The Alan Sondheim Mail Archive

Tally of the Graphemes

Each word of the text "Virtual, not Real" remained indecipherable; how
could it be otherwise? But the tablet itself presented a wealth of
information, as indicated by a further tabulation based on instances and
statistics. While the skein of meaning - if there is such - may be
permanently lost, the interstices of the skein are visible as words and
other markings (and which are words and which are other markings?) are
tallied, placed within a raster of sorts. It has to be acknowledged that
the constitution of a grapheme itself is dubious; first, how does one sign
become differentiated from another, and second (related), how does a part
of one sign differentiate itself? And both part and sign are taken for
granted as well above the noise-level of the tablet - in other words, if
'v' is an element (as perhaps it may be), one has to recognize the dis-
tinction between 'v' and 'u' (based on the _integration_ of the 'curve of
"v"'), and 'v' and 'w' (based on, not only duplication, but _duplication_
within a single instantiation - otherwise one might have, for example,
'rewing the engine' in equivalent relation to 'revving the engine,' which
it, most likely, is not in any spoken or written language to our
knowledge).

So what does the following list tell us? That the origin of _this_ system
of signifiers and components (however the nomenclature) is clearly devised
as operative within a statistical regime - which is nothing more than a
mapping from the (presumed) semantics of the original tablet to a simpler,
easier to understand semantics, based on a fundamental rearrangement, even
reorganization - which nonetheless remains true to the original in all
senses of the word, since nothing but meaningless order is lost in the
fray.


