HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015776.jpg
1.53 MB
Extraction Summary
3
People
3
Organizations
0
Locations
0
Events
1
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book excerpt / manuscript page (evidence)
File Size:
1.53 MB
Summary
This document is page 86 of a manuscript or book titled 'Are the Androids Dreaming Yet?', bearing a House Oversight Committee evidence stamp. The text is a philosophical and linguistic discussion about 'background context' in communication and how different languages (English, German, Hebrew, Chinese) structure thought and expression. It uses anecdotes about comedy sketches and linguistic examples to argue that thought processes, particularly for dyslexic engineers, may occur abstractly before being translated into language.
People (3)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Alex | Fictional/Example Character |
Used in an anecdote to explain 'background context' regarding a comedy sketch.
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| Bella | Fictional/Example Character |
Used in an anecdote to explain 'background context' regarding a comedy sketch.
|
| The Two Ronnies | British Comedy Duo |
Mentioned as the source of a 'learning Swedish sketch' used in an example.
|
Organizations (3)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Oxford English Dictionary |
Mentioned as containing foreign loan words like Zeitgeist and Chutzpah.
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| YouTube |
Referenced as a place to watch the comedy sketch.
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| House Oversight Committee |
Implied by the Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015776' at the bottom.
|
Key Quotes (3)
"If you are a dyslexic engineer like me, language is a long way down the processing chain."Source
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Quote #1
"Most scientists believe we think thoughts using language, but most scientists writing about thought are linguists or psychologists."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015776.jpg
Quote #2
"An argument in Chinese can sound quite alarming to the Western ear, with its percussive monosyllables and extreme inflection changes."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015776.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,280 characters)
86 Are the Androids Dreaming Yet?
most meetings an hour, there are another 57 minutes to fill! These off topic items bring in social experience and help us form the background context we need to properly communicate.
What is Background Context?
Alex and Bella are both fans of the British comedy duo, the Two Ronnies, and enjoy their learning Swedish sketch. Bella asks Alex what kind of sandwich he wants for lunch. Alex replies ‘M’. Bella laughs. If you have seen the sketch you will understand the background context to the joke. If not this paragraph might as well have been in Swedish. Take a look at the sketch on YouTube and reread this paragraph... Now you understand.
Alex and Bella are both fans of the British comedy duo, the Two Ronnies, and enjoy their learning Swedish sketch. Bella asks Alex what kind of sandwich he wants for lunch. Alex replies ‘M’. Bella laughs. If you have seen the sketch you will understand the background context to the joke. If not this paragraph might as well have been in Swedish. Take a look at the sketch on YouTube and reread this paragraph... Now you understand.
Do I think in English?
Most scientists believe we think thoughts using language, but most scientists writing about thought are linguists or psychologists. If you are a dyslexic engineer like me, language is a long way down the processing chain. I think abstractly and then translate those thoughts into words. Some ideas don’t map between languages and often, one language adopts the words of another to fill in the gaps. Some interesting examples are:
Most scientists believe we think thoughts using language, but most scientists writing about thought are linguists or psychologists. If you are a dyslexic engineer like me, language is a long way down the processing chain. I think abstractly and then translate those thoughts into words. Some ideas don’t map between languages and often, one language adopts the words of another to fill in the gaps. Some interesting examples are:
Zeitgeist German, spirit of the times
Schadenfreude German, enjoying others misfortune
Chutzpah Hebrew, audacity
Schadenfreude German, enjoying others misfortune
Chutzpah Hebrew, audacity
All of these are fully signed up, card carrying entries in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Some languages have fewer distinctions between ideas: truth and law are the same word, ‘torah’, in Hebrew. Languages have different tenses and structure. In Chinese all words are one syllable and the script is pictographic rather than phonetic. This is unusual, even Egyptian and linear-B, which look pictographic are mostly phonetic. With single syllable words, Chinese uses voice inflection to change meaning; a rising or falling tone can change the meaning of a word from ‘grey’ to ‘girl’. In many Western languages rising voice inflection is used to indicate a question, as in Australian English or irritation, as in English English. So how do the Chinese show if they are annoyed or want to ask a question? They elongate their words and accentuate the changes in intonation. An argument in Chinese can sound quite alarming to the Western ear, with its percussive monosyllables and extreme inflection changes. This
Some languages have fewer distinctions between ideas: truth and law are the same word, ‘torah’, in Hebrew. Languages have different tenses and structure. In Chinese all words are one syllable and the script is pictographic rather than phonetic. This is unusual, even Egyptian and linear-B, which look pictographic are mostly phonetic. With single syllable words, Chinese uses voice inflection to change meaning; a rising or falling tone can change the meaning of a word from ‘grey’ to ‘girl’. In many Western languages rising voice inflection is used to indicate a question, as in Australian English or irritation, as in English English. So how do the Chinese show if they are annoyed or want to ask a question? They elongate their words and accentuate the changes in intonation. An argument in Chinese can sound quite alarming to the Western ear, with its percussive monosyllables and extreme inflection changes. This
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015776
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