Tag: Sociology

Photo by Susan Holt Simpson on Unsplash

Did you know some languages do not have numbers? Few, some, or many is all humans needed for the longest time. Eventually one-two-three became useful. Then, likely, five to ten, and, taking off the shoes, got you to twenty.

English even hints at the importance of the most basic numbers – one through ten – being easy-to-pronounce and short-to-spell. Eleven and twelve continue the uniqueness. After that, everything is duplicates – the teens, twenties and so forth. One through ten came first, and came first a long time in the language world before even eleven and twelve, let alone “high” numbers like fifteen.

Would numbers be different for other species? 

Caleb Everett discusses in “‘Anumeric’ people: What happens when a language has no words for numbers?” (published 25 April 2017) cultures in humanity where number do not exist or exist on a minimal level.

How fun would this be to bring to a sci-fi worldbuilding? Read the article – the one line about how minutes and seconds coming from Mesopotamia gives me so many ideas.

Photo by Nicole Wolf on Unsplash

Click bait –

The Dangers of Reading in Bed!

Fire erupts!

Dangerous Solitude!

Unhealthy immoral practices!

Selfishness!

If headlines from the 17th and 18th century read like modern clickbait, and, really, headlines always have, titles like the above would have flagged the new and crazy practice of reading ALONE IN BED. Find out more in The Atlantic May 19, 2017 post by Nika Mavrody in “The Dangers of Reading in Bed”.

The article is a well-researched and sociology-leaning article about what happens when technology changes society. Books became more common, and more people had private space and time. First the society shifted to having more books available with the printing press. But still expensive. Then they became less expensive, but the reading skill was limited. Displacing storytelling, public reading evolved as the norm. Someone who could read would read aloud to a group. Interactive reading with questions, noise, and  interruptions.

Around about the same time, sleeping changed from shared sleep space in the one-room houses, to rooms dedicated to sleeping – with real doors to close other people out. Real readers now had the opportunity to read in private without interruption. They grabbed it with both hands.

This group of people, the private reader, crossed all lines of society.

The combination major change with reading and sleeping habits upset the society standard, and people were chastised for changing.

Sound familiar?

Like all of human history?

Again, find out more about this deviant practice here: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/05/reading-in-bed/527388/