In 1984, George Orwell invented ‘Newspeak,’ a language that makes alternative thinking impossible by removing the words used to describe such thought: if you have no word for ‘revolution,’ you will not start one… Newspeak was based on the idea of ‘linguistic relativism,’ the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Anthropological linguist Edward Sapir and his student, Benjamin Whorf, were convinced that our language constructs our reality: that we see the world through the lens of our own language and anything not encompassed by our language is – to us, at least – unthinkable. Do we live within the confines of our own linguistic reality?
This quote read on the colourlovers‘ blog struck me as quite interesting food for thought and reflexion!
I’d like to give you my opinion on the rest of the entry, but since its perspective reflects on a different matter (i.e. colour), i’ll keep it for later. Let’s just think about linguistic inhibitions and what they mean in our daily life.
I enjoy reading and reflecting on things as for example the above quote. And i develop opinions and strong feelings about almost everything, although i hardly ever share those … for the simple reason that i might put things the wrong way, use the wrong words, and consequently will be misunderstood. I don’t know how things work with you, but my opinions etc. form themselves in my head in only a few seconds and never ever come in sentences. Therefore trying to explain them to others is the hardest thing to do. The fear of being misunderstood and not being able to fix that is huge. Add to that the fact that i have no linguistic talent whatsoever.
Interesting though, isn’t it? I find it extremely peculiar - or better, fascinating - that our brain/body understands and develops thoughts in split seconds without any language use at all. It is an undefinable, let’s call it a “feeling”, which we don’t need to translate for ourselves, only if we want to communicate the concept we developed to others. Something which takes a whole lot longer. Language, a complex structure of grammar and vocabulary which is open for interpretation and discussion, has its limits without a doubt. Therefore i do think we live too much within the confines of our own linguistic reality.
Don’t get me wrong, i love language! For the very same reason as i find it difficult most of the time - being open for interpretation that is. I just love how semantics can play a game, how certain words, sentences or texts can charm me, shock me, or make me smile, laugh or even cry. Language is most certainly an art form … and so is its embodiment! There lies great beauty in typography, a metier as well as an art form and unfortunately most under-appreciated.
A blogpost about language in english, huge mistake! Although i don’t think i would have done any better in my own language. As i said, no writing/speaking talent whatsoever … :-D
To give you an idea of the importance of relativization of language in my life: I was born and raised in Belgium. Belgium’s official languages are Dutch and French. My native tongue is Flemish. I live in Mexico where i - obviously - speak Spanish, and i try to share thoughts and feelings on this blog in English … there! Now you probably understand that i’ve had my fair share of misinterpretation.
For those in a similar situation, my most useful little helpers: Interglot.com and the Dictionary, Thesaurus and van Dale dashboard widgets.
(no link to T'NK just yet)
2 Comments
Talking about language, our own ‘Dutch’ language is in fact a beautiful, though tricky one. Grammar is rather difficult and not very straightforward, but it has its own charm and pecularities … For correct spelling and language hints, this is my favorite resource: http://taalunieversum.org/
Nice site, fantastic library, hints, etc.!
Indeed it’s a tricky one …
I’m helping a friend here to learn dutch and doing something like that makes you realize there are many MANY illogical things in our language.
Thx for the link, i’ll bookmark it!