http://www.boroday.info/sign-language-universal-language/
In introduction to a Rhizome the authors define a rhizome as being able to, “connect any point to any other point, and its traits are not necessarily linked to traits of the same nature; it brings into play very different regimes of signs, and even non-sign states.” (21) They apply this idea to literature and language and in the process deconstruct widely held ideas of both of those subjects.
Early in the chapter the authors declare, “…there is no language in itself, nor are there any linguistic universals, only a throng of dialects, patois, slangs and specialized languages.” (7) Since the capacity for language is something we are born with, then one cannot attribute a beginning or ending to language which makes it a perfect example of a rhizome. According to the authors Rhizomes lack beginnings or endings and have the ability to connect ideas and objects that seemingly have no connection, no common denominator if you will. Language does exactly that.
When you take one group that speaks one language and another that speaks a different language, in order to communicate, they create a pidgin tongue. Pidgin is very basic way to communicate, yet when their offspring are born that pidgin language forms itself into a full fledged language with its own rules and syntax, etc. Much of what we consider Creole language is formed in this manner.
Later in the essay the authors discus American Literature and how it represents the idea of the Rhizome. Unlike other more homogenous cultures America is a salad bowl of people, culture and ideas. We are the land of immigrants from most every continent, along with an indigenous population that managed to survive the throng of immigrants.
All of these seeming disparate pieces have come together to form a national identity as “American” yet all of the elements are different: different cultures, language, religion. Since our country is so different than that difference would find its way into our literature as well.
There is no uniquely American identity that one can draw on, unlike in English literature there can be an English experience or say a French experience in French literature or even a Japanese experience where Japan is concerned. Our American literature would draw upon all of those aspects of America: the cultures, the language, the foods to create an American identity that could be written about, this Americaness because rhizomatic in its creation as it takes these different ideas and turn them into our America, our literature.
T.S. Johnson is a freelance writer and owner of PrologueReviews.com. Visit http://www.prologuezine.com for all of your writing needs or http://www.prologuereviews.com to have your music, movie or book reviewed.
Awesome sign language guy at Universal Studios
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The Land Before Time (Sign Language Edition) [VHS] $14.98 This 1988 animated feature from Don Bluth (An American Tail) focuses on an orphaned young dinosaur, Littlefoot, who has to make his way to the paradise of the Great Valley in order to survive a plague. Along the way, he meets up with some other dinos from different species, and they all bond and travel together. On the way, they have plenty of adventures. Even with elements of suspense, this is a … |
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Land Before Time III, The: The Time of Great Giving [Sign Language Edition] [VHS] $14.98 This direct-to-video sequel (the second) to The Land Before Time suffers from less ambitious animation, but the story is superior to the last film. This time, a meteorite has cut off the water supply to the Great Valley, causing inhabitants to bicker and bully among themselves. By contrast, Littlefoot and his friends are getting along just fine, and they leave the valley to go in search of a new w… |
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The Land Before Time IV – Journey Through the Mists (American Sign Language Edition) [VHS] $14.98 Littlefoot and the gang meet a shy newcomer, Ali, but the pleasantries stop there. There’s a dire environmental theme to this third sequel in the series, in which the world’s weather changes beyond the Great Valley, and what had been dry land is now a “land of mists.” The shift brings new creatures who push out older inhabitants, and Littlefoot sees these radical changes for himself when he has to… |
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Sign Language $27.19 … |
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Law of Attraction – And How to Get What You Want in Life By Using It $2.99 The law of attraction is a New Age and New Thought philosophy founded upon a metaphysical principle. It is a concept deeply routed in both Western and Eastern philosophies and has gained considerable popularity in the first years of the new millennium.Based on a range of ideas developed during the 19th and 20th centuries, the law of attraction focuses on the significance of thought, the quality of… |
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Universal Indian Sign Language Of The Plains Indians Of North America $11.17 Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!… |
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Sign Language and Linguistic Universals $14.49 Sign languages are of great interest to linguists because, while they are produced by the same brain, their physical transmission differs greatly from that of spoken languages. Wendy Sandler and Diane Lillo-Martin compare spoken languages with those that are signed, in order to seek universal properties of human languages. No prior background in sign language linguistics is assumed, and numerous p… |
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Instant Immersion American Sign Language Win/Mac $6.99 BRAND NEW SHIPS IN ECO-FRIENDLY WHITE PAPER SLEEVE. Over 10 years in business – huge software selection, excellent customer service!… |
