WHAT WOULD THE WORLD BE LIKE IF EVERYONE SPOKE THE SAME LANGUAGE? IF NO ONE SPOKE AT ALL?
If we all spoke the same language I think it would be quite difficult to gain cultural perspective or have much culture at all. Countries having their own language is a large part of their culture. This also comes with a different thought process depending on which country one comes from. As we said last class, different countries have metaphors or different ways to say a certain phrase or word that other languages and countries don't have (because we don't experience all the same things in the same way). This brings a different view point or perspective of thinking if we lacked having multiple languages in the world. If we had no languages it would be more difficult to communicate our exact feelings or thought process. Without language, I feel as if our species would not be one of the most intelligent creatures on the planet. The use of language is very important in or world due to our complex thought process and diversity of emotions. Through our culture and heritage we use language to convey our perspective and demonstrate our differences in lifestyles.
I agree with your reflection especially that language is necessary to communicate as an intelligent species. As you discussed, I think that different languages provide insight into different cultures and societies. My parents were both born in Sri Lanka, so I learned to speak Sinhalese (the native language of Sri Lanka) as a young child. It still surprises me how much of the Sinhalese language is based on feelings and emotions. The English language has several words for a particular emotion, but in Sinhalese, there are extremely specific words for a particular feeling. Sinhalese focuses a lot on emotions and the way people feel more than English does. Having different languages helps to understand differences in culture, like you discussed. However, this raises another question: If there was no language, do you think that people would stop communicating, or do you think that people would inevitably find a way to communicate through some other means?
ReplyDeleteDo you think that today, we make use of the cultural perspective offered within different languages? Or do we value the efficiency of a globalized languages? The Americanization of Korean culture has been a personal concern. Many stores, advertisements, and even song lyrics are in English in an effort to appeal to a global market to the extent that most Koreans, regardless of whether they've taken classes or not, can read and speak English. Many phrases are being Americanized and while this may just be a widespread symptom of a smaller world, I many of the concerns that you specify. I agree that the removal of different languages would take away different 'lenses' with which to see and communicate the world. These lenses should be seen as advantages and insights, rather than obstacles to overcome.
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