CHAPEAU

What's lost when a language disappears? Consider this analogy: Language is to humans as the ocean is to the planet. Simple. No language, no people. Or, looked at another way, how strange would it be if there were just one fish in the ocean?

To those who argue that biodiversity is a tempest in a teacup, the loss of language no doubt seems entirely inconsequential. That view seems too narrow to merit any consideration. If you wore blinders that limited your range of vision to a just a few degrees either side, what would you see? More importantly, what would you not see?

biolinguistics - the evolution of language

Tunnel vision is the name for this condition. By analogy, those people with a limited, literal viewpoint are said to suffer from tunnel vision.

A simple example is found in the French word chapeau. Literally, it means 'hat'. Figuratively, it is an exclamation that means 'I take my hat off to you' or 'good job', 'kudos' and the like. In Canada, the word is also used as a substitute for the name of the province of Quebec.

Every word has both a denotation and a connotation. The primary, or literal meaning is its denotation. The other ideas and feelings that the word invokes comprise its connotation. Quite often, the invoked meaning is so subtle that only native speakers understand the nuance.

The origin of words and language continues to be controversial. Biolinguistics studies this problem; and argues that language is innate, that it is more akin to the color of our eyes than our ability to multiply. This theory states that the basic components of language---grammar and syntax, for example---have evolved just as animals and plants have done. If we are ever to fully understand how we think, and thus why we behave as we do, biolinguistics is the path that will lead us to the answer.

The loss of a language then becomes far more critical than the simple disappearance of some remote linguistic group. Language is who we are. And, as poet John Donne wrote, 'no man is an island, entire of itself ... any man's death diminishes me ...'

Each language lost diminishes us all.

Vive la différence.

CANINES AND CORVI

Coyotes and wolves, ravens and crows share a long history of work and play. They are ubiquitous critters found in every clime and any terrain. They populate the myths of all Native people. The name coyote comes from its Aztec name huehuecoyotl which the Spanish corrupted to coyote. Raven comes from old English hræfn and similar words in Icelandic, Dutch, and proto-German.

The Chinook called coyote talapus, the trickster. One of the many tales of talapus relates how he created Hyas Tyee Tumwater, Willamette Falls.

Talapus came from across the mountains to the river valley. He found that skookums were rampaging about scaring the People. Frightened as they were and hungry, too, they asked Coyote to help them.

And so he did. First he baited the skookums with roots and berries laced with salamander juice. They ate their fill. As sick as they became, it was easy for Coyote to convince them that the country thereabouts was plagued with nothing but misery for skookums. That's how he rid the place of the beasts. They moved on into the mountains.

But the People were still hungry.

"Let's make a waterfall across the river," Raven said to Coyote. "Then the People can catch fish." So they made a rope by twisting together strands of dogbane root. Holding one end Raven flew to the west side of the river. Coyote stayed on the other side. Carrying the rope between them they went down the river looking for a good place to make the falls. They stopped just below where Salem is today and Raven said, "Let's make it here."

But the bird spoke in the Clackamas language and Coyote only knew the Chinook language. He misunderstood what she said. Instead of making a waterfall, he turned three beavers, two frogs, and a rubber boa into rock.

Raven squawked and shook her head. Coyote shrugged and grinned. They walked on down the river to where Oregon City is today. "Let's make the waterfall here," said Raven. This time she used sign language, and Coyote understood.

So they stretched the rope tight. Coyote pulled hard. Raven gathered some friends and they all pulled and pulled. Then Coyote called up another spell and turned the rope to rock. The river roared and rumbled, but had no choice. Over the rock the water cascaded creating a deep pool where the salmon gathered before making their leaps. Coyote and raven showed the People how to make nets woven onto long poles. And so a way of life was born.

A.D., B.C., C.E., B.C.E.

How curious that these common initials can create such confusion. A.D. stands for Anno Domini and translates to 'in the year of our Lord'. B.C. stands for 'before Christ'. C.E. simplifies to 'current (or sometimes 'common') era'. Leaving B.C.E. as the replacement for 'before the current era'.

Besides the general controversy concerning which set of initials to use, the most common error is to put A.D. after a century. The 9th century A.D. is an absurdity. Centuries and years just don't mix that way. Also, A.D. should always precede the year in question. The plaque marking the moon landing site does read: July 1969 A.D., a cosmic mistake, so perhaps use will prevail and this use will become common.

The general controversy concerns replacing the Christian designations with politically correct designations. This, when examined, is a non-starter. A fellow named Dionysius Exiguus of Scythia Minor devised this dating system in 525 C.E., and eventually it became the Gregorian calendar which is the most widely used in the world today.

The problem begins with the curious fact that the zero did not exist in 525. With no zero point, the year 1 represents no year at all. Additionally, the date is meant to mark the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Most scholars mark that date some four years later than Dionysius' date.

Many think that replacing the Christian designations for the sake of political correctness is an overreaction. However, these abbreviations came into use in the early 17th century. They are used primarily for their inclusiveness. Greater accuracy is another reason to use the C.E./B.C.E. system. Yet another reason is simplicity.

A plethora of dating systems have existed over the centuries. Most have to do with the start and end points of a king's reign. The Japanese date their years with the name and time-frame of their emperors. If your ego was of sufficient girth, you might create your own calendar.

For example, it has been suggested by a creature who shall remain nameless that using dog years for the common calendar might prove interesting.The ratio to human years is generally considered to be 7 : 1 (a 2 year old pup is really fourteen). This year then becomes (trumpets sound): the Year of the Dawg 288 C.E.