Do you love a good mystery and ancient texts? Rajesh Rao sure does. He is a computational neuroscientist at my alma mater, the University of Washington
in Seattle. He has devoted much of his professional life to cracking
"the mother of all crossword puzzles": How to decipher the 4000 year old
Indus script!
- FEBRUARY 14TH BLOGPOST - students of Mr C - you will post here 100 -150 words on the Rosetta Stone or the Rosetta Stone for the INDUS SCRIPT - do you think that ancient written languages are important sources of knowledge and worthy of study?
- Pondicherry School Trip JOURNAL -Week of Feb 17th - Principal Gardner has instructed all students to record their experiences in a TOK Journal using the WOK to inform your reflections. These will be collected and included in the Quarter Grade Assessment.
- Friday 28th - BLOG POST Students will post a comment on any aspect of the Van de Lagemaat chapter on LANGUAGE. You may also consider the changing forms of English through 'Rap' and other vocabularies specific to certain groups.
The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Ptolemaic age stone. It is inscribed with ancient written languages. This raises an important question- “Are ancient written languages important sources of knowledge and worthy of study?” I feel that they are vital sources of knowledge. Language is one of the four ways of knowing. Ancient written languages enable us to understand history in a better light. They help us understand ancient cultures and traditions. The Rosetta Stone enhanced the modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs. This opened several doors to Egyptian history. Hence, I believe that language is an important way of knowing and provides a great deal of evidence to support claims/counter-claims.
ReplyDeleteThe Rosetta Stone documentary showed us how Jean Francois Champollion deciphered the script and was the first person to translate the Egyptian hieroglyphs by finding out that the hieroglyphs were a combination of sounds and symbols. In TOK, sources are very important in providing evidence for a historical event. Language is an important way of knowing in TOK. The study of ancient languages, play an important role in discovering the past. The study of hieroglyphs opened a new chapter of history and gave us access to the mesmerizing secrets of ancient Egypt. The study of ancient languages provide a plethora of information about the ancient civilizations, the world around us and the history of how it all came to be. Champollion study of the hieroglyphs exposed the secrets of the Rosetta Stone and brought the civilization of ancient Egypt back to life. Ancient scripts are primary sources and study of ancient languages are essential for proving past events.
ReplyDeleteLanguage as a way of knowing.
ReplyDelete-Hradini Bhogilal
Most of Egyptian history was a blur in the mind of historians in the beginning of the 19th century primarily due to the fact that historian were unable to decipher the ancient hieroglyphics. This brings to light the immense importance of language as a source of knowledge. Unlike Young, novice Jean-François Champollion viewed the hieroglyphics as a spoken language rather than rudimentary symbols. This expedited the process of our understanding of that ancient civilization. Without the hieroglyphics the ancient culture of Egypt wouldn’t have been integrated into our global community. The study of various languages (not just the Egyptian civilization’s) broadens our perception of the diverse communities of the world. In addition, it tasks us to question the orthodox beliefs of the origins of humanity.
ReplyDeleteAncient languages are the provenances of the language we speak today. All of the myriad ancient languages are extremely important even today, albeit in subdued and subtler ways. Examples of ancient languages include Latin, Greek, Sanskrit and Old Norse. They are the key to understanding not only the present spoken languages better, but also their origin and the cultures of the past.
Just like family trees, there exist language trees. As this simile suggests, languages have grown out of these older, primitive languages. For example, all romance languages such as French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese are based on Latin. Learning Latin helps one to gain an idea of the structure of languages and grammar in general. For example, Champollion in France, was able to decipher what the hieroglyphs meant, by learning Greek as well as Coptic. By comparing the languages he knew, to hieroglyphs, he worked out what they stood for and was soon able to read the hieroglyphs on the Rosetta stone and in their entirety. This proves that languages are not only linked, but are developed from one another.
These ancient languages are also an insight into the cultures and civilizations of the past. The structure of a language can provide clues into how people looked at the world and their relationships with other humans and even animals. It preserves the cultures and traditions of the past and gives an explanation for why things they are the way there are today. For example, a lot was discovered about the Egyptian culture, after the Rosetta stone became decipherable to Champollion. Similarly, Indians have discerned several facts about the past traditions and way of life in their country by learning to read Sanskrit. Therefore, as people begin to understand an ancient language, more can be deciphered about the past cultures and civilization, like those of the Indus Valley civilization and the culture of Egypt and its fieros.
