Learning the Language, A Chrestomathy* (Pictorial Supplement)

It’s true, the series about what it’s like to learn another language has been on a bit of a hiatus.  No more!

In the four previous installments I’ve written about big ideas like words, thoughts, speaking and communication, and the meaning that I believe must exist fundamentally before those higher-order processes can take place.   In learning a new language, assimilation must be (at least on a macro level) a progression from the bottom up, from pure unformulated meaning to the adoption of new culturally contextualized words based on that meaning, to the speaking and communication of interpersonal conversation.

This post, while not a true volume five, nonetheless deserves a place in the Learning the Language, A Chrestomathy series.  It’s something I’m going to call a supplement.  It shall be "Pictorial Supplement," because as you can see, it is a picture—a photograph of a drawing to be exact—and supplemental to the series.  Perfect!

I admit that I did not make the picture specifically with this post in mind, but I did draw it while I was in the midst of writing volumes one through four.  So I suppose a lot of the same mental ingredients worked their way in there.  Many of the ideas covered in the previous posts could probably be pointed to in contemplating the drawing.

What does it say to you?

NOTE: This drawing has nothing to do with projectile vomiting.

* For those who have have forgotten:
Chrestomathy-a selection of passages from an author or authors, designed to help in learning a language.

Also, if you're too lazy to click through the post archive to find volumes one through four, you can jump right to them with the following links.  How convenient!

• Volume 1
• Volume 2
• Volume 3
• Volume 4
• Pictorial Supplement ***