Sorry for the late post! I was unable to conduct my interview for this week, so instead I decided to focus more on the transfer of knowledge within the Mycenaean (Greek) culture.
Like I noted in my previous post, there were different social classes among the Mycenaeans, the king (or rulers), palace men and the peasants. But even though "there was a distinct pecking order within this highly structured society...it was not overwhelmingly oppressive" (Rodney Castleden 84). Because of this, the lower class members of society had considerable freedom of action, which allowed them to speak their mind and pass on oral information without much censorship by those in power.
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| Socrates. |
During this time, knowledge was passed on verbally through mentors. Philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle verbally communicated their ideas and thoughts with their mentors and students through the questioning and debate methods.
As citizens began to develop a better understanding of oral communication, the development of two different dialects began to occur. "The Mycenaeans spoke at least two different dialects, unrelated to the different Greek dialects of later times" (Castledon 89). One dialect was used by the upper class scribes. They used their spoken dialect when using Linear B writing system, a written form of communication that the Mycenaeans are most known for. The other dialect which sometimes appears in the Linear B tablets seems to reflect how the lower class citizens spoke.
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| Plato. |
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| Aristotle. |
This form of writing tells of the Trojan War, mentioned in Homer's epic poems. It is unsure if the Trojan war had anything to do with the downfall of the Mycenaean Civilization, however, it is known that the Mycenaean Civilization fell shortly after (within two decades).
Today, much of what we know about the Mycenaean language and culture has been passed down mostly through written history. "The language of the Mycenaeans, however did survive, as Greek, and from what we have seen some of their history and poetry survived too, in the tradition preserved in Homer" (Castleden 229).
Castleden, Rodney. Myceneans. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print.
That is pretty interesting how the language was divided into two dialects. I guess it isnt 100% foreign to us. In most languages there is a more formal language of business or with adults, and a cruder, slangier common language, but it is interesting that that could develop into two completely different dialects.
ReplyDeleteAnother thought, I guess this also kind of might have to do with how in many societies they used a different language for religion. For example the catholics with latin for so many years. An as alicia might comment tomorrow, (or maybe not) I guess in cambodia the buddhists use another language for their religious services too.
Wow I wonder if that is kind of like German. In Germany most people speak both their regional dialect like Plattdeutsch or Schweitzerduch and Hochdeutsch or the standardized German. When German people meet eachother and can't understand what the other is saying they ask if they can speak Hochdeutsch. I thought that was the weirdest thing when I was learnign German but I guess it was much more common than I thought.
ReplyDeleteI wonder with the freedom of speech of the lower classes if that was accompanied with the possibility of movement between social classes. If not were the lower class ideas just ignored and they were only allowed to have them to keep them passive (that would probably be Nietzche's analysis of the situation). how does that relate to our modern society? We jealously guard freedom of speech but also carefully guard what is taken serously by processes like peer review.
I have liked exploring the different qualities and aspects that oral and written forms of communication have to offer. I find it interesting that we usually talk about both in order to learn about one. For example Plato, Socrates and Aristotle explored a form of learning and communication that just cannot be reproduced in writing. They valued sheer intellect because their debates were live. When you write you have time to think and organize your thoughts. You might be able to go deeper into a subject but in my opinion oral offers a better clue into how a person mind works. There is so much more than just words and language that goes into oral communication that help us understand a persons thoughts. THings like reaction and rebuttal to claims, voice influctuation, facial expressions etc. I think this live form of communication allows for a more through understanding and analysis of a persons ways of thinking as well as the thoughts they are trying to communicate. I am intrigued that Plato and co. took advantage of this.
ReplyDeleteGood point Will. I would point out though the aesthetic of language developed rapidly with written language. You are right the sheer intellect was the stimulating part of the debates was well as the performance qualities of it, but a finely crafted prose speaks in ways a performance cannot.
ReplyDeleteI like the note that the history of the Trojan War by Homer was written in the lower dialect. It is interesting to debate on theories for why that occurred. Was it just because war was more a common man's thing? Even though there were elite generals and heroes, there were still regular joes that rose to the occasion to fight for their country. Or it could have been that with this war and then the rapid decline of the civilization, the social classes sort of collapsed, and there wasn't really and elite language anymore. I feel like this has something in it, some connection or demonstration of the relationship between the languages spoken, the oral stories and traditions shared, and the vitality of the civilization as a whole. Cool ideas, and nice historical post!
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