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The Constitution of the United States of America is an
interesting document. That it is a fixed document is part
of the point. Unfortunately, the English language isn't as
stable as paper. It's inevitable that the document will be
unintelligible to the majority of the population within a few
hundred years*. Imagine what people would make of it
written in Chaucer's English?
Unless the language is updated to convey the appropriate
meaning, it's possible to envisage a time when America
worships a piece of old brown paper, doesn't know why,
and locks up people who say bad things about the shade of
brown.
Now, obviously, you keep the original. BUT, it is self-
evidently a good idea to at least have a plan for conveying
the meaning of the document to future peoples. If current
trends are anything to go by, the whole thing will be
translated in to a series of amusing animated cat gifs.
*countries are supposed to last hundreds of years, unless
you're playing at it
Why is Bert the symbol for "woman" in linear B
http://www.financia...drawing-symbols.jpg
....call in Mulder and Scully [not_morrison_rm, Aug 14 2014]
Bert
http://www.sesamest...d-a1a2-3f408a4274b3
[not_morrison_rm, Aug 14 2014]
Beaker
http://img1.wikia.n...pg/258px-Beaker.jpg
[RayfordSteele, Aug 14 2014]
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Annotation:
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// Imagine what people would make of it written in Chaucer's English?
// |
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Chaucerian and Shakespearian English are still (with a little effort)
perfectly comprehensible to a large proportion of English people (as
opposed to mere "speakers" of "English"). Magna Carta is still a "live"
legal document, and that's written in Latin. |
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// If current trends are anything to go by, the whole thing will be
translated in to a series of amusing animated cat gifs. // |
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It won't. By the time things get that bad, the U.S. will have been
annexed by Canada, much as a kindly family might take in a frail,
elderly neighbour with Alzheimer's... |
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//it's possible to envisage a time when America worships a piece of old brown paper, doesn't know why, //
Heheh |
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// Imagine what people would make of it written in
Chaucer's English?// |
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Some of England's most important documents were
written in Chaucer's (or earlier) English. Somehow,
we seem to manage OK. |
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The bibles, however, are a very different matter. |
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I preferred the "Not" bible. |
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Well, doing the Constitution in Linear B would be best, as then no one would understand it. Like the Bible. |
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Having looked at the symbol for woman in the script it bears an uncanny resemblance to Bert off Sesame Street....see link... |
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The invention of dictionaries has done a lot to stabilize a language. "Fad" words get removed due to obsolescence about as often as they get added due to popularity. But the rest of the language holds pretty steady, at least partly because of pronunciation guides, in those same dictionaries. |
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Shortest constitution in force, 27 amendments, never read it, probably like quite a few lawyers in the U.S. (not the shortness, the never reading part) |
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// it is self- evidently a good idea to at least have a
plan for conveying the meaning of the document to
future peoples.// |
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Baked I think, by the Supreme Court |
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Yes, but how long before Disney buys out the franchise ... ? |
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I'm not seeing Bert. I'm seeing Beaker. |
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Over the long haul, there is no way that any particular document written by a people frozen in time can anticipate the issues of peoples hundreds of years into the future. Constitutions should be highly-moderated wikidocuments. |
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Given the Orwellian nature that politics can take, it
almost doesn't seem to matter whether words are
changed, or the meaning of words changes. Which
does not mean, though, that one should go gently
into that good night. |
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//doesn't seem to matter whether words are
changed// |
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Imagine a boot, stamping on the 4th amendment -
Forever. |
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Imagine the ACLU camping on your doorstep - Forever. |
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It'll be purple flashing elephants next. Take more water with it. |
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How can any other way of reading it ensure limited
government? If a key point of a Constitution is to
limit what kinds of laws may be passed, how can it be
safe to read it any other way? |
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Any constitutional process that simultaneously allows
to both create, and repeal something like
Prohibition, to have equal protection under the law
and progressive income taxes, to have drug laws and
a right to privacy, is pretty freaking flexible already.
Be thankful. |
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Yes, but does it say anything about the current Bert/Beaker controversy? |
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