CHOMSKIAN LINGUISTIC CREATIVITY, CRIPPLED CREATIVITY AND PSI-PROPERTIES

CHOMSKIAN LINGUISTIC CREATIVITY, CRIPPLED CREATIVITY AND PSI-PROPERTIES

# Debaprasad Bandyopadhyay *

^ দেবপ্রসাদ বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় ^

"Of course one can design a restricted environment in which such control and such patterns…can be demonstrated, but there is no reason to suppose that any more is learned about the range of human potentialities by such methods than would be learned by observing humans in prison or an army- or in many a schoolroom." (Chomsky, 1972:114)

The Crippled Creativity hypothesis

describes the correlation between empty linguistic organism and human malleability.

That is, linguistic creativity may be crippled by the outside sociality and

mental linguistic algorithm may be  controlled by social rules.

This interface between psyche and society is called  as Y -( psi or psycho-social) property.

These Y/psi-Property reasserts that the being is always in the being-in-the-(social)world as well as being-for-others. 

It is a switch over from cognitive psychology to psychoanalysis.

Thus,

Chomsky: Context free ideal creative speaking subject with zero History

Sed contra: Context-sensitive creative speaking corporeal with history….

(the term creative[in the Chomskyan sense of the term]is kept under erasure because creativity is a presence as well as an absence)

Prof. Noam Chomsky accepted/approved this hypothesis in personal correspondences.

NEOLOGISM: Crippled Creativity, Psi-properties.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.      1996.”The Crippled Creativity- A Brief Theoretical Framework” International Journal of Communications. Vol. VIII, No.1-2. (pp.93-103). Delhi.  Download (.pdf)

2.      1996. “A Dialogue on Linguistic Creativity”. Aligarh Journal of Linguistics, Vol. V: No.1, (pp. 72-84).  Download (.pdf)

3.      1997. “Chomsky and Habermas via Nyaya Theory of Debating”. Language Forum. XXIII: 1-2 (pp. 115-123).Delhi. ISSN 0253-9071.  Download (.pdf)

4.      1999. “ভাষাবোধ, ব্যাপক পঙ্গুতা ও লোকনাথের সঙ্গে বিলাপ ”.[Language, Crippled Creativity and Loknath Bhattecharya] Collection of Criticisms of Bangla Novels& stories by Loknath Bhattacharya. Kolkata:Ebang Mushayera. (pp.335-343). R.N. 53193/94.  Download (.pdf)

5.      2000. ““শেষ মহাআখ্যান [Last Meta-Narrative]. proticcer SaHittotOtto. Kolkata :Alochona Chakra (pp.91-151).  Download (.pdf)

6.    2002. “চমস্কি আসার আগে পরে যা যা ঘটেছিল”. Ghosh, Surajit ed. Prama. (pp. 43-46)  Download (.pdf)

7.      2003, “Creative Cogito and Disturbed Corporeal” Proceedings of the Conference on Language and Cognition. Department of Cognitive Science, Jadavpur University and Department of Philosophy,  Bethune College. (pp. 1-41)  Download (.pdf)

8.      “Psi-Properties: Language, Psyche and Society”. Indian Journal of Linguistics. XIX :1-2 (pp .36--46). Kolkata. RN 34809/74  Download (.pdf)

9.      2003. Crippled Creativity: An Inquiry Into  Language, Psyche And Society. Central INSTITUTE of Indian Languages. Ministry of HRD, GOI.

10.  2006. The Crippled Creativity: Language, Psyche, Society. Seminar in connection with Freud’s 150 years’ birthday celebration. Dept. of Clinical Psychology. University of Calcutta.   Download (.ppt)

11.  2011. “কথার এন্তেকাল” [The End Of Dialogue] Bangla Translation of English Papers related to “Crippled Creativity Hypothesis”  http://goo.gl/x2dZBg

NB: The following questions were posed in connection with  Chomsky’s letter dated April 26, 1994:

1) “It is reasonable to suppose that just as intrinsic structures of mind underlie the development of cognitive structures, so a “species character” provides the framework for the growth of moral consciousness, cultural achievement, and even participation in a free and just community human needs and capacities will find their fullest expression in a society of free and creative producers...” (Chomsky: l976:133-34)

SED CONTRA:          On the contrary, in case of NON- “free and just community”, what happens to the species character of human being? Or following Foucault, one may ask, “How has the concept of human nature functioned in our society?”

