Moreover, I think that the women were called doves by the people of Dodona for the reason that they were Barbarians and because it seemed to them that they uttered voice like birds; but after a time (they say) the dove spoke with human voice, that is when the woman began to speak so that they could understand; but so long as she spoke a Barbarian tongue she seemed to them to be uttering voice like a bird: for had it been really a dove, how could it speak with human voice?
Herodotus, Histories, c. 430 BCE # 5
Birdlike voices of women
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- Bacteria, fungus, whale, sequoia - we do not know any life of which we cannot say that it emits information, receives it, stores it and processes it. For universal rules so incontrovertible that, by them, we are tempted to define life but we are unable to do so, because of the following countexampl …
What if “Nature” does not exist
What if the transition from being merely part of nature to becoming a ‘cultured’ being is not marked by the ability to speak in general, but rather by speaking a particular language—be it Greek or Latin in the past, English or a specific national language today? Having once met a woman who spoke nine languages but worked at a cash register confirms this proposition. Among the languages she spoke was neither english nor did she sufficiently master the language of the country she lived in. Certain languages are superior (in certain contexts). Individuals who speak a 'lesser' language will likely make the experience of being perceived as uncultivated. For the concept of culture this means that cultured is not inherently linked to more refined practices but is instead a relationship of dominance.
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