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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 10, No. 6

Publication Date: December 25, 2022

DOI:10.14738/aivp.106.13409. Awuku, A. S. (2022). Revisiting the Atomic Shapes, The Strait and Kurve. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 10(6). 102-108.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Revisiting the Atomic Shapes, The Strait and Kurve

Awuku, Ameyo S.

Université de Lomé, FLLA, Togo

ameyosa@yahoo.com

INTRODUCTION

In previous works (Awuku 2011; 2020; 2021, 2022), the Shapes study proposed only two

atomic Shapes that were named, the Strait and the Kurve respectively. With some practical

teaching experience, it was revealed that there is a need to improve the previous conception of

the atomic Shapes. The current reasoning holds that there are three atomic Shapes, not two.

The previous classification was spelt out as a binary proposal for the atomic Shapes in Awuku,

2011 as follows:

The Strait and the Kurve is a binary or a two-way classification of phenomena in

language and the world. A two-way classification (binary/binarity) exists in many

disciplines... Binarity or aspects of it permeate not only linguistics, but also

literature, arts, cultural studies and other fields. For example, the binary can be seen

roughly in the following: life and death; black and white; (as the two most basic

color terms); left and right; the earth and the sky; male and female, hot and cold;

smart and dull; just to name but these (p. 153).

In computational language, a binary or dual system exists. Computing uses a binary system of

bits (2 values, zero and one) and bytes (8 bits make a byte, Grauer & Barber 1998). The two

values of the bits (zero (0) and one (1)) constitute the underlying core of computational

language (p. 153).

In linguistics proper, language is represented as a binary or dual system consisting of sounds

(small parts/the building blocks). References can be seen in Ladefoged (1993) on phonetics;

Jacobson (1939), Trubetzkoy (1939), and Spencer (1996) on phonology. The small parts of

language can be combined into bigger units that are meaningful (Spencer, 1991 on morphology.

Other authors exist). This is binarity/duality (p. 154).

The binary/dual idea, as presented so far in linguistics proper, originates in the modern sense

from the structuralist Saussure (1916/1996) on Semiotics (Urban 2003). Saussure’s point, as a

brief reference, is that the linguistic sign is dyadic (dual) consisting of a signifier (name/word/

language) and a signified (object/what the name represents), p. 154.

Therefore, the initial two-way conception of the atoms was inspired from Linguistics and other

disciplines aforementioned. However, over the years of researching the Shapes domain, I came

to the realization that a much more plausible account of the atomic Shapes should have a three

way distinction. This realization was made specifically when working with and observing

reactions of MA, doctoral candidates, colleague linguists, in addition to moderately testing- teaching the Strait and Kurve to adult language learners. The previous two-way classification

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Awuku, A. S. (2022). Revisiting the Atomic Shapes, The Strait and Kurve. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 10(6). 102-108.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.106.13409

of the atoms is therefore possible only in general terms. The current reasoning is spelt out in

table 1 as follows:

Table 1: Atomic Shapes

Revisited Atomic Shapes

a Strait:

I

The Strait can occur positioned as follows:

-Vertical I

-Horizontal —

-Diagonal / or \

a Kurve:

C

The Kurve can occur in different positions,

among which are:

C, Ͻ

a Joint:

˂

The joint can occur in different positions,

among which are:

˂, ˅, ˃

The main areas of revision, as shown in the table, are as follows:

Ø an inclusion of the term, Joint atomic Shape

Ø the diagonal positioning of the Strait and

Ø the naming Kurve, specifically attributed to the C-like Shape where previously, the C- like Shape was termed an Unstructured Kurve and the ˂ or V-like Shape was called a

Structured Kurve.

Note again that ˂, ˅, ˃ are all the same Shape positioned differently. One previous statement

concerning the Kurve reads as follows:

The Kurve is a curvature, typically, a V shape, but can tend to be round looking,

or be a C-like shape (Awuku 2011:156).

This previous statement is not that clear. In clear terms therefore, even though the Kurve and

Joint can, in a general sense, be termed Kurves, one being Structured and the other being

Unstructured, in specific terms, the C-like Shape is a Kurve while the V-like is a Joint.

THE SHAPES STUDY AND PREVIOUS ATOMIC SHAPES

In Awuku (2011)’s pioneer work, it was shown that alphabetic written language has smaller

building blocks, which are smaller than the forms of the letters of the alphabet or linguistic

forms and that these and their combinations can be analyzed in a Shapes study. The atomic

Shapes were called, the Strait and the Kurve, as seen in the quote below:

...alphabetic written language is represented in terms of two fundamental

underlying building blocks. These are termed: a Strait and a Kurve. These building

blocks are symbolically, a Strait: I, a Kurve: < (or C). The study concerns language

shapes, namely, the shapes of written language and in this sense, ... linguistic

written works are not arbitrary inventions but can be shown to derive from the

building blocks above which are also found in the world of objects (p. 151).

One main motivation for the Shapes study is redundancy in language representation, namely

how language is represented in writing (at least in alphabetic writing systems) which portrays

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European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 10, Issue 6, December-2022

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

the same form as different symbols depending on how they are positioned. Two examples are

shown in table 2 (from Awuku 2020):

Table 2: Redundancy in written language forms

e upper mid front unrounded

vowel IPA usage, American usage

ə Schwa. Mid central unrounded

vowel. IPA usage, American usage

ɘ Reversed E. Half-close... central

unrounded vowel, midway

between [e] and [ɣ]. It is [e]

reversed left to right; a mirror

image of [e], which is not to be

confused with [ə], schwa, which

is [e] turned or rotated 180

degrees.

Pullum & Ladusaw (1986:42, 44, 47); Ladefoged (1993); Spencer

(1996); O‘Grady, Dobrovolsky and Aronoff (1989)...

b Alphabetic letter small b;

phonetic symbol: voiced bilabial

stop

d Alphabetic letter small d;

phonetic symbol: voiced alveolar

stop

p Alphabetic letter small p;

phonetic symbol: voiceless

bilabial stop

q Alphabetic letter small q;

phonetic symbol, voiceless uvular

stop, IPA usage, American usage

q Number nine (in some

handwritten scripts)

P Capital letter P

Found in almost the same sources as e

In written language therefore, the same form, when positioned differently, is seen or presented

as a different form. In Shapes study, a different position of a Shape does not make it different

even though this can be described as additional information within its context.

In Awuku’s 2011 article, 70 different forms were presented (table 1) and it was demonstrated

how the underlying Shapes, Strait and Kurve were present. Similarly, it was shown that both

Arabic and Roman numbers have the atomic Shapes in their architecture or built as building

blocks. Finally, different objects in the world were shown to have not only atomic Shape forms

but also forms depicting different letters of the alphabet (which in Shapes study terms are

combinations of the atoms designated as complex or semi-complex Shapes). A few examples

randomly selected (from Awuku 2011:160) with some explanations are shown in table 3: