Gift from Sergej Karcevskij

TANAKA Akio

1.
Is language variable? If so, where is substance of variability?
2.
Variability occurs in substance.
3.
What is not substance is untrue in variability.
4.
Where is substance of language?
5.
Letters are substance. Pronunciations are substance. Meanings are substance?
6.
Meanings occurs in inner human being.
7.
The sun rises in the east. It is true. The sun also rises. It is true in Hemingway.
8.
Meaning is variable.
9.
At where occurs variability of meaning?
10.
If variability of meaning is true, substance in which variability occurs must be shown in front of us.

Tokyo
October 23, 2005
Sekinan Research Field of Language

Postscript [References January 1, 2008]
Substantiality / Tokyo February 27, 2005
Substantiality of Language / Tokyo February 21, 2006

Coffee shop named California

From Print 2012, Chapter 10

If C live, he also may ask me, “What  are you researching now?”
And I also will answer him as same as ever.
I have pursued universals, never done facts, without repenting.
Oh C, if you live, will we also talk on language at the table facing each other under the low ceiling of the shop, going up the steep stairs.
The name of the shop is California.
For the memory of our daily forgetful life, its never miserable though poor all over, I will write down our delight.

Source: Tale / Print by LI Koh / 27 January 2012

References:
Under the Dim Light / 1 August 2012
Road to Language Universals / 31 December 2012
Half Farewell to Sergej Karcevskij and the Linguistic Circle of Prague / 23 October 2013

CHINO Eiichi and Golden Prague

TANAKA Akio

C also died early, who had taught me Russian and linguistics. He loved
the old city that had the beautiful towers and bridges.

In C‘s many works there was the essay “The Moon of Carpathians”. He wrote
that the conference was over, departed at Kiev, saw the moon and
churches over the Carpathian Mountains, impetuously went to the west,
passed Slovakia, Moravia, Bohemia, and at last reached “Golden Prague”. Prague, it was his youth itself.

Now I cannot hear his voice telling the various anecdotes on languages,
of which he freely had commanded. By the short heading, a newspaper
reported his death, naming as  “the genius of linguistics”.

[References]

• From Distance to Pseudo-Kobayashi Distance / 5 February 2012
• Linguistic Circle of Prague / 13 July – 19 July  2012
• Prague in 1920s, The Linguistic Circle of Prague and Sergej Karcevskij’s paper “Du dualisme asymetrique du signe linguistique” / Print, 2012

                                                                  Tokyo
28 June 2014
Sekinan Research Field of Language

I need not more wander the book shop streets

From Print 2012, Chapter 10

I need not more wander the book shop streets. The object exists in my mind. I would better watch the canal. Wandering is over now.  Perhaps I would not become meister  forever. In my narrow working place, I ‘d better do my work till sunset. So out of the window by the working place,  the saint passes by. I ever read the Russian folk tale like that.

The Autumn evening is fast. The headlight of streetcar  is dazzling. In the yellow-lighten window the passengers are picked out by the light. The car disappeared  to the book streets. The station shop is also lighted up by the yard’s busy orange light.

Read more: http://srflnote.webnode.com/news/i-need-not-more-wander-the-book-shop-streets-from-tale-print-2012/

[Reference]

1. 40 years passed from I read WANG Guowei / 16 November 2013
2. Prague in 1920s, The Linguistic Circle of Prague and Sergej Karcevskij’s paper “Du dualisme asymetrique du signe linguistique” / Print, 2012

[Note  1 October 2014]
“I need not more wander the book shop streets.” 
From Tale, Print, 2012
This tale was written by TANAKA Akio, pen-named LI Koh in autumn 2012 for remembering the poor but brilliant youth time of myself. This is one of my favourite phrases in this tale.
The book shop streets described in the tale is Kanda, Tokyo, which is located in the central Tokyo, where I frequently walked seeking the old Chinese classic books for the study from Oriental way of linguistics. In late 1960s, the streetcars were surely running in the old fashioned streets of Kanda, now perfectly changed to the subway streets. 

The Time of Language Ode to The Early Bourbaki To Grothendieck / Note added, 28 October 2014

The Time of Language Ode to The Early Bourbaki To Grothendieck / Note added, 28 October 2014

---

The Time of Language
Ode to The Early Bourbaki To Grothendieck

TANAKA Akio 

In early 1970s, I had think of language from the side of mathematics, that level of mine is very low and primitive, moreover I never had any talent to mathematics.
But my eager to trying the approach was going to overcome hard barriers before me. So the route had really fascinated my mind for long time.

At that time I had read Chinese classics almost every day. WANG Guowei*, DUAN Yucai and WANG Yingzhi. They were giants on Chinese language historically and modernly.
On the other hand I had thought of language generally, not defined by Chinese.
But in front of the vast world of language, I had stood still lonely, not taking any method for approaching.
Mathematics was the only gleam of hope in the wasteland.

I never took the route of ordinary linguistics.
I really dreamt a dream that time.
There exists set theory before me.
Probably there was the influence of Bourbaki**, that several translations to Japanese, shared from Tokyo Tosho Publisher, were on the desk of mine.
My talent and endeavour were so low, so I had not any results at that time.
My desire was deep but my hand was so shallow.
The time passed by.

