Wednesday, January 26, 2011
How would our society differ if we had no written language?
Without a written language, we'd be less connected. Word wouldn't spread as quickly or as accurately as it does now. Native stories and tales, though, would be just as strong, if not stronger than they are today. Back before they had written language, stories were told in songs and in dances, passed along through generation after generation. Ad if we didn't have a written language, we would do the same. Our legends would be told, they'd be more intricate, more creative and fun. More fun, perhaps, though less practical. (S.D.)
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If out society didn't have a written language, our life would be very different. Records of sales and other business transactions would be alot harder to keep up with. Information also would not be as precise if it traveled stored in the mind, not on a strip of paper. The carrier could alter the details to his/her advantage, or they just might not remember the specific details correctly. We might also not have some of the inventions we have today if we didn't have a written language, because in some products the details have to be so precise, and there would be so many of them that it would be simply impossible to remember them all. I'm glad we have a written language, it makes life so much easier.
ReplyDeleteB.T.
Just think back in the days of prehistory. We know little about the Natives and indigenous tribes of the earth and their surroundings because they did not have a written language. Eventually, mankind's history would be forgotten if there was no written language. If there was no developed written language, what use is texting, e-mailing, or writing letters? Those methods of communication would not have been created if we did not have a written language. Many inventions today would not have been invented because most of them are related with writing. For example, the world wide web would not have existed because there would not have been anything to put on it if there was no written language. Having no written language would hinder human's learning. There would be no books to read or textbooks to learn from. Teachers would have to memorize a lot of information to be a good teacher that would not get the facts mixed up. Without a written language, mankind's development would have been slowed down by a great deal.
ReplyDelete(Austin Wang) :)
With no written language, man kind would have one less way to communicate. They would be forced to speak to each other rather than communicating through paper. Life would differ in many ways. How would one read a book? There would be no way to use technology, other than pictures. I believe it would make life in general a challenge in itself.
ReplyDeleteWith no written language, mosty technology advances would be meaningless or not take place at all. Most immediatly think of actual handwritten documents when faced with this question, but it also means no email, no texting, no IMing. No changes to a preset schedule could be made. And that's not even the end of it.
ReplyDeleteWritten language includes numbers too. That means that there's no way to write computer coding, and so no computers. No cell phones, no televisions, no ipods, no digital cameas, nothing that involves any kind of computer chip.
d pierce
Without a written language to communicate, one would have to rely on someone to pass along news completely accurately. The game "telephone" clearly shows how quickly word by mouth can be mixed up and inaccurate. Families would probably live in the same neighborhoods and communities so that any news between them would be immediately told. There would barely be a definite language throughout the country because larger communities could form their own ways to talk. I am very thankful that we have a written language.
ReplyDeleteR. Kubiak
Living without a written language would be difficult and hard to imagine. Nothing would be as precise because we would have to rely on our memories for information. There would be many more rumors, and it would be difficult to trust what people are saying. It would also be very difficult to pay bills. Before telephones were invented communication across long distances without a written language would be almost impossible. One positive thing is that it would be impossible for classified documents to be stolen. There are more positives than negatives to having a written language, and life would be difficult without one.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne Z
It's interesting to me that most of you have expressed an opinion that life is easier with a written language. I wonder if it would be easier WITHOUT a written language. Simpler, anyway! Communities wouldn't be as large, family units would be tighter. People would be forced to relate to each other face to face rather than hiding behind books, letters or technology. I imagine that the mortality rate might be higher, the human life span shorter & perhaps due to this humans would live more in the moment. Hmmmm...interesting topic to ponder. (Mrs. J)
ReplyDeleteWithout a written language, we have no history. No books, no great literature, no common base of knowledge to be amassed. Without a written language, all our lives seem shorter; when they are over, they cease to exist, leaving no definite trace. We would never be sure if something had happened or not. Any knowledge we gain would be easily lost. The most important service a written language provides is not communication but rather preservation, the ability to communicate long after we ourselves are forgotten, to talk to those not yet born.
ReplyDeleteIf we had no written language life would be much harder. The amount of communication that happens today over computer and phone would be non existent. News would have to be spread by just telling others so people wouldn't find things out until days after it actually happen. People that live far away from each other would have no way to communicate. People would have little exposure to the world.
ReplyDeleteTommy K.
Language is our way of communication. One of the only things that keeps us from going back to the dark ages. Without it everything would be a mess. Our lives would not be as orderly and everything would suddenly become more frustrating because instead of just writing something down you would have to act it out in hand motions and the same vocabulary. But on the bright side, school might be a ton easier because we would not really need to write down our homework which would be great. Yet, the need for a language is too vast for those petty things our lives our too complicated to be without a written language.
ReplyDeleteIf our society didn't have a written form of language...well I really dont't know what we would do without it. This world would be a mess. No one could communicate, educate, or basically do anything without it. It helps us learn, protects us from harm, keeps us from using the wrong lotion (or anything else, I just saw lotion first), etc. We would have to use sign language and talk all the time. Yet we would make do and live without it, and i we didn't have it, we would be oblivious of it, and wouldn't know about it. But without it, life would be a mess.
ReplyDeleteIf our society did not have a written language, many things would change. For starters, this blog would not exist at all. There would be no such thing as e-mail, texting, letters, websites... the list is almost infinite. School would not be the same for we would only learn by speaking to each other rather than writing, people would not be able to remember certain things since they had no written records of it, and getting good grades would require the brain of a true genius. Textbooks would not exist either, and knowledge would be gained at an extremely slow pace. Now think about the past, the periods of time with no written records are the hardest ones to learn more and more about, therefore, history would be impossible to keep track of too. Overall, society without a written language would be complete chaos.
ReplyDeleteIf there was no written language in our society, there would be complete pandemonium. people would not be able to commuinicate with eachother, trade currency, read laws,or observe other things that a written language makes easy. Noone would be able to read or enjoy many things in life that words make simple. Life would not be very enjoyable without a written language.
ReplyDelete-Griffin I.