Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
The classic apocryphal example being the claim that Inuktitut and other extreme northern indigenous languages have multiple words for different kinds of snow.
But more seriously, once you become fluent in more than one language, you are more sensitized to how each one really has its own world-view.
Just thinking of the various words for woman: from the utilitarian frau in German to the soft powder-puff femme in French to the elegant dona in Italian to the macho-infused borderline rough word mujer in Spanish.
Consider that the word in Spanish for pregnant is embarazada.
In Italian the word for left is sinistra.
Gives you a little bit of insight into the ethos of the people who speak those languages, and of those who speak ours.
Language is not a neutral binary code.
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Language is culture in many respects.
The other day I was over at Ayreonaut's place drinking a few beer. He was watching football and kindly switched it over to Mrs. Brown's Boys between score checks for my benefit.
One of the characters said, "She's after having a close encounter of the willie kind." and Ayreonaut perked up: "She used Newfoundland past tense."
I hadn't even consciously noticed it happening.
That's a little bit of a culture clash, based solely and completely on language.
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