Some people would think being smart means talking in big words about things nobody really understands. Of course, if one has learned enough SAT words from their SAT prep course with more than ten letters and is probably pronouncing them correctly (or, in some cases – like I sometimes do – use obsolete, long-dead words or their archaic pronunciation, pour l’amour de l’art (for the love of art), so to say, or, if this is indeed a linguistic troll/punk (as in the music and all, not necessarily the original meaning) – again, like I sometimes am – most likely doing this pour les fleurs de coucou (for no apparent reason). (more…)
This is not a new idea, nor is it new as compared to other posts I’ve made in this blog (here, or here for example) or in other places, but I never addressed this issue in its own blog post.
Romanian has an expression that can be literally translated in English as wooden language. I am not sure about the equivalent in English, but this wooden language represents the words, sentences and phrases used in official/professional environments in order to express standard ideas or qualities using key concepts (such as the “turning any obstacle into an opportunity”, or even professional jargon when talking about notion blocks inserted into every-day or official conversation.
This wooden language is very common. Even though it may take different forms, according to each context and political, social and/or religious situation, it can reach a point of crisis: when it’s emptied of its original – positive? – sense, like a fly is empty after the spider has feasted with its insides.
This type of language can be particularly dangerous when it’s repetition is pushed towards the subconscious. That is, when it’s more than just background noise, it is a message that is being transmitted on invisible waves. In any case, this becomes something like radio waves: we don’t see them, but we are perfectly aware of their existence and effect. In other words, the worst threat is the one that you don’t even know of.
One of the most common standardized wooden language (in the West, at least) is the one related to political correctness and with anything that deals with or contains the word “sustainable.” The expressions were created to replace other notions that are now considered rude or insulting (such as fat, short, skinny, etc.), but have already surpassed their original positive intention and have become utterly ridiculous. I am not saying political correctness is ridiculous, I am referring strictly to the terms used.
Human beings are a very interesting species. We like to think we’re individuals, but the things we are most proud is our association with external entities (from bands to companies) and our very original ideas were planted in our heads through different methods. Such methods include as diverse sources as: repetition in school lessons, commercials, movies, music. From this point on, the notions are somewhere we can’t see, but every time we are confronted with a situation similar or identical to our trigger, the bomb sets off out of nowhere.
So… Wooden or golden, language can be quite tricky, especially when trying to express something original, or when trying (and succeeding) to brainwash somebody by means of word-repetition.
We’re getting closer and closer to that dreaded 2012 Mayan Apocalypse and I see the world is not happy with fearing just that. Every day we hear about devastating storms, earthquakes (and subsequent tsunamis, as the Japanese tragedy still holds the headlines), various religious figures with more or less global authority and recognition terrify us with bleak promises, and so on. Why wouldn’t we be afraid?
Just yesterday I was watching (another) documentary about global warming and the disastrous results of glaciary meltdown. They all say we’re the main causes, we and our vibrant civilization. So they say… I just need to ask them one question? How bloody arrogant can humans be to think we’re the ones pulling the strings on our planet (not even to mention the whole universe!)? Yes, we may have put the process on “fast-forward”, but we’re not gods to click our fingers and *puff* global floods. I was reading about a new theory (which was proven right by further research) that the Black Sea began as a sweet-water lake and then, due to the ocean water-level rising, it was flooded with seawater, which produced a cataclysm of biblical proportions (some even move the location of Noah’s flood here)… So…
Every time the years change, especially when we come around a round digit (like 2000, for example – and I am sure everybody remembers the psychosis of the Millennium bug or however you want to call it), we fear the world’s going to end. Well, it did not end in 0, it did not end in 1000, and it definetely didn’t end in 2000. Then, some would ask, why would it be different for 2012?
Could the Mayans foresee the end of civilization? Well, possibly, they could. Fifty percent. The other fifty is for the impossibility. We don’t need no fancy equations to tell us things may or may not be true, as we don’t need elaborate statistics to prove that in 90% of the cases of one issue or another something happens. If the less likely thing happens to you, then, it’s 100%… Or 10, however you want to call it. It’s obvious that we’re not the only civilization with advanced astronomical knowledge. There were some others who could see far beyond the „Mysterious Beyond” and may or may not have calculated that the world would end (?) on one date or another.
Now, what does the end of the world actually mean? Is it Armageddon, the Apocalypse, a global catastrophe that will wipe out all life on Earth? And why would it only imply the Earth? The farther we advance beyond our predecessor’s horizons, the world (our planet? our solar system? our galaxy? the whole Universe?) becomes bigger and bigger by the minute and it doesn’t show any signs of proximity to the boundaries. We are being bombarded with theories, some self-proclaimed fantasies, even dilettantish junk that are pure Science Fiction (and not even the believable SF stuff!) but with the claim of rigorous scientific research. Out of the bulk, the real non-Hollywood theories seem bland or too difficult to understand for the common mind.
