GLIMPSES OF HUMAN HERITAGE

LANGUAGE AND WRITING LANGUAGES

We make sounds with vocal chords  that are in all our throats.

Modulating them with our tongue we make them meaningful.

Thus arise languages that  do so many wonderful things:

They transmit all our thoughts, and feelings of all kinds too.

Emotions are  also conveyed through facial expressions and nods.

And through other means like  gestures and motions of eye-balls.

There are people without God, groups sans science or free speech,

But there is no society without a spoken language.

Even when we are alone, we can’t think without language.

Languages convey thoughts, and they create humor too.

Creatures like birds and beasts are known to communicate too.

But it is not clear if and how they share feelings that they may have.

We not only speak languages,  but are attached to what is ours.

This is part of the ethnic pride that creates the pleasing delusion

That one’s culture, tongue, and religion  are the best in the entire world.

There are nations multilingual, for reasons historical:

Like Canada, Belgium, India, Switzerland, Russia and Sri Lanka.

Sometimes within such nations linguistic conflicts and claims arise.

Often provoked by the conviction that one’s language is not recognized .

Every language has a structure of ancient unknown origins.

 Rules for the  use of languages are the basis of their grammar. 

Aside from local grammars there is a universal grammar

Which is a fascinating subject that I shall not explore here.

NUMBER OF LANGUAGES

No one really know for sure how many languages there are.

Some have estimated the number, including all the dialects

As some twenty thousand plus. But not many may  even heard of

Aklo, Nor, for that matter of Salishan, Tzotzil or Zyrian.