In 1979 the meeting again with CHINO Eiichi*** made me the chance to learn on language, the object was clear and direct.
Language universals by mathematics became the never-ending goal of the study hereafter.
Sergej Karcevskij**** gave me the courage to the research.
All the way to investigation were taught from CHINO, who was the genuine teacher on language.
In mathematics I took the route from geometry, especially by projection.
Now I stand at algebraic geometry.
Grothendieck is in the northernmost at the end of Bourbaki.

SAITO Takeshi said at the essay on Grothendieck***** that the object of mathematics for Bourbaki was the set of being attached by construction and the object of mathematics for Grothendieck was the object of category representing the presentable functor.
The time has come for describing****** on language by mathematics despite my poor ability.
Sincere thanks for the pioneers letting us make the fascinating route of modern mathematics.

1. *WANG Guowei
Encounter in life / A Letter /2005
Influenced paper / On Time Property Inherent in Characters / 2003 , Quantum Theory for Language / 2004
2. **Bourbaki
SAITO Takeshi. Bourbaki, Mathematics Seminar, vol.41 no.4 487. Nihonhyoronsha, Tokyo, 2002.
3.***CHINO Eiicji
First met in 1969, again in 1979. Fortuitous Meeting
4. ****Sergej Karcevskij
Note on Karcevskij’s theme. Note for KARCEVSKIJ Sergej’s “Dudualisme asymetrique du signe linguistique”
5. *****Grothendieck
SAITO Takeshi. Grothendieck, Mathematics Seminar, vol.49 no.5 584. Nihonhyoronsha, Tokyo, 2010.
6. ******describing
Note on Grothendieck’s theorem. Vector Bundle Model

Tokyo
January 10, 2012
Sekinan Research Field of Language

[Note, 28 October 2014]
When I first learnt French in 1964, I was the second grade of high school. My aim to learning was to get the lowest readable situation for modern poems of French Symbolism represented by Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine. Afterwards in 1969 I knew the importance of Martinet’s work at the linguistic class of university. Probably in the early 1970s, I bought Bourbaki’s books at the old-book-shop at Kanda, Tokyo, when Bourbaki’s fame reached to the poor-talented linguistic student like me. I was enchanted Bourbaki’s works and I somehow would like to adopt their results to my linguistic study. But my mathematical level was too low to get near Bourbaki’s world. From those days my wandering around mathematics and linguistics kept long long way like the Beatles song, The long and winding road. What I again met mathematics, especially algebraic algebra was already over the twentieth century. From 2003 I began to write papers being assisted with CHINO Eiichi’s advice and Sergej Karcevskij’s work. At that times Chinese Qing dynasty’s vast linguistic works topically represented by WANG Guowei was also assisting my study. At the result my first satisfied paper,”On Time Property Inherent in Characters”1 was completed. The theme in my life, model making of  language universals was begun further later in 2008 at Zoho site 2 sekinanlogos 3. At Complex Manifold Deformation Theory 4 I started writing more clearer descriptive papers by mathematics especially according to algebraic geometry. And now I step up one more and entered in arithmetic geometry 5 for solving more difficult themes such as dimension, synthesis and fusion of meaning in word.
Refer to the next.

1. On Time Property Inherent in Characters
2. Zoho site
3. sekinanlogos
4. Complex Manifold Deformation Theory
5. Arithmetic geometry

Non-symmetry, 1920s’ Prague and Sergej Karcevskij’s “Du dualisme asymetrique du signe linguistique”

Non-symmetry, 1920s’ Prague and Sergej Karcevskij’s “Du dualisme asymetrique du signe linguistique”
From Print 2012, Chapter 18

非対称性。Non-symmetry. それはかつてＣと繰り返し話した内容だ。It was the very theme that I repeatedly talked on with C.１９２０年代のプラハ。Prague in 1920s. 雑誌TCLPに載ったカルツェフスキイの論文、「言語記号の非対称的二重性」。Karcevskij’s paper “Du dualisme asymetrique du signe linguistique” that appeared in the magazine TCLP. 言語が保持し続けるところの、それによって言語が言語であり続けるところの、絶対的に矛盾する柔構造と硬構造の共存。Absolutely contradicted coexistence between flexibility and solidity, which language keeps on maintaining, by which language continues existing as language.  言語において二重に内在し続けるだろう永遠の矛盾。Still now there will exist the everlasting dual contradiction in language.言語がかくも柔軟でかくも堅固でいられるのはなぜか。Why can language stay in such solid and such flexible condition like that. そのほとんど絶対的に矛盾するかともおもわれる二重性をカルツェフスキイは提示した。Karcevskij proposed the duality that is seemed to be almost absolute contradiction. Ｃがその最後の本の中でただ一人天才と称した言語学者、セルゲイ・カルツェフスキイが残した白眉の論考。Sergej Karcevskij’s best of papers, for whom C called as the only genius in his last book.

