Aarav Saki (Week 11): Language Barriers
There is a well known origin myth found in the Bible known as the Tower of Babel. The story speaks of an Earth with humans once unified by a single language. In order to make a name for themselves, they sought to build a tower to the heavens. In response to their hubris, God permanently fragmented their language into the countless dialects we know today.
Whether you believe in that origin story or not, the story of the Tower of Babel raises interesting questions about what humanity could achieve if it spoke a single language. With one language for all people, there would be no room for miscommunication, right?
So then, why are there efforts to revive dead languages? Why do we teach foreign languages to students? If unifying under one language should be our goal, why do we seem to be running in the opposite direction?
The answer is simple—there is veritable power in the diversity of languages that exists on our planet. With each language comes not only a new mode of communication, but also the culture and history of the people who speak it.
We should seek to preserve languages because they carry memories of civilizations and customs that would have otherwise been lost to time.
We should seek to understand the power of different languages, because with each one comes a multitude of idioms, sayings, and phrases that can be used.
We should seek not to destroy languages, but rather the barriers that exist in between them.
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Hi Aarav, I read your blog, and I found your analysis on language barriers to be very interesting. Language is a tool that we humans use to communicate with one another, but it also carries cultural and historical significance. There is no “right” language in the world, only ones that are more conventional to use. Learning other languages can prove beneficial as it opens up another window of knowledge and understanding. Language barriers, therefore, should be appreciated rather than despised.
ReplyDeleteHi Aarav, languages have always been both fascinating and confusing to me at the same time; sometimes, languages leave me pondering on how it originated, and how human #1 was able to understand human #2 over a language that was created just recently. It's almost as fascinating as the concept that "math wasn't created, it's always been here;" it raises so many questions. How do we know it's correct?
ReplyDeleteHi Aarva,
ReplyDeleteYour blog brought up an interesting idea, as I have never heard of this myth. However, it raised some questions of my own. Is the power of a unifying language not greater than that of a multitude of them? I mean, if God had to go as far as to break apart the unification, that means that he fears the power the humans would achieve if they followed through with their plans. Do not get me wrong, diversity is important towards growth. It is the challenges we face that help humanity get stronger. However, if there was a universal language, racism would be less likely to appear and thus less crime and hatred. That would allow people to advance more quickly in some areas. So, do the pros of a universal language outweigh those of many, or is it vice versa?
I completely agree that it is better to preserve existing languages instead of replacing them with a single one. Plus, the Babel story poses the question of which language should be made universal if it came to that. Every nation obviously considers their own language superior, and I have no doubt that wars would be waged at some point in the decision making process. I find that studying other languages is equally humbling and eye opening. You are constantly reminded of how much you do not know and that a culture entirely different from yours can become accessible to you if you make an effort. These realizations would be lost forever if everybody spoke one language.
ReplyDeleteHi Aarav, I found the idea you brought up in your blog, that the barriers between languages should be destroyed but the diversity in languages should be preserved, very interesting. Language is more than just a tool used for communication. Behind it you can find history, culture, and much more. Learning new languages can help you understand the many perspectives and people in this world.
ReplyDeleteHi Aarav, I found your blog incredibly interesting. I think it would be interesting to have the entire world unified under one language, it would make communication a lot easier. On the other hand however, languages, like you said, are a representation of a lot more than communication. They are a reflection of culture and ideals and ideologies. The tower of Babel was an interesting story. I'm not sure what the lesson Babel was supposed to teach though.
ReplyDeleteHey Aarav, I feel like we should focus on unify the population with one language but also agree that holding on to older languages is important. I feel like keeping these languages we can learn from them and they also provide a good recollection into the past. The world held under one langue would definitely help diminish a lot of misinterpretations that happen often along with the language barriers we all face when meeting people that don't speak the same language as we do.
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