Patterns in Language:

a Presentation
by Jennifer Ball

Summary

Examples of language bias: black vs. white

The importance of eyes and sight

Bilateral symmetry makes us like the number 2
(also that is the number of animals that it takes to
make more animals)

B/ represent 2 in many languages

B and V swap sounds in at least 8 languages

Female mammals are the basis of written language

The data suggests Chinese is the oldest written
language

If we live in denial, we are like the frog at the
bottom of the well: limited in scope

Language could be learned faster

If we saw the similarities in all written
languagesthe pattern based upon human
need for sex, procreation, and foodwe
could retain words and characters more
quickly. However humans do not like to be
reminded that we are animals.

Language could be learned faster

If we saw the similarities in all written
languagesthe pattern based upon human
need for sex, procreation, and foodwe
could retain words and characters more
quickly. However humans do not like to be
reminded that we are animals.

Cultural Universals

A smile is a cultural universal: every culture
smiles.

Linguistic universals are commonalities in
language: concepts that every language has,
like nouns.

One linguistic universal is that every literate
culture seems to differentiate black from
white.

Why is black equated with bad?

Why is white equated with good?

Why is black equated with bad?

Why is white equated with good?

They are just the absence and presence of light.

Could it be because

Night was dangerous

Other animals use many senses, but we
primarily use our eyes. Long ago, darkness
was scary. Therefore it became associated
with bad.

Here are some examples

where the words

black

dark

and
are used in a
negative way. These examples
do not condone the use of these
expressions.

Blackmail:
Threatening to expose secrets for money

Black Market: Illegal trade

Europe 500-1000 AD

1,500 years ago: It was a violent time

Why do these words sound

negative?

Why do these words sound

negative?

stingy

cheap

petty

trivial

complainers

South African

country

Why do these words sound

negative?

stingy

cheap

complainers

petty

trivial

Notice
what
color
he is.

South African

country

NIGHT

NIGHT

NIGHT

NEGATIVE

A photographic
negative is used
to print a
positive, which is
the picture we
see in magazines.

NIGHT

NEGATIVE

A photographic
negative is used
to print a
positive, which is
the picture we
see in magazines.

NIGHT

NEGATIVE

NEGRO

A photographic
negative is used
to print a
positive, which is
the picture we
see in magazines.

NIGHT

NEGATIVE

NEGRO

Negro means black

in Spanish, and used to
be the word for African
Americans in the 1960s.

A photographic
negative is used
to print a
positive, which is
the picture we
see in magazines.

NIGHT

NEGATIVE

NEGRO

Negro means black

in Spanish, and used to
be the word for African
Americans in the 1960s.

All have an association with darkness.

NIGHT

NEGATIVE

NEGRO

All have an association with darkness.

means black in Chinese.

NIGHT

NEGATIVE

NEGRO

All have an association with black.

(hei1she2hui4, gangster organization)

(hei1xin1, badly intentioned)

(mu4hou4hei1shou3, one who operates in the background)

NIGHT

NEGATIVE

NEGRO

All have an association with black.

(hei1she2hui4, gangster organization)

(hei1xin1, badly intentioned)

(mu4hou4hei1shou3, one who operates in the background)

Perceiving color is important

In the past it helped us distinguish the
animal camoflauged in the background
terrain and allowed us to kill it, perhaps
before it killed us. Sharp eyes were key to a
trained hunter.

Can you
read the
number?
If not,
you may
be colorblind

There are 5
kinds of
colorblindness
all carried
on the
females X
chromosome;
so colorblind
people are
predominantly
male because
they only get
one X.

There are 5
kinds of
colorblindness
all carried
on the
females X
chromosome;
so colorblind
people are
predominantly
male because
they only get
one X.

Color in Hanzi (written

Chinese)

se4

Sharp eyes see color

=

se4

Did you ever realize

color

that the word color is a face?

color

We cull by color.

We cull by color.
I want the red one.

We cull by color.
I want the green one.

We cull by color.

I want the blue one.

Eyes allow us to see color.

Eyes are how we view the world.

Eyes allow us to see color.

Eyes are how we view the world.

Eyes allow us to see color.

Eyes are how we view the world.

Notice that they all

look to the left!

Eyes allow us to see color.

Eyes are how we view the world.

Notice that they all

look to the left!

We have two eyes because

humans are bilaterally
symmetrical.

This means that one side of the body

We have two eyes because

humans are bilaterally
symmetrical.

This means that one side of the body

is a copy of the other.

Eleven of our letters

have vertical bilateral
symmetry
Just like with us, an
imaginary mirror plane
runs down the middle
of each letter

Nine of our letters have

horizontal bilateral
symmetry

Sixteen (16) out of 26 letters

are bilaterally symmetrical
Four (4) letters

are quadralaterally
symmetrical (and we
kind of are too!):

HIOX

Symmetry is sexy to humans. It
means we are genetically fit.