Nevertheless, the basics of every astronomical claim, be it religious or scientific, is that we’re all part of an enormous thing called the Universe that is true to itself and the pieces are being held apart by some sort of energy (God with all His names and shapes), some would call it a Superior Infinite Conscience. In any case, I’m not saying that we’re meaningless or powerless in the face of enormity, but that we are all small pieces of something (whatever it is) and our power is in ourselves, in each one of us and, ultimately, in all of us. Think of our bodies and the way they are built, think of sand storms, think of ants, think of water… The world is perfectly built and it’s got its innate rules and forms, we can’t change it or force ourselves upon it, it will only strike back with great force.
Coming back to the Apocalypse. It seems we’ve still got a Medieval imagination: everything has to blow up, to be completely destroyed with great fire-works and cutting-edge special effects. No doubt such cataclysms do happen, but still… Have you ever thought that The End of the World as we know it has already occurred? In fact, I think it happens every day, every second, or at least when something major (9/11?) happens, and, by Jove, there are a lot of crucial events in one’s life, not even talking about whole societies!
Maybe the end of the world has come, maybe it will come. Maybe we won’t even notice it. What the Mayans saw was maybe a more subtle (and, Lord, can we handle subtleties!) change: within ourselves, in the way we perceive things, in our priorities. It could be a religious crisis, maybe an economic crisis (!), it could be a war, a death, a birth or Virgin Mary appearing in the sky. Whatever happens, expensive special effects may or may not be necessary.
That’s what we have to learn: cut the speculations, do something for yourself and for the world. Because if the world’s end does come, how can you help preserve the memory of your life and culture? By talking about it? By writing long and complicated books speculating about what’s going to be? No! Do something for yourself, get out in the world and make the world a better place, whatever that means. As Ophelia might say, Cut the crap Hamlet, my biological clock is ticking, the Universe is also sending us a message. Maybe the Mayans realised that and thought they should forward the mail to us. Can we read it? Can we learn that lesson? Or will we become a myth, like Atlantis?
Ever since human beings have joined in social groups, eventually forming societies and cultures, information exchange has been a key element in every-day life and not only. The archetypal need of communication and the wide variety of languages and dialects may not always go hand in hand peacefully, but, especially in a global world as the one we live in now, the messages emission and decoding has even a greater impact.
There are major languages, minor languages, languages close to extinction and dead languages. Of course, somebody coming from an Anglo-Saxon or Latin (here I include any Romance language) background will find it easier to communicate in his/her native tongue, than a person from Hawaii or Iceland. In any case, even if more and more people speak such “official” languages as English, French, German or even Chinese, that does not mean all other languages (including mine!) are doomed.
I’ve learned from my past experiences that if you want to understand people from different cultures or regions than your own, you must understand their idiom– be it a version of a known language (pidgin, creole, regional dialects, jargon, etc.) or an unique language in itself, even if there is only a handful of people actually using it in daily life.
Therefore, language acquisition is important for those who truly want to understand how the world works and efficiently communicate with people who may or may not have access or knowledge of your speech and ways.
Below I listed five of many possibilities for you to acquire and/or improve your foreign language skills. Of course, they are no rules, one could work, they all could work. Please take whatever suits your personality, but at least try them all and share the results – if applicable.
1. Learn the basics. Of course, a very important step in learning a new language is understanding the basic grammar and vocabulary. It’s not very hard, and you can build the rest from there.
2. Learn about the culture. Read about the country (or countries) that particular language is used in, read something about their history. You can watch documentaries, movies, read books, online texts, anything that is not biased (we all know that the current political situation in many areas of the planet is not exactly peachy, so it’s best to learn from neutral, objective sources) or written with obvious marketing intentions. You can watch movies, TV shows, listen to the music of the culture, etc.
3. Watch movies without subtitles. Obviously, this could be really hard if you’re new to the language, but as soon as you’ve hit the intermediate level, leave the subtitles for the ones who don’t understand it at all! You’ll see in a few years that your understanding and language skills are much improved due to this effort to adapt to more difficult situations. This is very helpful especially if you intend to travel in that respective part of the world.
4. Listen to music. Get as much local (traditional or not) music and listen to it, maybe you’ll even find a new musical interest! Even though you’re not actively learning, you’ll subconsciously digest the information and you’ll pick up the melody of that particular language. You can learn accents, better your prononciation without even noticing it!
5. Interact with natives. If you cannot actually meet natives or speakers of that particular language you’re learning, then you can use the internet. There are various pen-pal sites that have special sections dedicated to language learning (like Interpals), you can write letters, e-mails, chat, etc. It all helps.
Remember, the best way to learn a language is to understand why it is the way it is, who are the people using it, how they use it and make connections with things that you already know.
