Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 107
! ! 107 weakness and errors of the Hindu faith, it is necessary to be aware of ignorant practices to corroborate the absurdity of such sciences, and accordingly keep our distance from them. Now, I will enumerate the various secular sciences. 1. Linguistics [Philogy] : The first of all secular sciences , which is also the foundation or basis of all sciences is the k nowledge of l anguage. Without knowing a language, man is un able to communicate his t houghts to others. This study does not include the methods of communication. It is divided into three further subtypes. a. Spoken language: The f irst is the language communicated through spoken word. This is created by the motions of the mouth and perceived by listening through one’s ears, just as I am speaking to you now and you are listening. This is called t aqreeri or spoken language. b. Written Language : The second type is to present in writing one’s meaning and opinion. We convey the meanings of our spoken words through the signs and symbols which represent them. As you already know , we can present our verbal communication through writing. c. Communication through S ignals : One form of c ommunication is through signals where there is no speech or writing involved but is like the telegraph. The sender of a telegraph gene rates a number of symbols which are deciphered by the recipient. For example, one tap may represent one letter, while two taps may represent another. T hrough these symbols , one can interpret message s sent across hundreds of miles. In ancient times, people sent messages written as shapes or animals. For example, a dog may mean one thing, a lion another. This language , or hieroglyphs as it is called, was used in Egypt and people could decipher its meanings. d. Sign language: Sig n language is used by those who are mute. They can communicate their thoughts through signs. In wars , they would use small flags or mirrors. A mute person can indicate his hunger or thirst [ through sign languag e] or can indicate his wish to sleep by touching his head and closing his eyes. We can see these symbols. Sign language