Humans like couples

We like things to come by twos. Male and
female...

Noahs Ark

The Noahs Ark storyis
4,600 years old2000 years older than
Christianity. All the animals go 2 by 2.

Noahs Ark

The Noahs Ark storyis
4,600 years old2000 years older than
Christianity. All the animals go 2 by 2.

Bi means two and biology means life. It
takes two animals (female and male!) to produce life.

Noahs Ark

The Noahs Ark storyis
4,600 years old2000 years older than
Christianity. All the animals go 2 by 2.

The worlds first sex education!

Bi = 2

B is the 2nd letter of the alphabet

B has 2 lobes

1

2

Bi means 2 together
Bite: 2 sets of teeth come together

Bill: top and bottom come together

Bifocals: (near and far sighted)

Binary: base 2 (0 and 1)

zi4 xing2 che1

Bicycle -

Two circles

1

2

Self pedaling vehicle

One person

Humans
like to
count
things

Chinese has a B

Means
female

Looks like
the letter B

This character means milk. Milk

only comes out of something that
looks like a B.

Seven languages have a B/V

swap

Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Russian, Spanish, English, and Bengali

There may be more!

For example, a mobile phone means the phone

moves:

Seven languages have a B/V

swap

Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Russian, Spanish, English, and Bengali

There may be more!

For example, a mobile phone means the phone

moves:

Oblong = Oval

Seven languages have a B/V

swap

Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Russian, Spanish, English, and Bengali

There may be more!

For example, a mobile phone means the phone

moves:

Dribble = Drivel

Seven languages have a B/V

swap

Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Russian, Spanish, English, and Bengali

There may be more!

For example, a mobile phone means the phone

moves:



Gubernatorial = Governor

Seven languages have a B/V

swap

Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Russian, Spanish, English, and Bengali

There may be more!

For example, a mobile phone means the phone

moves:





Scribe = Scrivener

The B/V swap

An obstetrician is a doctor who delivers
babies. Babies come from womens ovaries.

An oval is an oblong shape.

It is the shape of an egg.

An egg is an ovum, an oval, 
and an oblong.

The B/V swap

An obstetrician is a doctor who delivers
babies. Babies come from womens ovaries.

An oval is an oblong shape.

It is the shape of an egg.

An egg is an ovum, an oval, 
and an oblong.

Female mammals

Produce milk and babies

Have body parts that resemble B and V

Are all over Chinese writing (Hanzi)

Are the root of language

Female mammals

Produce milk and babies

Have body parts that resemble B and V

Are all over Chinese writing (Hanzi)

Are the root of language

female

Female mammals

Produce milk and babies

Have body parts that resemble B and V

Are all over Chinese writing (Hanzi)

Are the root of language

Linguists tell us that B

comes from house.
Linguists are in denial.

female

Female mammals

Produce milk and babies

Have body parts that resemble B and V

Are all over Chinese writing (Hanzi)

Are the root of language

Linguists tell us that B

comes from house.
Linguists are in denial.

female

House is a euphemism for where

you put your B/Vs.

Female mammals

Produce milk and babies

Have body parts that resemble B and V

Are all over Chinese writing (Hanzi)

Are the root of language

Linguists tell us that B

comes from house.
Linguists are in denial.

female

Sex is everywhere.

Why wouldnt it be in language?

The roots of language are in

China

Written Chinese is the only language to
have been documented for 4,000 years.

We can learn about English by studying
Chinese because the concepts that were
important to early humans are universal.

Beginnings of Written Language

Jiahu symbols
These symbols are
not considered
actual writing by
the experts

6,600 BC (8,600 years ago)"

found in Henan, China"

Jiahu symbols
These symbols are
not considered
actual writing by
the experts

Yet forms
of them are
currently
used in
written
Chinese

6,600 BC (8,600 years ago)"

found in Henan, China"

The Frog at the Bottom of the Well

Like the Chengyu says, a frog at the
bottom of a well has tunnel vision. We need to
jump out of our well and look at all language for
similarities because we humans are a lot alike.




Thank you for thinking about my
ideas concerning the origins of
all language. Feel free to email
me any comments or questions
you have at:


OriginofAlphabet@me.com


or visit my website at:


www.OriginofAlphabet.com

Who is Jennifer Ball?

I am a novelist: Higher Math (Faber, 1991)
and Catalyst (Faber, 1997)

I also co-wrote a book on digital typography
(M&T Press, 1991)

Educational Background

I have a Bachelors in Theater from
University of California at Los Angeles

I have a Masters in Creative Writing from
San Diego State University

I have studied ancient languages for 4 years





(I have studied Chinese writing and
language for about 4 years)
I have lived with a scientist for 28 years

Work Experience

I am a teacher of English at Soochow University,
Suzhou, China, in the Nanotechnology
Department

I was the music editor for the San Diego Reader
for 7.5 years

I taught computer graphics for 5 years at Platt
Technical College in San Diego

I taught English 101 at San Diego State University