Re: CHAT: "the future," sci-fi, Quecha (Le Guin)

>From: Abrigon Gusiq <abrigon@...>
>The Akan of Ghana, sort of like there is the likely future, and then
>their is the possible future?
>
>Like the man is walking to the store. He is presently walking, to the
>store is possible future. The man might walk to the store. He is doing
>something other than walking, but might walk in the future, and might >to
>the store?
>
>Sort of like, if someone is pregnant, it is very likely they will have >a
>baby.  While someone having sex, might mean they might get pregnant?
>
>Time, and differences. Sort of like how we have you are alive, you are
>remembered, and your genes are still around? Each is a different aspect
>of your life in time?
>
>Mike
Yes, in a way - the Akan certainly have a sense of future in the cause and
effect sense; event X may lead to result Y and so on, and the language (I'm
pretty sure) has the standard tenses -- but they (traditionally) don't
consider the future in a historical sense.  For the Akan, life 2 years or
200 years from now is generally assumed to be pretty much the same as it is
in the present.  A sense of posterity is important - having a link between
the living and the dead, but instead of thinking about being linked to the
future through one's children (and the memory of friends), one is linked to
the "now".  When a person dies, they gradually merge with the past /
forever.  The future just isn't considered.

Andy

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