How the languages that we use shape our awareness

An umbrella will never look the same after reading this

If you only speak one language you should think about learning a second one.

It can impact any area of your life. A new world opens itself a new world you can communicate with.

To speak only one language is like perceiving only a part of reality. The words and phrases we use to describe the world around us shape our perception.

“A different language is a different vision of life.” Federico Fellini

Languages express the same things differently. To learn a new language means to accept this world view and to internalize it. It is like a new perspective, like another layer of reality that becomes visible to us.

Umbrella

Let’s take the word umbrella as an example. Rain has always prevented us from going outside. Or do you like going outside and getting soaked? At some point, a smart person invented a “hand-held portable canopy which opens and folds” and protects from rain.

But how to call it?

Umbrella itself doesn’t really tell you what it is. In Japanese, the kanji for umbrella is 傘 that looks like a tiny umbrella cute isn’t it? The word 傘 is pronounced as ‘kasa’ which sound like the Spanish casa (house) to me.

If you speak another European language, you would not see a depicted umbrella but maybe “un parapluie” as in French or ‘paraguas’ as in Spanish. The french one meaning stop-rain, the Spanish stop-waters.

Although the Spanish ‘paraguas’ could also describe a dam. In German, we say Regenschirm directly translated as a rain screen, or a screen that protects you from rain. These are quite different images more like a metaphor describing what it does.

Coming back to the umbrella. Did you ever wonder why it is called umbrella? Why don’t we say something purpose-related like rain blocker as in sun blocker or like rainscreen as in sunscreen?

When taking a look at the Italian equivalent there is ‘ombrello’, which is quite similar to umbrella. Why is that?

Both derive from Latin ‘umbella’ that describes a spot of shadow. ‘Umbella’ itself comes from the Latin ‘umbra’ a shadow or shade.

“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.” Rita Mae Brown

Languages can make you realise how cultures are interconnected. Trade relation, the social structure, cultural exchanges or even invasion become visible in language.

The more we learn the more we associate with the things around us

From ‘umbra’ I came to umbrage and that I associated with umbridge. All of the sudden looking at an umbrella led me thinking about Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter.

There it did not stop. Dolores itself means the pain in Spanish and derives from Latin meaning pain as well.

You could go on and track it all the way to it’s Proto- Indoeuropean roots.

This is just a small example of how foreign languages can make you understand your own language distinctly. The language that you used your entire life now looks different. Funny isn’t it?

Maybe when watching or reading Harry Potter the next time you will think about a painful umbrella?

If you now want to learn something new, how about trying another approach as descriped in this post:

This is my 6th post for the ILLUMINATION 30-day writing challenge by Dr Mehmet Yildiz described in this article.