5 Things I learnt from learning a language…
“To formulate and express the contents of awareness, one has invented, and endlessly elaborated, those symbol-systems and implicit philosophies, which we call languages.” - Aldous Huxely
It is difficult. You can constantly question why, but it does not help, it just is. The rules of language are arbitrary ways to express meaning
To learn a language you have to learn how to learn a language. Including the following:
Opening your mind to accept different systems for categorising and labelling the world
Understanding that just because you feel foreign it does not change you. I would find myself afraid and holding on to English because that it is ALL i’ve ever known. Instead of fear I’ve come to realise learning a new language does not replace identity but expands it.
Many concepts are untranslatable. It sounds silly but that is why languages are different. They are complex webs of meaning which need to be understood completely and not as verbs and adjectives. If you looked at one strand of a spider’s web, would you realise what it is?
Learning a language allows you to understand and become part of a culture. Then you can see the world through different perspectives. It’s honestly like a superpower ✨
You realise in this process that your worldview is one singular perspective. It is such a surreal process hearing the French discuss Anglettere and the l’Anglais, hence it’s a great way to gain self (and cultural) awareness!
