And the Whole Earth Was of One Language

[juantoo3]

Kindest Regards, Phyllis!

Thank you sincerely!

On my trip to China I noticed that some few symbols were shared between Chinese and Japanese. I didn't take note of them specifically, but some symbols noting numbers and things like speed, altitude and distance. Maybe not all, but a significant portion was shared between them. I was told by my friend that Japanese comes from Chinese, that the symbols were the same, but the pronunciation was different. I don't know how much is true, but it would seem to connect certain numbers and concepts across the two languages. I would love to hear your more knowledgeable take on this.

The Viking connection to the Rus...that would make for an interesting study!

[Jack Halyard]

Hello all. This is a very enlightening and enjoyable subject. Everyone seems to be quite knowlegable. In reference to Juan's last post, it has always been my understanding that the Japanese language is not derived from any other linguistic source.
Below is a link from Wikipedia addressing this topic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language

[juantoo3]

Kindest Regards, Jack Halyard!

I don't believe we have met before, welcome to CR!

I looked at the webpage you suggested:

It should be noted that linguistic studies, like all fields, can be strongly affected by national politics and other non-academic factors. For example, some linguists would say that Dutch is a dialect of German but is known as a language for political reasons. Japan's long-standing rivalries and enmities with virtually all of its neighbours make the study of linguistic connection particularly fraught with such political tensions. However, these tensions are less prevalent among non-Japanese researchers.

This confirms what I have found in my research. It is difficult to find local sources that agree whether Japanese is related to other Asian languages, and this quote helps feed my suspicions as to why. Historically, Japan has been a thorn in the side of its neighbors for a long time. So it is no wonder that Japanese sources claim they are the "mother tongue" of Asian languages, while Chinese sources claim the same thing. Japanese history is a bit complex as well. Chinese sources say that a group of people were exiled to Japan, beginning the Japanese people as we know them now. Of course, Japanese sources claim otherwise. Add in that there were already people on the island at the time of the exile (the Ainu, for example), and Japanese history gets a little difficult to follow for a Westerner.

Culturally, there are too many similarities in my mind to separate the Japanese from the Chinese. Common symbols help my belief that the two are related, although I will withhold judgement as to which came first (although Chinese is demonstrably known to be very ancient).

The wild card in all of this, in all of my research, is Korean. The source you quoted claims a possible connection between Japanese and Korean, but it is only conjecture that cannot really be supported well, according to the article. Korean symbology is unique compared with Japanese and Chinese, I am not aware of any traditional symbols shared between Korean and Chinese or Japanese. While it would seem there are some cultural similarities, I cannot help but feel these are recent introductions, such as one of the many times Japan or China invaded the Korean peninsula in the last few hundred years.

Thank you for resurrecting this old thread. It is one of the well worn teddy bears around here. Please come by again if you happen upon anything else to add to the discussion!

[Jack Halyard]

Hey Juan,

Thanks for the reply. I lurk around in here occasionally. I am glad to hear that Dennis passed you guys by down Florida way.

[juantoo3]

Kindest Regards, Jack Halyard!

My apologies for not responding sooner. I knew you had posted but could not read what you had written. Different browser, now I can see!

Yes, we only got a little wind and a bit of rain, actually pretty good "normal" rain for about 4 days or so during and after Dennis. I am glad the storm was not nearly as bad as it could have been. This current one heading across towards Mexico and Texas has me concerned for those people.

Thanks for your reply, hope to "see" you around here more often.