What would the world be like if everyone spoke the same language? If no one spoke at all?
In a world where communication is so vital to quality of life, it is easy to say that words should have just one meaning. It would fix aesthetic and logistical problems, and ultimately save time. However, language is not just a tool for communication, it is cultural and has it's own identity. If each word had only one meaning, a language would loose it's individuality and uniqueness, resulting in a much less interesting world.
Having lived in Germany for 3 years, I would like to tell people I speak German, but unfortunately I have forgotten most of it. One word I do remember was oberflächlich, which is loosely described in English as awkward or superficial. It is an example of a word that gives the language it's own identity and makes it special. There is no word in English that matches with oberflächlich. For some people, the unique structures and elements of individual languages alone might lead them to become a linguist. It would likely be a very boring world with less incentive for travel or learning. Although it is necessary to have a 'language of the world' (which is English), it should never replace the other languages.
If no one spoke at all, the world would likely look like George Orwell's 1984. So much of human expression and communication is reliant on speaking. Although some argue that speaking causes many problems, it far outnumbers the them with it's benefits. For example, one of the reasons I don't like texting is because I have been at the center of misunderstandings where if the words had been spoken, there would have not been a conflict. At the beginning of the year in HOA, my teacher thought it would be fun to do an icebreaker activity, and we were to get in alphabetical order without speaking. It was very inconvenient and weird, and even then I saw on a small scale how muddled and bleak the world would be without spoken language.
I really like the examples you offered. I agree that language is very important to defining culture, and without it, our world would be less diverse and almost empty or bereft in a sense. Communicating with others who do not speak the same language as you do can also help with cultural understanding. For example, I recently visited China as a Chinese language student. The ability for me to use my developing language skills to communicate with others who knew rudimentary English was an extraordinary experience that broadened my cultural understanding through communication outside of the academic atmosphere. Overall, I think cross-cultural communication through speech helps everyone involved improve their own communication skills and ability to interact with others through the challenge of a language barrier.
ReplyDeleteI also remember the name activity as I'm in your HOA class. I recall that it was quite confusing and awkward (so, perhaps oberflächlich?), and would have definitely been much more challenging had none of us already had some knowledge or acquaintanceship with one another. This activity just goes to show how vital speech and language are to communication. Only so much can be expressed through non-verbal signals and gesticulation.