2) “Suppose that the social and material conditions that prevent free intellectual development were relieved....” (Chomsky: l976: 124)

SED CONTRA:          What happens to “creativity”, if these social and material conditions that prevent free intellectual development are reigning in its full form by subjugating human nature?

3) “.... there must be continual struggle against authoritarian social forms that impose restrictions beyond those set by ‘the laws of nature’ “(Chomsky: 1976:133).

SED CONTRA:          What happens to the victims of authoritarian oppression? What happen to their creativity?

CORRESPONDENCES WITH CHOMSKY:

মেঘবিষদূত

মেঘবিষদূত by Debaprasad Bandyopadhyay

বুনো রবি ঠাকুর ( Wild Rabindranath Tagore)

বুনো রবি ঠাকুর ( Wild Rabindranath Tagore) by Debaprasad Bandyopadhyay

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SILENCEME: THE SILENT “OTHER” IN LINGUISTICS/SILENCE STUDIES

SILENCEME: THE SILENT “OTHER” IN LINGUISTICS/SILENCE STUDIES

If Linguistics is stipulated, for the time being, as an epistemological
discipline for the deployment of algocentric (a discourse that is motivated
by metamathematical formalism or computational algorithmic simulation and
which ignores the non-algorithmic constitutive “rules”) meta-symbolic order
on the symbolic order, one may find a marginal other in Linguistics—an
order of non-signs. For these non-signs, let me introduce a term:
“silenceme”, which is at a time a non-sign and a sign and does not have a
fixed componential meaning and thus violates the law of excluded middle.

A blank parchment with the supposed seal of Caesar, when “read” by Antony,
swayed the commoners (Julius Caesar, 3.2). In Tagore’s play, Post-office, a
conspirator, out of fun, sent a blank letter to an “illiterate”(?) boy, who
was expecting king’s letter, when he was waiting for death. However,
another character altogether differently interpreted that blank letter.
This blankness of the white letter, then, was not interpreted as a
poisonous fun, but as a “real” remedy for that boy.

When you were asking me, “What’re you doing?” I said, “Nothing.” This
single word, ”nothing” , a supposed minimal “free” (Where lies the
essential freedom of word? ) form, is not free at all—“nothing” ’s freedom
was pervaded by “other” non-signs, nothingness, the unspoken or something
unspeakable, the non-discursive sonority or unintended sounds (as in John
Cage’s musical compositions or in Rauschenberg and Robert Ryman’s
Minimalist paintings with almost white surfaces.)

There may be a strategic taxonomy of silenceme: cognitive silenceme,
transcendental silenceme (as in case of seeking absolute silence and that
is impossible!); Pathological silenceme (as in case of Foreclosure or
Psychosis, the symbolic order is totally or partially rejected [instead of
being repressed]; one’s Language Acquisition Device is not working due to
the outside threat and violence); Creative silenceme ( as practiced by some
Buddhists by non-internalizing the outside threat and violence.); Silenceme
of conspiracy (the phrase “conspiracy of silence” was often used by Marx
and Engels) etc. Thus, spoke Sartre: being silent does not entail that I
am refusing to speak but it is a mode of keeping on speaking (What is
Literature).

What will we, the linguist community, do with such so-called ambiguous
category? In Linguistics, what will be our agenda now? May we take
Wittgenstein or John Cage seriously? Alternatively, we may ignore the
silent marginal “other” space in Linguistics: the silenceme!

Colophon: Stefano Pocci, Diaforia; John Cage Site on Silence, Virginia University;

Neologisms: Silenceme, Silence Studies, Algocentric Discourse.

