Dear Comrade:
In this week's lesson we are finishing the study of adjectives, which
adds another part of speech to those which we have studied. We can see
in the study of each additional part of speech how each part has its
place in the expression of our ideas. We could not express ourselves
fully if we lacked any of these parts of speech. Each one is not an
arbitrary addition to our language but has come to us out of the need
for it. We see that there are no arbitrary rules but in language, as in
all things else, growing needs have developed more efficient tools. With
these have grown up certain rules of action so we can have a common
usage and system in our use of these tools. It has taken years of effort
to accomplish this. The changes have been slow and gradual, and this
language which we are studying is the finished product.
This slow development in the use of language, even in our own lives,
makes us realize how many thousands of years it must have taken our
primitive ancestors to reach a point where they could use the phonetic
alphabet. We have found that at first they used simple aids to memory,
as knotted strings and tally sticks. Then they began to draw pictures of
things about them and so were able to communicate with one another by
means of these pictures. When a man was going away from his cave and
wanted to leave word for those who might come, telling them where he had
gone and how soon he would return, he drew a picture of a man over the
entrance with the arm extended in the direction in which he had gone.
Then he drew another picture of a man in a sleeping position and also
one of a man with both hands extended in the gesture which indicated
many. These two pictures showed that he would be away over many nights.
In some such rude manner as this, they were able to communicate with one
another.
But man soon began to _think_, and he needed to express ideas concerning
things of which he could not draw pictures. He could draw a picture of
the sun, but how could he indicate light? How could he indicate the
different professions in which men engaged, such as the farmer and
priest, etc.?
He was forced to invent symbols or signs to express these ideas, so his
writing was no longer a picture of some object, but he added to it
symbols of abstract ideas. A circle which stood for the sun written with
the crescent which stood for the moon, indicated light. The bee became a
symbol of industry. An ostrich feather was a symbol of justice, because
these feathers were supposed to be of equal length. A picture of a woman
stood simply for a woman, but a picture of two women stood for strife,
and three women stood for intrigue. These old ancestors of ours became
wise quite early concerning some things. The symbol for a priest in the
early Egyptian picture writing was a jackal. Perhaps not because he
"devoured widows' houses," but because the jackal was a very watchful
animal. The symbol for mother was a vulture because that bird was
believed to nourish its young with its own blood.
It naturally required a good memory and a clear grasp of association to
be able to read this sort of writing. It required many centuries for
this slow development of written speech.
The development of language has been a marvelous growth and a wonderful
heritage has come to us. Let us never be satisfied until we have a
mastery of our language and find a way to express the ideas that surge
within us. A mastery of these lessons will help us.
Yours for Education,