Three to four thousand different languages \u200b\u200bspoken on our planet, and the number of dialects far exceeds the already bulging figure. What is the source of so much diversity? Since antiquity we have tried to answer this question. Most civilizations have myths and legends that aim to explain their emergence and subsequent multiple: some, most, see it as a result of divine action, for when the gods decide to confuse men stand between them insurmountable language barriers, and thus the original language, divine gift-giving way to a motley plurality of languages, punishment of human pride, others, however, are derived from the power of a warrior or a folk hero.
Judeo-Christian tradition has left us an account of linguistic confusion that followed the men building the tower of Babel (Genesis 11: 5-9 .) "The Lord came down to see the city and the tower they had built the sons of men, and the LORD said to himself: 'I have here that are one people and have all one language, and this is the beginning of his performance, not nowadays as a machine it will be impossible to do. Come, let us go down and confuse their language right there, so that no one understands the speech of their peers'. Then the LORD scattered them from there by the surface of the earth and they ceased building the city. For this reason it was called Babel, because there confound (balal) speech Lord all the earth, and from there scattered over the face of the whole earth. "
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| "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven, and so we create a name, lest we be scattered throughout the earth's surface," says Genesis (11 : 4). The image is of The Tower of Babel (De Toren van Babel), by Pieter Brueghel the Elder 1563. Oil on wood 114 cm x 154 cm (Renaissance). Art History Museum of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. |
presents similar characteristics Nam myth: here too the wrath of who is above the men was the cause of diversity linguistics. This legend tells us that all men dwell in one city and all of them talking the same language, as considered impractical for the moon was not done always visible, they decided to erect a tower in order to achieve it. As was gaining height tower builders went to their rooms on different floors, and time developed different languages. But when the tower was nearing completion, the spirit of the Moon became angry and began blowing against her on the floor, and the men scattered over the face of the Earth, going to dwell where the wind had taken ....
The Castilian of both worlds or the troubles of the English American
A English who has lived many years in the U.S., says Angel Rosenblat (Our language in both worlds, Salvat, 1971) - decides travel to Mexico, tired of struggling with a language that resists more than he wanted. But, alas, the language common thought is soon to lift more of a barrier between him and his partners. For starters, the bus is here truck (and in Puerto Rico, bus, as in Cuba ... or the Canaries) and the taxi, to his surprise, the ruletero . When intended to clean their shoes, bolero replied that 'volley in a heartbeat' . It starts walking along the street and his eyes do not give credit to what they read: 'It income (rent)' everywhere, abound organizations whose labels - diners, deli, sundries, hardware stores ...- you are confused, and a poster - 'No parking on the materialists- absoluto' what astonishes him until she is learning that the materialistic are trucks that carry building materials. Walk into a bar for refreshments and surprises of the varieties of 'rich snacks ' (the covers of the day, which Argentines call ingredients and appetizers , Venezuelans) offered. Ask a friend, and say, "It's going very badly. It has been filled with drugs (debts)." The headlines will be incomprehensible: "Seditious clerk (public official) commits a robbery," "After gunned (shot) were taken prisoners," "Resolved plagiarism ... Agreement between parents and the kidnappers (Raptors) "" Among the deceased was amasiato (union) "and to make matters worse, the following:" Ten thousand gallons of pulque seized about bullfighters "(the bullfighting is an illegal distillery, and the torero , who lives in the distillation or illegal sale.) And what to make of the four pronunciations x ! Finally, at the farewell dinner that gave some friends, and when had not yet recovered from the offer of a apricot (apricot), came to tell a girl: "Miss, you have the face of Basque." Best had been silent! The vomit is vomiting ... Naturally, she stood up, and was offended. And our visitor could not help but to celebrate his homecoming. But Basque was, would not happen as much in Madrid or Seville, as in Caracas, Buenos Aires or Bogota ...?
Rosenblat Fragment taken as illustrations of the linguistic variety in the field Hispanic.
Lost Paradise of the original linguistic unit in modern times come to add new problems to the plurality of languages: the pollution they all suffer to a greater or lesser extent as consequence of the exaggerated influence of a few, the shock experienced by others that are spoken within the national areas, and the apparent distance of the same language spoken in very remote areas, are all manifestations of current international linguistic landscape. The solution found to these problems will depend largely on conservation and the rise in many languages, and better communication between individuals and peoples.
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| linguistic diversity, initially vertical inside the tower to collapse on him horizontal on the surface of the earth once the men were scattered his face. |
(1) Text taken from Wulff, Enrique (1981): Language and Languages. Madrid: Aula Abierta Salvat, pps. 4-5.
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