In a world that seems to be getting more and more isolationist I see a more important
than ever need for individuals to learn language to truly connect with one another. Language is one of the great barriers to understanding people one is not familiar with as a whole human being. Their language is a unique way to understand how they think, and how they see the world. These Language Worlds are as complex as our own and should be treated with just as much care.
It is also important to realize that knowing a single language can limit one's ability to see certain avenues in life that other languages may offer. For instance when learning my first
foreign language I realized quickly that English speaking culture puts a level of shame on
feeling feelings that other languages do not. Now, while other groups within English cultures
have found ways to skirt this fact I do believe that there is something to be said that in the
dominant culture, such as these, allows one to explore aspects of themselves they did not know previously from the knowledge of their native language.
Finally language and culture will always be connected. There is a reason across the
world we see subjugated groups forced to learn languages that are not native to them. One
never truly understands a culture unless they know the language that is connected to it. The
same goes the other way, language does not make sense without a cultural context. It is in having this deep understanding of others that I truly believe we can solve most of the differences we seem so fixated on today.
Jacob Munday
(Guest Blogger)