Tuesday, April 28, 2020

S and R and the Verb "To Be'

I have been teaching English in military and academic institutions for nearly a decade, often subtlety incorporating knowledge contained within this body of work into helping students understand how the English language works. 

As my clients are Arabic speakers who are generally professionals with limited time to learn, I have sought out ever more efficient means of transmission of knowledge to aid in understanding the mechanics of English and how to apply this basic understanding to more rapidly grasp the language

When we speak about "mechanics" of English, we are generally referring to "grammar", or the general rules of the language.  One of the basic elements of grammar is verb conjugation and in English, arguably the most important verb is the verb "to be".  Although this may sound simple, Arabic as a language does not have a present form of the verb "to be", so even this seemingly most simple of expressions often takes time to grasp and understand.

However, the verb "to be" does exist in the past tense in Arabic and, like English, appears in an irregular conjugated form.  But unlike English, where the design is rather simple and elegant, the complexity of Arabic verb conjugations provides fertile ground to demonstrate the "gated logic" of English.

A rather fun exercise is to work with students and have them break down the Arabic verb "to be" in a class setting.  Since Arabic has 12 different forms of the verb "to be" in the past, one can imagine the time it takes to run through all of them, especially when you create the setting wherein students are  in a position of  "teaching the teacher".

In this setting, one can begin with the pronoun "I".  A simply demonstration begins first in the present tense:

"I am tired" = Ana taban

In this example, it is understood that "I am tired", but what is said is simply in Arabic is, "I tired".
Such sets the stage.  From here we ask how to say this in the past tense and do not raise or explain at this time the issue of how it actually works in English.

We begin with the pronoun "I".

Ana kuntu taban.

Simple enough.  We then move to the pronoun "you".  In this case, Arabic conjugations, much like Spanish, are gender specific.  Hence the pronoun must split into two forms and the verb "to be" equally must split into two forms.

m: Anta kunta taban
f: Anti kunti taban

At this stage of the demonstration, things are relatively simple and there is little confusion.
Since Arabic is gender specific, we already know that additional layers of complexity are required to express such things as "he" and "she", and indeed it does.  We then learn that:
m: howa kana = he was
f: hiya kanat - she was

Now, Arabic has changed the first vowel from a "u"  as found in the use with the pronoun "you" to an "a" and then requires an addition of the letter "t" at the end of the form to signify feminine.

We then move on the pronoun "it".

In Arabic, there is no pronoun for "it" and so a little fun can be had about chiding everyone as to where "it" went?  Moving to "we"

Nahnoo kunna

At this stage, the "trap", as it were, is set, because the purpose to the exercise is to show the "gated logic" of English.

In Arabic, one will need to go through 4 additional forms of "they" plus 2 additional forms of "you".  It all gets sorta confusing.  After trying to get the class to agree on any two forms of these two (usually they can't), you simply throw your hands up in the air, start erasing the board, and tell them that this is taking way too long and exclaim, "English is far simpler and you only have to know two letters.  S and R!"

And here is how it works!


The verb "to be" is unique in that its conjugation can be shown to be comprised of just two letters that are equally words.

B = be
R = are











The Isisian Codes (cipher) reveals that both B and R are essentially the same when put onto a mathematical matrix.  Each letter is placed at position 2.  The letter B is the glyph for "latent life" as represented by a pregnant woman (make the bottom bigger than the top) while the letter R is "manifested life".  Hence "being" is all about the philosophical constructions built into the very letters B and R.

One cannot B until they R.

If one ponders this philosophically, the letter R is really, in and of itself, a "past tense form" of the letter B.  In this way we begin to see the gated nature of the language on a higher, philosophical nature.  By "gated", we simply refer to that of a logic switch of a computer, which is binary in nature and represented by either 0 or 1.

Since English is gated, the language is simply turning "on" or "off", very much akin to a "toggle switch".  Digressing, the word "toggle" is generally referred to a switch that is either "up" (on) or "down" (off).  The word, being comprised of the TGL (the L being the fallen T), reminds of the observation of the sun as it goes from Winter Solstice (T), through (G-center) to Summer Solstice T, and then back down through G to T.

The sun appears to be going "up" or "down" - it TGL's ever bit as much as a (T)eeter (T)otter...

Returning to the mechanical function of English (grammar), we now can see that the verb To Be and its subsequent conjugation, ARE, is logically and philosophically connected.  The verb and its conjugation is intrinsically linked in cipher, inseparable.

The purpose of this exercise was, however, to demonstrate the simplicity (gated logic) of English as compared to an exceedingly complex gender system as Arabic.  This is easy to demonstrate because when it comes to English, English only cares about two issues: singular or plural.

In other words, it is gated.  If single, then this (0), if plural, then that (1). 

If the subject is "singular", we simply add an "S", which becomes the word "is", while if the subject is plural, we shift one letter to the left and us the letter R, or the word "are".

Obviously, when speaking, vocalizing the letter R or the word "are" is indistinguishable.

When applying this principle into the "past tense", the basic gate of S and R remains.  The language simply is adding a "W" to signify past tense.

Present singular "S" (is) becomes WS (was).
Present plural "R" (are) becomes WR (were).

Moving from past to present does not negate the base gate of S's and R's.

Furthere, English is not only "switching" on and off depending on either "1" or "2", but is linked in philosophical design.  The B and the R is latent and manifested life, respective.  However, while B represents 2 (mother with child), the R represents the "past tense of B", or the process of giving "BRth".  At this stage, the R is intrinsically still 2 as the newborn child remains, for all manner and intent, connected to the mother.

Hence the logic of R being "2", or "plural" is in and of itself wholly logical in both design and function.

It is not until the child grows and matures and is able to venture out on one's own that the "R" shifts to being the singular "S", or the next letter in the sequence of the Alphabet.

In this way, we can teach not only practical mechanical properties of the Alphabet, but we can also begin laying the foundation that reveals that Nature is inherently fused within the English Alphabet.