The Piraha (Pe-tah-ha) language is only spoken by 150 members who live in the Amazon rainforest. In this short video, you come to see a language that would not require you to count. A language that values quality over quantity. One of the only languages to do so, too! The language is not only limited when it comes to numbers, but also colors and pronouns. Aside from that, they do not have subordinate clauses in their language. Oh, and I guess the men and women pronounce phonemes differently. So accordingly, linguists have coined the language of the Piraha to be the strangest the world has ever seen.
I am happy to see a community in which has no real ties with exact numbers. I loved the part in the video when they explained that the Piraha mothers do not know how many children they have but know their faces so it does not matter. To think outside of the Piraha tribe, we as Americans have had the problem of being more of a number than having a face so it is interesting that numbers have a distinct prominence here rather than over there. Then again, the Piraha do live a much simpler life than we do.
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That is so interesting to me. I really makes you think how our society itself would be able to function without numbers. We take so much for granted when it comes to language and just how well we are able to speak, write, and read it. Also, I love the fact that as Americans, we are able to practice any language and culture we choose without the fear of persecution. The possibilities really are endless when you really think about what we are capable of with language at our utilization.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I am totally grateful for being American. But wouldn't it be interesting to pay for a sandwich with a few dollars without the specifics of the amount being two dollars or three dollars? Now, that'd be great...right??
DeleteI agree, its interesting how they rely more on social empathy and interaction instead of a numerical system for their children. We are a country based on numbers, I think that just sort of happens when business is introduced, value is placed on things. It is pretty simple though, they just refer to things as they see them. No need for anything more.
ReplyDeleteI don't doubt that they do some kind of trading in the tribe which ties to business. I am guessing if they started mass marketing and all of that jazz, simplicity would fly right out the window. But they don't and I kind of like it.
DeleteI found this video to be very interesting. Who would have thought that there is a language like that. Not having any words for colors or past or future tense is kind of weird. I wonder if it is an easy language to learn or if its difficult because of that reason.
ReplyDeleteI have seen a brief documentary in which a tribe from the South Pacific actually only has words for primary colors and no tenses in there language but I don't recall if they had numbers or not. I'm sure I would recall that particular oddity. This was fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI just want to point out that as the Piraha are living in the Amazon basin that means they are a part of Brazil which is in South America. The vast majority of South Americans consider themselves to be just Americanos or Americans.