Languages, Writing and Numerals

We have already considered the vanous languages and how they are related to each other. Let us think for a while how language must have begun. We find among some animals that there are some words used. The monkeys, it is said, have a few cries or words for simple things. You can also notice the peculiar cries that some animals make when they are frightened and want to warn others of their kind of danger.

Perhaps language started in the same way in man. There must have been very simple cries to begin with-cries of fear and warning. Then, it may be, came what are called labour cries. When a number of people work together they usually make a noise together. Have you not noticed people pulling together at something? Or lifting a great weight together? It seems that all crying together helps them a little. Their labour cries might have been the first words that man used.

Gradually other words must have come in- simple words like water, fire, horse and bear. Probably there were only nouns and no verbs. If a man wanted to say that he had seen a bear he would only say one word 'bear' and point, just like a child. There could hardly be much conversation then! Language developed. Short sentences came and then longer ones. Probably there was not one language for all the different people at any time. But at some time there could not have been very many different languages. As I have already told you, there were a few languages then, each of which developed a large family of languages.

During the time of the early civilizations, which we have been considering, language had already greatly developed. There were many songs, and bards and singers used to sing them. There was not much writing or books in those days and so people had to remember much more. It is easier to remember rhymes and poetry. Therefore we find that rhymes and ballads were very popular in all these countries where the early civilizations existed.

The singers or bards were especially fond of singing of the glories of dead heroes. People in those days were most interested in fighting and so the songs are about bravery in battle. We find this in India as well as in other countries.

Writing also has had an interesting beginning. I have referred to Chinese writing. All writing must have begun with pictures. A man who wanted to say something about a peacock would try to make a picture or drawing of a peacock: Of course, no one could write much this way. Gradually the pictures would have become simpler and simpler. Much later, an alphabet was thought of and evolved. This immediately made writing far easier and progress became more rapid.

Numerals and counting must have been a great discovery. Without numerals it is difficult to imagine how any kind of business could be done. The person who invented numerals must have been a genius or a very clever person. At first in Europe, numerals were rather clumsy. You know what are called the Roman numerals-I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X and so on. These are clumsy and difficult to manage. The numerals we use now, in all languages, are very much better. I refer to 1,2,3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10. These are called Arabic numerals because people in Europe got to know them through the Arabs. But the Arabs themselves learnt them from the Indians, so it would be more correct to call them Indian numerals.

But I am going too fast. We have not come to the Arabs yet.

Source: http://indiragandhi.in/en/philosophy/letters/3