Karan Mehta- TOK.
ReplyDeleteDuring our TOK classes, we came across the spectacular discovery of the Rosetta Stone made by the early French in Egypt and which was later deciphered by the prodigy Jean- Francois Champollion. This is a exciting piece of primary evidence that gives identity and a sense of history to the indigenous people of Egypt. Language as a way of knowledge is very important since it not only deciphers an ancient language but also takes us back to the oldest civilizations and one of the oldest languages, which is fascinating since we can actually hear the voices of people speaking a language that existed 4000 years ago. Language is branched from other primitive languages and the roots of all languages can be taken back to the hieroglyphs and Coptic.
Language can tell us history; it reflects the culture and the civilization that existed in those years. It can help discover something unknown to us. I feel language is something that unites the past with the present and therefore to understand history and scriptures of the past we must learn the language of that particular culture. The discovery of the Rosetta stone also raised ethical concerns where it must have been returned back to Egypt because it belongs to them and it is a vital part of their culture, and not be lying in a British museum for tourists. Discovering a language, is in other words deciphering a whole civilization and culture and this fact can be extended to even the Indus Valley and Indian Sanskrit. Why might these ancient languages be worthy to study? They mean a great value to the indegineuos people, where they receive a sense of identity and these ‘dead’ languages which are not spoken today are still very important in our universal culture and identity.
The orthodox beliefs of the church would be threatened if the hieroglyphs provided evidence that conflicted with the bible. So the discovery of the stone could also evoke a conflict in today’s world. Discovering ancient languages can also broaden our perception of our diverse culture today. It leads to re question the belief of the origin of humanity, it being the ultimate question that still doesn’t yet have conclusive evidence.
Language is an integral pathway to our understanding of the world around us. It is one of the primary ways of knowing for TOK and facilitates the sharing of knowledge between people, cultures, and generations. However, not all languages are understood and can be read. The mysterious Rosetta stone illustrates the difficulties that occur in interpreting languages. It is an ancient stone discovered by the French in Egypt in 1801. It was then seized by the British. The Rosetta stone had three different scripts on it: ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, demotic script and ancient Greek. As we saw in the documentary, a thrilling race to decipher the stone ensued, with French language prodigy, Jean-Francois Champollion and English professor, Dr. Thomas Young rushing to reveal what the hieroglyphs truly meant. They encountered several difficulties and uncertainties along the way, such as the direction of the text, whether the symbols were words or letters or sounds, and the missing pieces of the stone. It was eventually discovered that the stone had the King Ptolemy’s name on it as well as the pharaohs Ramesses and Thuthmose. The reason for this intense excitement over the deciphering of the Rosetta stone was that it would provide invaluable insight into the ancient civilisation of Egypt as well as a possible time period for the origin of humanity. Thus, it is extremely important to study and attempt to decode complex languages as they offer untapped stores of knowledge about past languages and their cultural backgrounds, as well as further depth into current languages, which find their roots in languages such as hieroglyphs. The study of language is crucial to our better understanding of our place in this world, how we got there, and how to make it better.
ReplyDeleteLanguage is one of the four ways of knowing, and it is one of the most significant too. One cannot imagine a day of ones life without using language (written or oral) to communicate certain information or receive certain data. It is a medium through which knowledge is passed on directly and thus is invaluable.
ReplyDeleteTake for example, when the Rosetta Stone was discovered, linguists from all over the world like Jean-Francois Champollion and Dr. Thomas Young hurried to try and decipher hieroglyphs using this stone as deciphering a language meant learning a lot more about a place. Understand hieroglyphs could give us information like how life was so many years ago in Egypt, why the Egyptians created tombs, Egyptian religion and the origin of the world and first language. Thus this language was very important as a way of knowing about our origins and ancient history. Every ancient civilization showed evidence of having some kind of script or language to communicate and transfer knowledge and this further emphasizes the need of language in our world.
In modern times, music uses language too, to communicate ideas and conduct knowledge. It uses a pleasant tune and rhyme scheme occasionally so that listeners can understand the tone and essence of a message that is usually conveyed. Rap music for example, is very popular amongst the younger generation and thus has the effect of influencing them as they usually keep listening to the music and tend to imitate the artists involved. Thus if the music sends a good message it can be very influential but some consider rap music to be very provocative. Rap is essentially language being used with rhythm and its popularity only serves to show the importance of language as a way of knowing.
