Language

What do y’all think makes a language universal? My initial thoughts are that it has to be action based language rather than verbal (still thinking about it). It also has to be something that every human can understand.

(And do NOT say ‘music’ is the universal language. That statement would be incredibly inaccurate.)

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13 Commentsto Language

  1. ryan dice:

    If the language was action based it probably would look like one big game of charades. People in general would be more fit, and dancing would be the nations favorite past-time. Some draw backs would be getting backhanded in the face everywhere you went and the abudnance of affirmitive grunts.

  2. ensonar dice:

    Emotional language? Facial expression? Laughter, crying, anger. They seem pretty universal, between humans that is. Or do you mean universal between all sentient beings? I guess for that seeing would be helpful.

    Sometimes I think I can feel what trees are feeling. I think it was mentioned somewhere that trees’ assemblage points are around the same location that humans are. And I can feel this to be true. I have felt trees that are welcoming, friendly… and trees that are “angry” or at least that don’t want to be bothered, or maybe who are upset with humans. And also trees that are neutral, that don’t really communicate much at all. I do love trees.

    But then again, I guess when it comes down to it, most plants give off feelings, as do animals.

    Maybe “feeling” is the universal language.

  3. BratscheWarrior dice:

    Interesting. “feeling”. i initially meant universal to humans, but since you asked the question to include all sentient beings, this might be even more interesting to me.

    Grunt.

    My next level of thought is that there has to be a syntax. And that everyone (or everything sentient) must have mastery over, therefore making it universal.

    A language based on charades. i think that that would be a blast! Reminds me of a Star Trek episode (The Next Generation). The Enterprise meets up with a race of aliens who no one has been able to understand. They speak English but the universal translator can’t make sense out of their use of the language. Turns out at the end, they figure out that they speak in metaphors (based on their mythology) to communicate.

    Grunt. Grunt….Ugggg.

  4. Lilac dice:

    Pictures that generate feelings in us might be universal language. I follow Jung in this and dreams are the most natural way the pictures and symbols to talk to us.

    UFO abductees sometimes say that pictures were put into their heads. Seems that most often the pictures are about the Earth dying in one way or another? A meteorite destroying Earth, or something like that. Are those pictures warning, a vision from the future, or just a test to see how human beings feel? Or are those space men just inorganics trying to scare us so that they can feed from our fear?

    Blah, I’m not so interested about aliens…

    But I really am interested about visions ir our heads.

  5. BratscheWarrior dice:

    The pictures would have to create the same feeling in everyone though. When looking at a piece of art, not everyone would have the same feeling about it. And therefore it would not be universal. There would be differences of opinion.. Maybe the language has to be based on fact rather than opinion?

  6. ensonar dice:

    What is fact? Energetic fact?

  7. BratscheWarrior dice:

    Yes. i suppose an energetic fact. Something that is not open to opinion.

  8. ensonar dice:

    It seems like to accomplish what I think you’re talking about would require seeing. After all, how else does one come to the irrefutable knowledge of energetic facts? I only know about their existence because a seer has explained it in a book.

    I’m not sure seeing is a form of communication in itself… But then again maybe it is. Or maybe a form of communication can be accomplished through seeing.

    Remember in Journey to Ixtlan when don Juan was talking about speaking to plants?… “To help you lose self-importance talk to little plants. It doesn’t matter what you say to a plant, what’s important is the feeling of liking it, and treating it as an equal.”

    I’m not sure, but it sounds like you may be trying to make something concrete that can only be fluid. Unless one sees, one can only interpret. The more knowledgeable, or intuitive we are, perhaps the better our interpretation. But until we can gain direct knowledge through seeing, how are we going to be absolutely certain about much of anything?

    That’s why I’m still convinced that feelings are the closest thing to a universal form of communication. And also I believe, that feelings are the road to seeing.

  9. Nick dice:

    I read somewhere that when you “see” something as energy, it has to reveal itself to you. You then know everything about it without the need for language. So perhaps the answer lies in everyone learning to “see”. Until that day we will always be divided by our language.

  10. BratscheWarrior dice:

    The more i think about it, the more i see how everyone would have to see. Now i know that if someone says that something is a universal language, they’re probably full of shit.

    As for feelings ensonar, i want to clarify what you mean by them. Do you mean emotional states? Feeling from your gap?

  11. ensonar dice:

    I don’t mean an emotional state.

    If seeing is direct knowledge, a state of knowing without a question of doubt, then I would say that perhaps feelings are a state that comes before that.

    Feelings aren’t knowing, they are just a gut feeling, but also they’re also something that can be intentionally or unintentionally projected.

    When don Juan is teaching Carlos to find a good spot to rest, he has him scan the area with his eyes but not look directly into it. He has him “feel” the area with his eyes, and pick a spot that has a “good” feeling, as opposed to a spot that has a “bad” feeling.

    Like I was describing earlier with trees; I can’t see, but I get the feeling that certain trees, and certain groups of trees have different feelings. I don’t know how or why I feel these things, I just think that being open to their projections allows one to pick up on their feelings.

    If I could see I would know, but I can only feel, so I just have to trust my feelings.

    In relation to communication, the reason I mention picking up the feeling of trees is because they can’t communicate with body language the way people or even animals do. You can tell when a person is feeling happy or sad without them telling you, but you can attribute this to they way their face looks, or the way they hold their body. You can tell when a dog is angry because it communicates in its own way that we can understand. With plants and perhaps insects and other more distant organisms or even the landscape itself, you can’t use these same methods, so it seems a more direct way of using your feelings to detect their feelings.

  12. the_ally dice:

    what about sex, i know its not a universal language, but it seems that at times it is.what do you all think?

  13. joyseph dice:

    From McKenna (who must have been experiencing/thinking something like forum topic):

    “Perhaps a human language is possible in which the intent of meaning is actually beheld in three-dimensional space.”