The Grammar and the Syntax of Humanity
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Ce poème a été commandé et inspiré par les paroles d'Agnès de Lodz, dont la maîtrise d'une multitude de langues constitue le plus bel exemple de la grammaire et de la syntaxe de l'humanité.
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Wiersz ten powstał na zamówienie i z inspiracji słowami Agnes de Lodz, której biegłość w wielu językach stanowi najlepszy przykład gramatyki i składni człowieczeństwa
~~~~
another flightless bird,
a stray dog thought, bound for the pound,
“if only humanity had a single language!”
gets rescued
here to remind you that’s been tried before
with consequences profound,
one tongue in unison
was so overwhelming, overarching,
disallowing the pipsqueak of,
that the arrogance of it
demanded its dispersal
but,
yes, yet, always a but,
the human mind is not so chained, constrained,
that it cannot learn the unique grammar and syntax,
and leap in small ways the boundaries of ignorance
grammar and syntax are rules
governing principles, which can be taught,
which can be learned,
which can be humanized
and repair that single voice,
not for onerous drowning out
but for the threading of understanding understood
I confess, that I am the lucky few
who appreciates greatly the art of another language’s
special way of saying some thing special
in a special way
let us rejoice
Apr 8
Apr 8, 2026 at 5:24 PM UTC
The Grammar and the Syntax of Humanity
<><><>
Ce poème a été commandé et inspiré par les paroles d'Agnès de Lodz, dont la maîtrise d'une multitude de langues constitue le plus bel exemple de la grammaire et de la syntaxe de l'humanité.
<><><>
Wiersz ten powstał na zamówienie i z inspiracji słowami Agnes de Lodz, której biegłość w wielu językach stanowi najlepszy przykład gramatyki i składni człowieczeństwa
~~~~
another flightless bird,
a stray dog thought, bound for the pound,
“if only humanity had a single language!”
gets rescued
here to remind you that’s been tried before
with consequences profound,
one tongue in unison
was so overwhelming, overarching,
disallowing the pipsqueak of,
that the arrogance of it
demanded its dispersal
but,
yes, yet, always a but,
the human mind is not so chained, constrained,
that it cannot learn the unique grammar and syntax,
and leap in small ways the boundaries of ignorance
grammar and syntax are rules
governing principles, which can be taught,
which can be learned,
which can be humanized
and repair that single voice,
not for onerous drowning out
but for the threading of understanding understood
I confess, that I am the lucky few
who appreciates greatly the art of another language’s
special way of saying some thing special
in a special way
let us rejoice
Tower of Babel, the biblical narrative explaining the origin of different languages and the scattering of humanity. Following the Flood, unified people in Shinar tried to build a city and a tower reaching heaven to "make a name for themselves," prompting God to confuse their speech and scatter them
….
Grammar is the system of rules governing language’s structure,
including word forms & sounds
Syntax is a subset of grammar focused on arrangement of words, phrases, and clauses for structured sentences
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