols and abbreviated text in informal writing may strike Western readers as a lack of discipline or education. However, it may be a sign of the changing times towards a meltdown of global influence. The well-formed alphabets mentioned above are thousands of years older than the characters and structures used in the English language and are still living languages today. By using symbols and abbreviations in everyday English, are we being lazy or opening ourselves up to a cultural shift in our thinking?
Here is something to consider. It is very difficult for most people to think without the use of words. Try it. Now, what if you could think in another language, like Chinese? Perhaps instead of words, you can think of whole concepts or the flowing waves of movement. What if you could think in Greek? Maybe you can also imagine the spatial dimensions.
The lament presented by writers and editors is mourning the loss and an inquiry into the future. In the West, our informal language has infiltrated formal writing for centuries. But adding or removing words to the lexicon is very different from changing the ground rules by which we communicate. By incorporating more symbolic language, are we simply adapting to today’s technology and fast pace of life or are we changing the way we perceive and communicate at a more basic level?
Over the last ten years, several movies and books have appeared about the arrival of the Indigo children. One of their distinctive features is the ability to communicate with each other telepathically. As a group, they form an interconnected matrix that is constantly in contact with every other point on the web.
Current mobile technology emulates this type of interconnection. By incorporating a phone, an Internet connection and a camera, portable devices provide each owner with immediate global interaction on an unprecedented level. Do you remember one of the recent earthquakes in China? One particular cell phone owner captured the event via video showing at least ten other people doing the same thing. At that time, each participant considered it more important to document the event than to seek safety.
We are no longer telling our stories in words alone. We communicate through images and sound on a personal level, and our unique point of view has less to do with our reaction and thought process than with where we were at the time in relation to the focal point of the event.
There is a lucky side effect of this trend. When the Indigo children arrive en masse, being in constant contact with each other will not be seen as weird or strange. More importantly, you won’t be seen as a threat. Perhaps we are simply using today’s technology to usher in a major change in the way we connect with each other. It is very likely that the evolution of our language is a mixture of science and intuitive wisdom in a new form of interconnectivity.