The Five Sense’s
March 8, 2010
Oral narrative often came under the gaze of official culture. The pulpit was heavily monitored and policed. But oral culture, also provided a gossip system, through which non-officialy sanctioned views could also move. In Scotland traditional culture in the 18th century was perceived as a moral threat.
This was particularly felt by the Gaelic speaking community. English was the language of the schoolroom. Gaelic was viewed as a backward, uneducated language. The attitudes with regard to race (already discussed) and the sheer poverty and hardship of life, endured by many in highlands must have all fed into creating this attitude towards Gaelic speakers and the Scots in general. I would also serve to reinforce this natural order of things. A Celt would after all still behave as a Celt no matter what culture he found himself born in as Robert Knox suggested. The African slave was discussed in an identical manner by others. Yet the word of mouth and the tongue had long been matters of discussion.
The latin lingua means both word and tongue. It carries with it the sense of the word made flesh and posed questions with regard to sense and logic.
In theology in rhetoric and anatomy its ambivilant nature is a source of much discussion.
