Vive les langues! or Why Preserving Arapaho Concerns You, Too.

I should probably start this post with a qualification: I'm a linguaphile. Language is my passion and I have every intention of learning as many as possible, no matter what my career choice ends up being.

The other day I found myself defending one of my core beliefs in this subject to my mom, who, while not necessarily averse to learning foreign language, brought up the point that languages serve as a barrier to understanding. She also didn't understand why I would be so interested in working to preserve endangered languages such as Hawaiian, certain Native American languages, and Celtic, because, as she put it, "Who cares?"

I realize that not everyone is as crazy about languages as I am, and not everyone can acquire them easily even if they wanted to (although I think desire to learn and ability to learn are strongly linked to each other--i.e., if you really want to learn it, you can). However, I came up with a metaphor to try to explain the importance of languages.

I asked my dad whether he would care if polar bears went extinct (which is, on another note, a distinct possibility in the near future). He said that he would, and I asked him why.

"Well, because they're magnificent creatures," was his response. I'm sure if given more time (or other promptings) he could have given a more detailed answer. But my point is this: that same sentiment should transfer over to preserving endangered languages. And even more so.

Languages are a window into another culture and when you lose a language, you lose all the meaning and beauty that came with it. Consider the example of the Bible. The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew, and the new in Greek. If you have a Bible, especially a study bible, open it to a random page. In all likelihood that page is covered in footnotes or sidenotes, generally dealing with a verse or word's context in the culture of the time, or more likely, the meaning of the word in the original language. It is a sad prospect for me that so much of the Bible's meaning is actually lost or watered down in translation. And the Bible isn't the only holy script written in a language that has its own context and eloquent meaning--think of Hindu texts in Sanskrit, or the Qu'ran.

The same happens if you translate English into another language. There are cultural nuances that are lost in translation that can have all sorts of impact on what you are reading--idioms, connotations of words, etc. Think of how difficult it is for you to understand what Shakespeare is trying to say--and he's speaking the same language you do! Language is so tied to culture that it evolves as we do, so the meaning of the words and phrases Shakespeare used has changed since the sixteenth century.

When you force a culture to learn a language that didn't evolve organically out of their way of life, you are destroying something beautiful and unique, saturated with the individual eloquence of that particular culture. The thought of losing the Native American language, culture, and perspective is sickening to me, and I strongly feel that more effort should be made to preserve their culture.

Here in the United States the point of view that English is somehow superior and that everyone living here should speak it in lieu of their native language is frighteningly ignorant to me. Even if language is not your passion, all human beings have a responsibility to understand and tolerate each other. From the point of view of someone raised speaking Czech, Czech is the language that makes the most sense and in which she can express herself best. The cultural and linguistic context of her language allows her to say things that don't translate into English, just as we can say things that don't translate into Czech. Such differences are what allows us to create art, express new ideas, and live in a beautiful, interesting and deep world.

If you are in interested in seeing this in action, take a look at my poem: Te Quiero: An Epic Love Poem in 20 Lines. I wrote it because I found that "Te Quiero" translates either to "I love you" or "I want you"--and there are even debates on the difference between "Te amo" and "Te quiero", which both would be translated in English to "I love you" but carry different meanings in Spanish.

And if you're still interested my perspective on this, read tonguetied.. It's essentially about all the meanings that can be crammed into words, and the search for a specific word.

Maybe this topic is only of interest to linguists and anthropologists--but my belief remains that it should be of interest to human beings. Language is not a barrier to understanding--it's a means of expression that has the potential for the most deep and poignant understanding possible.