In the Beginning was Information

9. It is in all languages possible to refer to the past, to refute assertions,to set questions, and to formulate commands.10. The vocabulary of any language can be extended. New words are givena meaning through convention, and are subject to the relevant morphologicalrules, the acceptable sounds and the prescribed symbols.11. Any normal child can learn any selected language, independent ofplace of birth, geographical region, or racial or social group. It followsthat the ability of articulating any arbitrary language by meansof the vocal organs is inherent, and, thanks to the gift of reason, anylingual systems can be learnt to such an extent that arbitrary sentencesin that language can be constructed and understood.12. It is in principle possible to formulate any arbitrary idea in any language.Human languages are able to convey an unlimited number of meaningsand contents, in contrast to the communication systems of animals.A2.1.2 Complexity and Peculiarities of LanguagesThe German poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1724 – 1803) asserted:“Every language is, as it were, the storehouse of the most unique conceptsof a nation.” Language characterises a nation and it is strongly influencedby the environment. We shall now discuss some examples which illustratethe statement that “the vocabulary of a language indicates WHAT a nationthinks; the syntax indicates HOW the people think.”The Beduins have various names for a camel, each of which expressessome specific aspect of its place in their life. Some hunting tribes in EastAfrica use a range of words for expressing various shades of brown, butthey have only one term for all other colours lumped together. In someSlavic languages the auxiliary verb “to be” plays a minor role comparedto its position in the Germanic and the Latin languages. This indicates aquite different realisation of the problem of “being” for the respectivenations. The Eskimo languages have many different words for snow; theyfor example distinguish between falling snow, snow lying on the ground,and solid snow cut into blocks. A certain Philippines language employs 92different words for 92 different ways of travelling. The Tabassarian languagespoken in Daquestan (in the former Soviet Union), acknowledges35 kinds of nouns, and in a certain Eskimo language there are 63 presenttense forms and up to 252 inflections for simple nouns. The North AmericanIndian language, Chippewa (Minnesota), holds the record for thelargest number of verb forms: about 6,000, and another Amerindian language,Haida, employs the greatest number of prefixes, namely 70.In the Nepalese Kulung language there are three different words for“come”, indicating whether one comes from above (yuo), from below209