BIBILIOGRAPHY

2005. ““মহা/ পাতি ভরত আখ্যান The Meta/Petite Narrative of Bharat.”  Prasanta Chattopadhyay ed. Kalodhvani. 13:1, October’05.   Download (.pdf)

2005. “'যেদিন নিঃশব্দ শব্দেরে খাবে' : নৈঃশব্দের ভাষাতত্ত্ব ” ['When Silence Would Swallow Non-Silence': Linguistics of Silence] Ebang Mushayera. XI:4(226-47).R.N. 53193/94.

 Download (.pdf)

2006. “Centre for Studies in Silence. (একটি [অ-] লৌকিক বেত্তান্ত)” Samanta, Subal ed. EbangMushayera. XII: 4. (pp.142-150) R.N. 53193/94.  Download (.pdf)

2006. “Silenceme and absential quantifier” Virginia University. http://list.mail.virginia.edu/pipermail/silence/2006-August/002076.html

2006. “Silenceme: the silent other in Linguistics” LINGUIST List 17.2149. Eastern Michigan University and Wayne State University.
http://linguistlist.org/issues/17/17-2149.html#

2006. “সার্ত-এর চুপসাধনা” [Silenceme in Sartre].” [Silenceme in Sartre].” Ed. Atanushasan Mukhopadhyay Dashadishi. Kolkata. II:2. (pp.52-3) Decl. No. 52/04.  Download (.pdf)

2007. “জেগে বা ঘুমিয়ে-- 'ভারতীয়' দর্শনে” (Hanging between Sleeping and Waking -- ‘Indian' Philosophy).”(Hanging between Sleeping and Waking -- ‘Indian' Philosophy). Tepantar .Vol. V (pp.141-66) Kolkata: Sanhati.   Download (.pdf)

2009. “নীরবতার না- ভাষাতত্ত্ব: লালনে Non-Linguistics of Silenceme: Lalon” ShaktinathJha ed. Ocinpakhi. LalonsaMrokgrontho. Vol.XX. Nadia, West Bengal LalonMelaSamiti. (pp. 16-24). Revised version: 2012. einisOrgopOtro. I:1 (pp. 9-16)  Download (.pdf)

2011. “The Psychology of Silence: The Story of Bharat.” Diaforia, No. 5, July 2011. Italy.  Download (.pdf)

2011. “An Interview on "Psychology of Silence" (English & Italian Versions)” Diaforia, No. 5, July 2011. Italy.  Download (.pdf)

2012. “ECP is Dead, Long Live ECP" M. S. Thirumalai ed. Language in India. 12:4. (pp. 79-86). ISSN 1930-2940.  Download (.pdf)

2012. PRAGMATICS OF SILENCEME  Paper presented at the "International Seminar on Pragmatics of Cross Communication In Multilingual Setting". Department of Linguistics, Aligarh Muslim University. 14-16 September, 2013.  Download (.pptx)

2012. In Search of Linguistics of Silence : Caryapada চর্যা-চর্চায় নীরবতার ভাষাতত্ত্ব সন্ধান : উপক্রমনিকা. Pranab K. Chakroborty ed. Interaction VIII. (pp.23-31)  Nabadwip, West Bengal. India. ISSN 2277-4335.  Download (.pdf)

2013. Review Of the Book: "Sounds Of Silence". Jutta M. Hartmann, Veronika Hegedus, Henk Van Reimsdijk, eds., Elsevier Science, 2007. Indian Linguistics. Vol. 74, Nos. 1-2. (pp. 121-26) ISSN 0378-0759.  Download (.pdf)

2014. “The Movement Within: A Secret Guide To Esoteric Kayaasadhanaa: Caryaapada”.”Journal of Bengali Studies, Vol.3 No.1. (pp. 113-27) ISSN# 2277-9426.

 Download (.pdf)

MOVIE:

এবং নীরবতা ["Keep Mum: On International Mother Language Day"]

·         এবংনীরবতা.১.  পরিচালনা: দেবাঞ্জনসেনগুপ্ত. সৌজন্য: কলকাতাটিভি.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfqRo7YD10M

·         এবংনীরবতা২ .  পরিচালনা: দেবাঞ্জনসেনগুপ্ত. সৌজন্য: কলকাতাটিভি.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVIn0KPmucU

Paintings: Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Ryman’s Minimalist paintings