Half Farewell to the Linguistic Circle of Prague and Sergej Karcevskij

TANAKA Akio

I have thought on language through the rich results of the linguistic Circle of Pragueand its important member Sergej Karcevskij. But now my recent thinking has inclined towards algebraic or arithmetic geometrical method and description.

Probably it is the time of half farewell to those milestones which led me to the standing place here with rather sufficient results in my ability. Great thanks to all that always encouraged me for hard and vague target on language especially meaning and its surroundings. And also to CHINO Eiichi with love and respect who taught me all the bases of language study.

For recent results see the following papers group named AGL Arithmetic Geometry Language and related essays.

Papers
AGL Arithmetic Geometry Language

• Dimension of Language (AGL 1)
• Synthesis of Meaning and Transition of Dimension (AGL 2)
• Birth of Word, Synthesis of Meaning and Dimension of New Word (AGL 3)
• Dimension Conjecture at Synthesis of Meaning (AGL 4)

Essays

• Parts and Whole
• Edward Sapir’s Language, 1921
• Macro Time and Micro Time
• Meaning Minimum
• Disposition of Language

Tokyo
23 October 2013
24 September 2014, references added
Sekinan Research Field of Language

Linguistic Circle of Prague

TANAKA Akio 
                     

 The Linguistic Circle of Prague was taught from CHINO Eiichi in his class of Structural Linguistics in the late 1970s. We first met at the university in 1969. He was young, probably the age 30s. I was 21 years old.

Now referring his chronological record, CHINO was born in 1932, graduated Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in 1955, entered Carrel University at Czechoslovakia in 1958 and returned to Japan in 1964. So we met after 5 years from his returning.

Sometimes we conversed at the coffee shop near the station we used. California, it was the name of the shop, up the rattled stairs, under the dim light. It was the youth time of mine and probably with him.The greatest thing he gave me was teaching me the existence of KARCEVSKIJ Sergei in the Linguistic Circle of Prague. My latter half life was almost determined by KARCEVSLIJ’s one paper, ” Du dualisme asymetrique du signe linguistique” .
One day on the train after school, he calmly but definitely said to me that he never was linguist because he never discovered any new language or law and he only was the introducer to general linguistics.

Now I really think that I am also never linguist nor introducer. I only love language, so have written on language or its around  till now. CHINO taught me the the study or rather more deep attitude  to the life itself.
Regretfully he died in 2002, age 70.

He wrote several books on linguistics. The masterpiece that I confirmed isJanua Linguisticae reserata 1994, that is the general invitation to linguistics for further studying of wide and deep view.

The title was determined by the famous book of Jan Amos Komensky 1592-1670, Janua Linguarum reserata 1632. Here I feel CHINO’s deep love to the history and culture to Czechoslovakia where he studied for Czech in 7 years.

 [Note added]

I frequently heard on Linguistic Circle of Prague (LCP) from CHINO. But now standing in the twilight of my learning, I have not understood anything about it essentially, that had probably much more heritage for contemporary language study than my thinking. I already old and  can never start to cultivate the new frontier on LCP  or its successive study. Only saying is what I really recognise that LCP and Russian philology is the heimat of my language study. It is and will be  the heimat of my soul evermore.

Tokyo
19 July 2012

---

13 July 2012
19 July 2012 Note added
Sekinan Research Field of Language

The Time of Wittgenstein

TANAKA Akio

There surely exists the time of Wittgenstein for me.
That time about in my 30s, in the middle of 1970s.
One may aware of the kernel of the problem after almost all the hardships were gone and the problem is going under pursuing in the daily work for oneself, as Wittgenstein wrote at 6.521 in TRACTATUS LOGICO-PHILOSOPHICUS.

Wittgenstein wrote on language immanently at least in TRACTATUS.
He also said in TRACTATUS 6.432 that how world exists  does not care from the higher dimensions.
I also wanted to write on language from the immanent side in language.
But I had not any pursuing method for writing on language at that time, only remaining set theory typically presented by Bourbaki that some translations were surely on my desk.

Set theory was enough fascinating at the time, but it did not give me any relative and constructive situations on language or widely on the world. It was isolated and non-relative for writing on language. I wanted the bond of the world.

Now I have geometry for which the world can be bonded enough tightly. In 1970s I was never aware of the existence of geometry by myself, probably not being influenced from Wittgenstein’s 6.35 in TRACTATUS, Geometry absolutely tell nothing on how the figure is and where the figure situated.

So I had remain silently in the days not being able to write on the theme, the basic essence of language. Then I never knew the object on language, language universals that was taught from CHINO Eiichi later in 1980s. CHINO showed me the paper of Sergej Karcevskij, Du dualisme asymétrique du  singe linguistique. The theme determined my remain life hereafter. CHINO was the true teacher of my study.

Wittgenstein wrote at the last 6.54 of TRACTATUS that his some propositions must be abandoned. I began to go through the wood of hard theme of language universals by mathematics especially using geometry. About what can be told to, I never must be silent. 

Reference
Citation from Ludwig Wittgenstein

Tokyo
January 20, 2012
Sekinan Research Field of Language

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Ludwig Wittgenstein.