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> At the same time, each language is a barrier between people, one that prevents ideas to be shared and stories to be told. The fewer such barriers we have, the

by Drakim 9y ago

> At the same time, each language is a barrier between people, one that prevents ideas to be shared and stories to be told. The fewer such barriers we have, the easier it becomes to understand others. Literally. I agree, the language barrier means a lot is lost. But at the same time each story and even way of thinking is flavored by the language it is expressed in. Certain things cannot be fully expressed in another language, the words don't hold the same charge and history. If the entire world were to speak one language tomorrow and nothing else, there would be a great diminishment in the world's art, culture and mythos. So it's not a black and white issue.

waqf 9y ago
What's the point in the world having more art, culture and mythos if it doesn't have more that's accessible to any single individual? The best way for each new cultural artifact to reach the most people is for it to be created in a language and culture that the most people share.
- schoen 9y ago
  This view seems harsh to me because it seems to treat languages and cultures as 100% interchangeable. I can imagine what you described as an extremely important factor for many people, but you seem to view it as the only possible factor. (I'm currently at a crossword puzzle tournament in a foreign language in a foreign country, when I could of course find many such tournaments in my own country... so I guess I've been spending the whole weekend enjoying an experience of appreciating a foreign language in a way that's in some tension with what you describe.)
- Drakim 9y ago
  Obviously it would be the best if it was accessible to everybody at all times, but that's not the case right now. And my argument is, just getting "rid" of all languages except one would also entail getting rid of a lot of the things you wish to preserve and share.
- CalRobert 9y ago
  Different languages yield different way of thinking about things. I might not have ever grokked functional programming with Python, even if it's doable, but in Javascript it made sense, and now even makes sense in Python. I didn't understand how to use "whom" in English until I learned (some) German, and I feel that I understand more nuance and subtlety in my own tongue as a result. Same goes for the (sadly nearly dead) subjunctive form. Language appears to be the tool we use not just to communicate, but to encode our thoughts. It gives us a way to wrangle the abstract from something ethereal and unmanageable into a conceivable thing we can handle. Having many different languages yields many different ways of thinking, not just communicating, and we are impoverished for their death. This is a fascinating story about the experience of a deaf person who had no language until their 20's. It affected their thinking in an utterly profound fashion - not just their communication. http://www.radiolab.org/story/91725-words/ http://www.radiolab.org/story/91725-words/

by Drakim 9y ago

waqf 9y ago

What's the point in the world having more art, culture and mythos if it doesn't have more that's accessible to any single individual? The best way for each new cultural artifact to reach the most people is for it to be created in a language and culture that the most people share.

schoen 9y ago
This view seems harsh to me because it seems to treat languages and cultures as 100% interchangeable. I can imagine what you described as an extremely important factor for many people, but you seem to view it as the only possible factor. (I'm currently at a crossword puzzle tournament in a foreign language in a foreign country, when I could of course find many such tournaments in my own country... so I guess I've been spending the whole weekend enjoying an experience of appreciating a foreign language in a way that's in some tension with what you describe.)
Drakim 9y ago
Obviously it would be the best if it was accessible to everybody at all times, but that's not the case right now. And my argument is, just getting "rid" of all languages except one would also entail getting rid of a lot of the things you wish to preserve and share.
CalRobert 9y ago
Different languages yield different way of thinking about things. I might not have ever grokked functional programming with Python, even if it's doable, but in Javascript it made sense, and now even makes sense in Python. I didn't understand how to use "whom" in English until I learned (some) German, and I feel that I understand more nuance and subtlety in my own tongue as a result. Same goes for the (sadly nearly dead) subjunctive form. Language appears to be the tool we use not just to communicate, but to encode our thoughts. It gives us a way to wrangle the abstract from something ethereal and unmanageable into a conceivable thing we can handle. Having many different languages yields many different ways of thinking, not just communicating, and we are impoverished for their death. This is a fascinating story about the experience of a deaf person who had no language until their 20's. It affected their thinking in an utterly profound fashion - not just their communication. http://www.radiolab.org/story/91725-words/ http://www.radiolab.org/story/91725-words/