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1. That owning, developing and living in a culture’s own language is fundamentally important because of the effects language has on both the individual and the group.
2. Understanding another language allows you to get to the core of who another person (or culture) is and what really makes them tick!
I really believe that languages are the tools for navigating the world. The loss of those tools results in the loss of direction of those that have lost or are losing their language, regardless of what the cause of the loss is. It’s the same sense of disorientation that an explorer feels when her compass breaks on a dark night and she has nothing to use to help her find her bearings!
A lot of people suffer from poverty in this world, not only because of the simple absence of wealth but as a result of people being left outside of the economic structures and processes. All over the world there are examples of people that have been stripped of their tools to effectively participate in the structures that define today’s societies and economies. Efforts and interventions to help them integrate and to develop economically don’t achieve the desired results because the fundamental tools for navigating those worlds have been deliberately and systematically destroyed over time. If we are to talk about economic and social development, we should think beyond just production, supply, demand and markets, and also look at empowering people to be active participants in the world. Languages (and other aspects of culture) are critically important in helping to achieve that end.
Many conflicts, if not all conflicts, arise because of fundamental misunderstandings: misunderstandings of each other’s worlds and failing to relate to each other on a deeper level. Conflicts are the result of fears:
-Fears of ceasing to exist
-Fears of change
-Fears of that which is different
-Fears of that which we do not know or cannot not understand
People then attack or defend to protect themselves against these fears. I believe that our world would be very different if we could learn about, and understand one another at a deeper level. We would begin to see that we have common fears, common aspirations and that some of the things we fear are not always based on reality. Perceptions would change, and actions based on perceptions would change too. That’s why to me, learning a language is more that just being able to speak different words, but being able to understand the function of a language and yearning to discover what lies behind the vocabulary.
The Functions of Language
Beyond allowing people to communicate and exchange words, language has many different functions.
Language is a Lens: Language shows you life from different angles. Being able to speak a different language opens new doors and most importantly, allows one to enter a new world and to relate or connect with people in a different context. It allows you to participate with those people on their terms and to begin to experience and interpret life from their perspective. The words they use, the sounds they produce and the delivery of those words are very much based in the way they live life. The language becomes a reflection of the way people think, perceive and understand things. Comprehending that means you understand their perspectives much better. It is about moving beyond just vocabulary, grammar and words—it’s about exploring the foundations of people’s thinking, understanding contexts and realities, understanding behavior, understanding an interpretation of life and connecting language to the world around you.
To expand on this point, I’ll give an example based on observations that I have made in my life. I have noticed that in some cultures, strong formalities in the way people speak often are a reflection of the formal nature of that culture. And it’s easy to notice this, even if you don’t speak more than one language. Let’s take, for example, English. Friends at a party and politicians in Parliament in the same country can both speak English, but the way they use the language represents two different worlds—one that is very formal, and another usually more casual. One aims for clarity in its definitions and sometimes a complexity that can also represent high levels of education and being very well informed; in another case, one can aim to be socially acceptable, fun-loving, humorous etc. The Parliamentarian can employ words that show strength and confidence; the partygoer can lean towards words that portray her/him as easy going and savvy.
The same principles apply across different languages. They often reflect many realities about a culture and the way people live. A culture that appreciates humor will reflect that in its language. A culture that appreciates poetry and complex ideas will reflect that in its language. A culture that has a high regard for nature will have well developed means to express thoughts, feelings and emotions about the environment. Entering these different cultures and really understanding them therefore can be most effectively done by understand the languages that represent these cultures. That’s why the greatest visa you can have is that of learning a whole new language.
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Dumisani
I write because I believe in the power of ideas! Thoughts are what have changed the world... Every revolution, every legislation, every act started off as a thought. All thoughts are inspired by other thoughts expressed in song, essays, research, poetry, spoken word, action...
I write because I love. I hope that my writing inspires and informs you as much as the writings of others has done to me in my life.
~dumisani
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