[Aztlan] Astronomy and such

[eschele at mail.utexas.edu]

Well said Nick!

Your analogies are very appropriate.  The larger implication is that we
academics should be advancing multidisciplinary approaches and thus attempt to
bridge the gap between disciplines. Upon many occasions, I have heard Prof.
Karl Butzer say that we should be in the habit of moving back and forth from
micro view to the macro, always remembering to include as many specialized
facts that we have learned, making it less likely that we will overlook a new
conclusion about whatever culture we are studying.

Elaine


Quoting nhopkins at mailer.fsu.edu:

> It occurred to me as I was reading the postings of astronomers whose
> work is largely ignored that the situation of linguistics is somewhat
> similar.  You are dealing with complex systems of interrelated concepts
> relating to large bodies of esoteric knowledge, and when you try to
> explain how all this relates to a question of epigraphy, eyes glaze
> over and people just go on as if you hadn't opened your mouth.
> Likewise, when on the basis of extensive knowledge of languages and the
> Mayan family we argue that the antecedent of the pronouns in an
> inscription has to be Person A rather than Persons B, C, or D (YAX L.
> 23), that a continuous inscription around a monument has to begin at
> Point A rather than Point B (PAL Sarcophagus Rim), that the vowels in
> final syllable signs have to be read in order to produce a proper
> grammar (intransitive verbs), that the grammar derived from such a
> reading produces discourse structures consonant with those of living
> languages, supporting the hypothesis (inscriptions in general), and so
> on, many people simply don't get it.
>
> After all, it is argued, who could know more about epigraphy than
> epigraphers?  Never mind that the epigraphy is just the artistic and
> linguistic expression of a culture, and that that culture encompasses
> complex and extensive knowledge systems, belief systems and theories of
> the world.  So my sympathies to the astronomers.  I wish I understood
> more of what they are saying, and to paraphrase an oldie, I defend to
> the death their right to say it.
>
> Los dos centavos del dia.
>
> Nick Hopkins
>
>
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