Odd thought . . .

[gwynhefar]

I realised when typing an answer to a comment earlier that I type nearly as fast as I can talk. It's not quite there yet, but it's *very* close. And I don't think about it much. I don't plan where my fingers are going to go -- most of the time I'm barely aware that there is typing involved at all. I think what I want to say and it appears on the screen.

Could typing then be considered to be a foreign language, in the same way that American Sign Language is considered a foreign language? And if so, is typing not (like ASL) a performance language - based on movement, rather than sound?

Not entirely sure where I'm going with this, but as I've just taken my meds, that is understandable. It may make sense in the morning . . . or it may not. Until then, I'm just throwing it out there.

Communication without sound . . . real time . . . and not just limited to a tiny portion of the population. In fact, for many people, email or chat is probably their primary means of communication. Which means they type more than they speak.

That's got to have some sort of sociopsychological impact on human culture.

Comments

[arkhamdenizen.livejournal.com]

Hmmmmmm....that is an interesting idea. It seems to me though that it would fall more under the "written language" category, which generally isn't see as a separate language. As I understand it, ASL is a language because it has different symbols for the words themselves, whereas written language is simply a representation of the individual sounds --- morphemes, or is it phonemes? Whichever. Maybe typing could be like a dialect of written language. ;-)

I hope you are feeling better tonight.

[gwynraven.livejournal.com]

True, but within certain internet subcultures typing is moving toward its own lexicon. Things like brb, lol, etc., not to mention l33tsp43k and the whole range of emoticons. It started out as a purely written language, but I think it's evolved into something more. We'll have to see where it goes ;)

[gwynraven.livejournal.com]

And yes, I'm feeling better. Thanks.

[arkhamdenizen.livejournal.com]

That is true, I see your point. I wasn't thinking of Internet typing as a separate form of typing, but it makes more sense from that perspective.

I am glad you are feeling better today. Yesterday you seemed to be walking a little...gingerly. Is it worse or more humid days?

[gwynraven.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it seems so. Yesterday was . . very bad. If I hadn't had interviews to conduct I would have gone home. It's not usually quite that bad.

[rachaelnoel.livejournal.com]

I have actually thought quite thoroughly about this. In a sci-fi plot sort of way.

Imagine, if strange pockets of humanity end up so cut off from normal physical human interaction . . . with time, a whole new breed of sign-language could arise from the hand motions usually reserved for typing out words. Add to the typing of wrds a whole vocabulary of L33T, and you've got a completely abstract modern lexicon.

All you'd need is for people to not hear a verbal interpretation of what letters sound like for a generation. The only way we'd think to communicate would be to mimic the typing hand motions.

Right?

I could just wiggle my hands.

I totally do the same thing with my brain to my keyboard. I've found myself typing out the wrong word that sounds the same - in grammatical instances where I know better, but my hands sometimes react faster than the brain. Odd.

[gwynraven.livejournal.com]

I do the same thing! Glad I'm not the only one. I've caught myself typing "libraries" instead of "library's" and mixing up stuff like "here" and "hear" and "they're," "there," and "their". Stuff where I really do know the difference, but my fingers are on a difference wavelength than my brain. It's strange.

I like the idea of a type of sign language that mimics typing movements. You should go somewhere with that. Write a short story or something.

[chorus-of-chaos.livejournal.com]

I'm there with you on the typing thing. The rare times I go into chat peopl have often asked me "what the hell, do you have all kinds of stuff set up on macros"? No, I type close to 200 WPM. I can't type worth a damn when being tested, but when typing something straight from my mind, as opposed to copying already written text, I can smoke a keyboard. I used to do data entry in a place where even once they'd given me thier fastest computer I'd lock up the system because I went to fast....I'd be filling out data two screens ahead of where the computer actually was.

I will often be making a post and bob will come in blabbering about some stupid shit I don't care about and I will look away from the computer and stare at him, listening to what he is saying and yet still be typing 90 miles a minute finishing off the paragraph I had started. I do make some typos now and then, and anymore I need my split keyboard because that's what I've gotten used to. If you've seen any of my postings from the new laptop recently you'll die over all the stupid typos because I can't get used to that weeny keyboard!!! But yes, I can type faster than I can talk, and more coherently sometimes. I had one boss who LOVED the fact that I though I couldn't take shorthand, if he wanted a letter done all he had to do was call me, I'd put on the headset and type it up as fast as he dictated it. Was a real time saver.

And there have been times when my cognitive function has been shot to hell by pain or exhaustion and sleep dep and I can't think of a word but my hands will subconciously move and type the word I'm grasping for. (gives bob the heebies.)