字语 versus 声语

For the Chinese, the written language is itself a “foreign language”. If the term “virtual” as used in the computer world means “not physically existing but made to appear by software”, then used in the linguistic sense it means a “non-reality” made to appear by a representational system. In other words, the writing system is very different from and, as some have argued, totally independent of, the way people talk (speech). In modern Western languages (such as in English, French, German, etc.), the written speech is largely phonetical and almost inseparable from spoken speech. Classical or literary Chinese (文言) in pre-modern times was not really say-able; it was therefore a pure form of “virtual reality” in which the literati (poets, historians, scribes, teachers and philosophers) communicated by writing.

研表究明，汉字序顺并不定一影阅响读。比如当你完看这话句后，才发这现里的字全是都乱的。

⬆️ characters are out of order; ⬇️every word is in order

研究表明，汉字顺序并不一定影响阅读。比如当你看完这句话后，才发现这里的字全都是乱的。

(⬆️Research shows, the order of words does not necessarily interfere with how we understand ideas. Only after reading the sentence, do you realize how some words are not in the right place.)

For Roman Jakobson (1896-1982) who invented the term “principle of equivalence”, the poetic function projects the principle of equivalence from the axis of selection into the axis of combination. Equivalence is promoted to the constitutive device of the sequence.

The	boy	ran	into	the	cave
That	girl	walked			house
This	kid	ventured			room
A	woman	stepped			tavern
	old man	crawled			tunnel

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～

Horizontal axis of combination (syntagma 结构) ➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️     

diachronic 历时的

contiguous 相邻

analytical 分析

melody 旋律

folk singing 民歌

time 时间 ～ story narrative

subject + predicate 主语+谓语

more about grammar 语法

Vertical axis of selection (paradigm 范例)⬆️

Synchronic 共时的⬆️

Noncontiguous不搭杠⬆️

Metaphorical 比喻⬆️

Design 图式⬆️

Literati writing文人写作⬆️

Space 空间 ～storeys ⬆️

Topic + comment 点评⬆️

More about imagination想象⬆️

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～

马致远，元代《天净沙，秋思》Autumn Reveries

枯藤 kū téng，老树 lǎo shù，昏鸦 hūn yā，

withered vines, old trees, a crow at twilight

小桥 xiǎo qiáo，流水 liú shuǐ，人家；

a small bridge, a flowing brook, a house

古道 gǔ dào，西风 xī fēng，瘦马 shòu mǎ;

timeworn path, westerly wind, a skinny horse

夕阳 xī yáng 西下，断 duàn肠 cháng人在天涯 yá。

sun setting in the West, sad drifter at the end of the world