Word	Frequency	%

-	6	0.64
"	4	0.43
(	8	0.86
)	8	0.86
,	100	10.71
.	19	2.03
:	3	0.32
;	17	1.82
?	3	0.32
_this_	1	0.11
a	9	0.96
ability	1	0.11
abjection	2	0.21
acceptable	1	0.11
across	1	0.11
action	1	0.11
adhere	1	0.11
adheres	1	0.11
against	2	0.21
all	4	0.43
already	4	0.43
also	1	0.11
always	1	0.11
among	4	0.43
an	10	1.07
and	17	1.82
another	1	0.11
any	1	0.11
aporia	1	0.11
apparent	1	0.11
appearance	1	0.11
appears	1	0.11
applica-	1	0.11
apporaches	1	0.11
are	1	0.11
Aristotelian	1	0.11
as	11	1.18
association	1	0.11
at	2	0.21
attempt	1	0.11
autobiography	1	0.11
avatar	3	0.32
avatars	1	0.11
away	1	0.11
bad	1	0.11
behind	1	0.11
being	1	0.11
between	4	0.43
beyond	2	0.21
bodies	1	0.11
body	3	0.32
body-speech	1	0.11
both	2	0.21
boundary	2	0.21
breakdown	3	0.32
breaks	1	0.11
but	5	0.54
by	5	0.54
can	1	0.11
can't	1	0.11
carries	1	0.11
case	1	0.11
characters	1	0.11
clarified	1	0.11
clarify	1	0.11
classical	1	0.11
clear	1	0.11
close	1	0.11
closely	1	0.11
closer	1	0.11
code	1	0.11
comfort	1	0.11
commanding	1	0.11
compresses	2	0.21
confuses	2	0.21
considering	1	0.11
considers	1	0.11
constantly	1	0.11
constituation	1	0.11
constitutes	1	0.11
construct	1	0.11
contains	2	0.21
contortions	1	0.11
contradiction	1	0.11
corruption	1	0.11
cough	1	0.11
course	1	0.11
crude	1	0.11
day	1	0.11
death	3	0.32
defend	1	0.11
dem-	1	0.11
demonstrate	5	0.54
dependent	1	0.11
described	1	0.11
description	1	0.11
desired	1	0.11
desiring	1	0.11
determines	1	0.11
different-	1	0.11
direction	2	0.21
dis	2	0.21
discussed	1	0.11
discussion	2	0.21
dis-embody	1	0.11
distance	1	0.11
distribution	1	0.11
down	1	0.11
dream	1	0.11
elementary	2	0.21
embedded	1	0.11
empathetic	1	0.11
ends	1	0.11
endured	1	0.11
epistemological	2	0.21
events	1	0.11
every	2	0.21
everyday	1	0.11
everyone	1	0.11
everything	1	0.11
examined	1	0.11
except	1	0.11
exhausting	1	0.11
existence	2	0.21
exterior	1	0.11
external	1	0.11
eyes	2	0.21
facade	1	0.11
fall	1	0.11
false	1	0.11
falsely-recursive	1	0.11
favor	1	0.11
fictional	1	0.11
first	2	0.21
fits	1	0.11
fitts	1	0.11
food	1	0.11
for	2	0.21
foregrounded	1	0.11
form	1	0.11
founded	1	0.11
freeze	1	0.11
from	1	0.11
fulfill	1	0.11
fundamental	1	0.11
futile	1	0.11
game	1	0.11
game-space	1	0.11
gestural	1	0.11
ghost	4	0.43
ghost-	1	0.11
ghost-epistemologies	1	0.11
ghost-organs	1	0.11
glance	1	0.11
go	1	0.11
good	1	0.11
hallucinatory	1	0.11
has	1	0.11
have	1	0.11
history	1	0.11
holarchy	1	0.11
holds	2	0.21
hole	1	0.11
hungry	4	0.43
I	5	0.54
iated	1	0.11
if	2	0.21
implies	2	0.21
important	1	0.11
in	19	2.03
indexical	1	0.11
ineluctable	1	0.11
inhabitation	1	0.11
inhabited	1	0.11
inherent	1	0.11
intermediary	1	0.11
internal	1	0.11
is	29	3.10
isn't	2	0.21
it	6	0.64
its	3	0.32
it's	1	0.11
itself	4	0.43
just	1	0.11
knowledge	1	0.11
labors	2	0.21
law	1	0.11
leads	1	0.11
least	1	0.11
level	1	0.11
levels	1	0.11
lieu	1	0.11
life	1	0.11
like	2	0.21
likely	1	0.11
logic	3	0.32
loss	1	0.11
madman	1	0.11
Madness	1	0.11
magic	1	0.11
make	1	0.11
mapping	1	0.11
maps	1	0.11
masquerade	1	0.11
material	1	0.11
melds	1	0.11
middle-	1	0.11
middle-zone	1	0.11
might	1	0.11
mirrors	2	0.21
modes	2	0.21
momentary	1	0.11
moments	1	0.11
more	2	0.21
most	1	0.11
movement	1	0.11
myself	3	0.32
need	1	0.11
never	1	0.11
no	3	0.32
non-	1	0.11
none	1	0.11
not	3	0.32
nothing	2	0.21
object	15	1.61
of	32	3.43
on	3	0.32
once	2	0.21
one	8	0.86
oneself	2	0.21
only	1	0.11
onstrate	1	0.11
onto-	1	0.11
ontological	1	0.11
ontology	1	0.11
or	15	1.61
organic	1	0.11
organism	1	0.11
other	2	0.21
others	2	0.21
our	2	0.21
ours	1	0.11
ourselves	1	0.11
out	1	0.11
page	1	0.11
pain	1	0.11
particle	1	0.11
pause	1	0.11
perceptions	1	0.11
performance	1	0.11
phenomenology	1	0.11
place	1	0.11
powerful	1	0.11
presence	1	0.11
prey	1	0.11
prims	1	0.11
problematic	1	0.11
problematized	1	0.11
processes	2	0.21
projection	1	0.11
pronouns	1	0.11
psyhoanalytical	1	0.11
punctuation	1	0.11
quantum	1	0.11
rational	1	0.11
reading	1	0.11
reads	1	0.11
xxxxxxxxxx real		9	0.96 xxxxxxxxxx
realize	1	0.11
recognize	1	0.11
recognized	1	0.11
recognizes	1	0.11
recognizing	1	0.11
relationship	1	0.11
repetition	1	0.11
replaced	1	0.11
replete	1	0.11
requires	1	0.11
sacrifice	1	0.11
same	1	0.11
screen	1	0.11
second	1	0.11
seems	1	0.11
self	4	0.43
selves	2	0.21
sense	6	0.64
senseless	1	0.11
sham	1	0.11
shifters	1	0.11
signifier	1	0.11
simple	1	0.11
since	1	0.11
singular	1	0.11
skin	3	0.32
sluice	1	0.11
smear	2	0.21
smeared	1	0.11
smears	1	0.11
so	1	0.11
space	4	0.43
speak	1	0.11
splay	1	0.11
stop	1	0.11
stutter	1	0.11
such	1	0.11
suffering	1	0.11
sutured	1	0.11
symbol	1	0.11
tending	1	0.11
termination	1	0.11
text	2	0.21
than	2	0.21
that	8	0.86
the	58	6.21
theater	1	0.11
theatrical	1	0.11
their	1	0.11
them-	1	0.11
Then	1	0.11
there	3	0.32
there's	1	0.11
thereupon	1	0.11
these	1	0.11
they	1	0.11
things	2	0.21
this	7	0.75
those	2	0.21
through	1	0.11
thus	1	0.11
time	1	0.11
tinge	1	0.11
tion	1	0.11
to	18	1.93
towards	1	0.11
transform	1	0.11
true	1	0.11
Two	2	0.21
undeniable	1	0.11
useless	1	0.11
utterance	1	0.11
very	2	0.21
xxxxxxxxxx virtual	10	1.07 xxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx virtual-real	1	0.11 xxxxxxxxxx
w	1	0.11
way	3	0.32
We	1	0.11
well	6	0.64
what	4	0.43
whatsoever	1	0.11
which	8	0.86
whole	1	0.11
with	3	0.32
within	6	0.64
words	1	0.11
work	1	0.11
works	1	0.11
world	4	0.43
would	1	0.11
write	2	0.21
writer	1	0.11
writing	4	0.43
x	3	0.32
you	1	0.11

