I should have gone into linguistics. Its more fun. The beauty and expression of type and language is boundless. Visual art forms are many times limited in the breadth of what they can express. They deal almost exclusively with the emotional realm. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, yet I think it would be more precise to say that a picture is sometimes worth a thousand words. What graphic can express as clearly so much as the written word? And neither type nor language are devoid of artistic expression, thus being equipped to express not only the thoughts but the emotions of the author. Language is indeed rich in nuance, and abounding in form.
I think the reason the web has become so attractive to me is because of its rich potential for communication. Programming languages, like other linguistic forms, allow us to communicate, albiet with a very specific audience, and it is for that reason that I enjoy it I think. The funny thing is, that growing up, I really disliked learning foreign languages. Perhaps it was because I did not try to learn the right language first, or perhaps it was simply because I was a child and I didn’t like the work. *grin*
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What graphic can express as clearly so much as the written word?
Well, although I love words and think they give one who knows how to use them power to create great beauty there are simply some things that cannot be expressed with words.
There are subtleties and nuances within a picture, or a painting that cannot be captured with words as some concepts or ideas can only be understood when compared with a visual reference. How would you explain the concept of a shadow to someone who is blind? How do you describe the color yellow to someone who has never seen the sun? How do you impart the vast and varied expressions conveyed simply by changing the look of our eyes if you don’t have a frame of reference for joy, anger, love, lust, deceit, distrust, longing, and loathing?
Often words are used to create a mental picture but they can only do so if one has a memory bank from which to pull, thus the importance of visually capturing them all.
Don’t get me wrong. I adore language and the mood it can create. I love how you can change the meaning or context of a situation simply by changing the word. To steal and to purloin have the same basic meaning but the mental images they evoke are totally different.
Anyway… there you have a bit more than two cents worth.
Smiles, MC
That is why I said that a picture is sometimes worth a thousand words.
There are some things that a picture would never be able to convey. The depth and intracies of love, knowledge of God and His Being. A picture is valuable, but lacks the ability to communicate in the way words can.