Re: Is language a mess? (was: English is a mess.)

Joachim Pense:

Jens S. Larsen wrote:
written documents are to language what
footprints are to a foot. You may call a footprint a natural thing,
but it isn't part of the natural body who left it.

Both Written documents and recorded speaking are to language what footprints
are to a foot.

Writing and speaking are to language what walking is to a foot. Only
speaking is barefoot.

Writing is like walking with boots on, then. But using language is, in
this simile, like walking around, whether or not you are leaving
footprints on the way. It's only when you're leaving signs behind,
that you're enabling communication -- and most of the time when using
language, you don't leave signs behind. We all think many more words
than we say out loud or write.

Jens S. Larsen

.

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