Different words/items counted: 363
Total Words: 771
Total Punctuation: 142
Total Other Text: 1
Total Characters: 4672
Total Paragraphs: 82

Narrative and Marriage to Language


My first narrative video in a long time:
http://odysseyart.ning.com/video/video/show?id=685033:Video:2078 (easy)
large version http://www.asondheim.org/spaceandthecity.mp4 (60 meg)

My text of marriage to language:

I don't understand what you're saying.
Perhaps I'm not hearing you correctly. Or perhaps I'm hearing you
correctly but don't understand the words you're using. Perhaps I'm not
sure you're speaking in language, you're using words. Perhaps I understand
what you're saying, but don't understand why or wherefore you're saying it.
Perhaps I'm not hearing you clearly.

I don't understand what you're trying to say.
Perhaps you're not speaking clearly. Perhaps I think you are making an
effort to say something, making an effort at speech, making an effort at
language. Perhaps I'm projecting on to you, that you are attempting to say
something. Perhaps I'm indicating that I don't understand your effort, or
that your effort is to no avail.

I don't understand the meaning carried by the words.
Perhaps I understand the words, but don't understand their overall
meaning. Perhaps I ascribe to a theory that words carry meaning, that is,
they do not mean, but they bear meaning, that is, that meaning is borne.
Perhaps the meaning carried by the words is obscure to me, perhaps it
requires knowledge I do not possess, and perhaps never have possessed.

I don't understand the words' meaning.
Perhaps I understand you are speaking words, but I don't understand their
meaning or the meaning they carry. Perhaps I am confused and understand
the words, but meaning is lost to me. Perhaps I am exhausted and meaning
has disappeared, perhaps I am inordinately depressed, and meaning has
decathected. Perhaps words, for me, are no longer invested with meaning,
or no longer carry meaning.

I don't understand the words.
Perhaps I don't understand anything you're saying. Perhaps I'm not sure
you're speaking words, perhaps you are speaking gibberish or nonsense
syllables or random phonemes. Perhaps I understand the words, but not in
the way you are using them. Perhaps I don't understand the language,
perhaps a new or different language, to which the words belong, from which
they originate, within which they make sense or carry meaning.

I don't understand your words.
Perhaps I understand the words but I don't understand your words. Perhaps
I don't understand what you mean with these words, what meaning you want
these words to carry. Perhaps your use of these words is unclear or their
meaning in combination is unclear, but the words, one by one, are clear.
Perhaps I don't understand the drift of your words, the sense of them.

I don't understand you.
Perhaps I understand your words and I understand their meaning and the
meaning you want the words to carry, but I don't understand why you're
saying these words, what is your motive, what you may be trying to tell
me. Perhaps I don't understand your words or anything about you, you are
not a thing to me, but you are not communicating any more than a thing, an
inert object, would communicate. Perhaps I understand nothing except that
I must reply to you, that it appears as if the words have meaning for you,
and both their meaning and you are lost to me. Perhaps I have never
understood you, and these words have clarified that for me, that I have
been living a life thinking I have known you, perhaps have known you well,
and in fact I have not known you at all, perhaps it has been a mistake
thinking I have known you.

I can't make sense of what you're saying.
Perhaps the words make no sense to me. Perhaps I do not recognize them as
words. perhaps I do not recognize your speech as motivated towards a goal
or object or orientation I might well understand. Perhaps I recognize your
phonemes and your syllable, but you are speaking nonsense or appear to be
speaking nonsense. Perhaps I think it is you who are senseless, perhaps I
think it is myself who suffers a fundamental lack, who cannot comprehend
what you are saying, no matter how many times you say it, and with what
force. Perhaps I do not know to whom you are speaking, who is the
recipient of your speech, perhaps it is not me at all. Perhaps you can't
make sense of this, of what I am saying to you. Perhaps I am speechless,
perhaps my words have dropped their meaning, lost their meaning, and are
carrying, here, in this very place, nothing but cries and whispers.