one-note, flat, and enabling

Whenever I read about language evolution I can’t get over how instinctually wrong it feels that language get phonemically simpler as time goes on. How Old English had more phonemes than we have now, and even contemporarily phonemes are converging and merging. Language just feels so complex that I am not sure how they could’ve began complex and simplified over time. It feels as if language should have began very simple, and complexity later emerged. Seems counter to Wittgenstein too. The builder’s game of four words is described as “primitive.” Our first games as children are simple, like tag or hide and seek. We only learn chess later.

Languages also gain phonemes over time. English has several phonemes right now that Old English lacked. Most of the Romance languages have more phonemes than Latin did.

the way people treat girl characters in fandom joker-ifies me

reblog to give prev a notification

Cultivating a thick skin regarding criticism of your own work is useful not only for peace of mind, but because even haterism can provide valuable feedback. If someone has a strong negative reaction to your work and the stuff that's pissing them off is all stuff you put there on purpose, you know you're communicating successfully!