Two views of secularism

[Solly]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison


You'd like that to be the case. Problem for you is mate, I learned a lot on my visits to Aberystwyth, more than you did it would seem

Pity you didn't learn how to handle your drink Falling asleep in a derelict castle like that and needing helping home..

[Provost Harrison]

I wouldn't be surprised if this whole right-wing charade is part of it too...

[Heresson]

Originally posted by DaShi


It's time to cut the cord. The scribbles can't rely on there mother forever they want to survive. It's better to set them free and let them find their own identities.

No! They are not ready yet. Some of them still need to be fed milk... And the ones who think that they are ready to living on their own, they first need to learn responsibility... understand the consequences of their actions... learn respect for other nationalities, races, religions... And even if they do grow up, would they leave their mother all alone? She spent all her life supporting them, and when they can, they simply say "goodbye mom"? No, they should stick with her. She brings the family together. Without her, the family would divide and start fighting

[aneeshm]

at the discussion of the lines.

The squiggles are alphabets. The line is drawn over each word. The line by itself is totally useless.

[Heresson]

but it IS necessary and beautiful, right?

[Provost Harrison]

Hindi speakers are rubbish. They write all that stuff and end up crossing it all out - every damn time!

[aneeshm]

Originally posted by Heresson
but it IS necessary and beautiful, right?

It is necessary, yes. And it is beautiful if you find things which exist solely for their utility beautiful.

[aneeshm]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison
Hindu speakers are rubbish. They write all that stuff and end up crossing it all out - every damn time!

The script is called Devanagari, and it is used by the Hindi, Marathi, and Sanskrit languages.

Religious literature has nothing to do with language or script. Hindu literature exists in every language of India.

As for that crossing out comment - each alphabet is below the line. Vowel signs (and a few others), which modify an alphabet, are written above the line.

[Provost Harrison]

[Heresson]

I find it strange that an ultranationalistic Indian can not find beauty in hindu script. But perhaps it is due to the same fact why I can't say whether polish language is nice or not - if I hear it, I hear words, not language.

[aneeshm]

Originally posted by Heresson
I find it strange that an ultranationalistic Indian can not find beauty in hindu script. But perhaps it is due to the same fact why I can't say whether polish language is nice or not - if I hear it, I hear words, not language.

It's a good script - far more structured than the Roman one, for instance. But that's just the result of an obsession with the preservation of the perfect purity of the Vedas. The entire science of linguistics in India had its roots in this obsession with preserving the holy texts.

The script is also the easiest to make into a text-to-speech engine which speaks like a real human (I've got an idea on this which I think represents the next logical advance, which I got when I saw how the script was structured, and how each string of alphabets conforming to a certain position of the mouth had its own "m" sound corresponding to that mouth position, and how it could be applied to make text-to-speech perfectly continuous, but it needs programming skill I don't have to do it, so I'll do it when I have acquired that skill).

I do find beauty in the sheer structure of the script, and of the way the Sanskrit language is structured and pronounced - it calms and soothes me every time I hear it. As you said, when I hear Hindi and Marathi, I hear words. When I hear Sanskrit, I hear a language, so I can tell whether or not it is beautiful.



But Hindu is neither a language nor a script, any more than Christian or Muslim is.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by aneeshm
far more structured than the Roman one, for instance.

Evidence?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by aneeshm

But Hindu is neither a language nor a script, any more than Christian or Muslim is.

Quote. My mother-in-law: "You talk Jewish?"

[aneeshm]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison


Evidence?

It's an abugida script. Here's the wiki link for the script itself.

But I speak from experience, born of knowledge of both, that it is more structured (though this is, of course, something you cannot accept just on my word). Ask LordShiva if you have any doubt - he'll tell you the same thing. Hell, ask any person who knows both the scripts.

[Arrian]

Quote. My mother-in-law: "You talk Jewish?"

"Talk British to my kids." (Eddie Izzard reference)

-Arrian