Language is one of the four ways of knowing. It occupies a central role in our lives. It is perhaps the most important way of knowing for several reasons. However, a vital aspect of language is its application as a medium for expressing several things.
ReplyDeleteLanguage is indispensable because we cannot communicate our ideas or feelings without making use of language. Emotion as a way of knowing is dependent on language since we cannot express our emotions without using language. We can discover several things through language. An example of this is the Rosetta Stone. Deciphering the hieroglyphs was a key to understanding ancient Egyptian culture. These hieroglyphs provided a new language, which opened many doors to Egyptian culture. This proves the importance of language as a medium of expressing and understanding cultures and ideas.
Language is applied in music too. Rap music is a clear example of how language contributes to the musical world. Language finds way in music through lyrics. Language gives meaning to music and provides a medium for artists to express their ideas through music. Rap music makes substantial use of language and shows us the importance of language as a way of knowing.
Language is the way we express our emotions and is the only way we communicate with the world around us, and thus is the most important way of knowing. Over the years language has allowed us to communicate with ancient civilizations and understand their cultures and traditions. Language, spoken or written, is the only way to pass on knowledge from generation to generation.
ReplyDeleteIn today’s world the written and spoken ‘language’ isn’t the only way we communicate. We’re able to communicate through the language of instruments- music. Rap seems to have become a highly popular genre of music. Artists convey messages to the youth through this form of music. Contrary to popular belief, rap songs can also convey powerful and peaceful messages, such as the song ‘Hope’ by Twista and Faith Evans. Thus we can see that over the years language has evolved into many forms but has always allowed for communication across nations and generations and always will.
Language is one of the four ways of knowing. Language can be expressed in terms of written scripts such as the Rosetta Stone but language can also be commuted through sound- music. Rap has become a popular genre of music and language is used to portray one's feelings and emotions and communicate with the audience. The stereotype of Rap music is negative with the use of unethical language and the gangster tone but what it might also possess and show us is a better, positive side of rap music. The song ‘Hope’ by Twista and Faith Evans convey a powerful meaning and a peaceful message out to the audience. Language will always remain the same but the form in which it is communicated in will change; here the popular trend is rap music. The audience this music primarily appeals to is the youth and it is very important that the exposure, we receive is worth knowing and has a positive moral value to it.
ReplyDeleteTOK blog post
ReplyDeleteNaman Saraf
The documentary on the Rosetta Stone was truly an interesting one . It showed us how Jean-François Champollion deciphered the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics . This was significant as it changed our perspective on Egyptian History and we could understand it better .The hieroglyphics were viewd as a distinct language and not just symbols . This answers the question -“Are ancient written languages important sources of knowledge and worthy of study?” Ancient written sources are extremely important and provide an insight to the History of that time . Language is an important way of knowing and tells us a lot about the area of knowledge – history . If Champollion would not be able to decipher the hieroglyphics , we would probably still be unaware of Egypt’s past . Hence it may be concluded that ancient written languages and scripts are definitely worthy of study and deciphering them will only add to our knowledge .
Comment 2 on Van de Lagemaat:
ReplyDeleteThe topic in the book by Van de Lagemeet that interested me the most was “Lost in translation”. The idea that something is lost when one translates something from one language to another seemed not only fascinating but also extremely true. We often tend to think that our own language fits reality. However, this is certainly not the case. There are more than 3000 languages worldwide, and each one offers a different reality. The book suggests that mixing these realities is completely incorrect and therefor supports the Italian saying “ Traduttore traditore” meaning “the translator is a traitor.” This therefore implies that to speak a language you must know it in its entirety and be part of the reality it offers. By translating from one language to another, without any proper context is mixing the two realities which results in a meaningless script.
As an IB student, English is my first language while I study French as my second language. I often think in English and merely translate my thoughts into French when I’m asked to speak in class or write an essay. My teacher often tells me that I’m using “anglicisme”. This means that I’m planning what to say in English and simply translating it into French, resulting in a meaningless piece of work. For example, “I am 17 years old” will translate into “Je suis 17 ans”. However, this is incorrect in the French language and it’s reality. The correct way to say this is “ J’ai 17 ans” which if translated back to English will mean “I have 17 years”. Therefore, as portrayed by this example, and stated in the book, there is a tension between going with the letter and going with the spirit of a text when you are making a translation.