One Two Many Lots

This is an interesting article about a tribe with no word for numbers larger than three. This has a resonance with the trolls of Terry Pratchett's Discworld, who likewise use a 'one, two, many' counting system... but that's not the really interesting bit. The article argues that the lack of a word for a particular concept doesn't just inhibit expression, it also inhibits comprehension. Obviously there is evidence on both sides of that particular debate.

George Orwell coined the term 'newspeak' for a program designed to prune 'obsolete' words from the language - the aim being a complete inability for citizens to rebel, because they lacked the necessary though constructs for comprehending the act of disobedience. We see many examples in day to day life of words being 'redefined' in such a way as to prohibit expression of certain politically-inconvenient truths. We never hear about the 'murder of civilians' by Coalition forces. We hear about 'Collateral damage'. The terrorists of today were often the 'freedom fighters' of yesterday - the choice of words in mainstream media and political debate is usually the result of a very careful selection process.

Ludwig Wittgenstein once said 'The limits of my language are the limits of my world'.. Articles like this provide further insight into this kind of statement, and should make us reflect on our willingness to buy into the politically correct terminology that is deemed 'appropriate' when discussing world events.