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Speaking a Second Language May Change How You See the World
sciencehabit writes: Where did the thief go? You might get a more accurate answer if you ask the question in German. How did she get away? Now you might want to switch to English. Speakers of the two languages put different emphasis on actions and their consequences, influencing the way they think about the world, according to a new study (abstract). The work also finds that bilinguals may get the best of both worldviews, as their thinking can be more flexible.
... weiß nichts von seiner eigenen."
That's a saying in German attributed to Goethe, which means, "he who can't speak another language knows nothing about his own."
And another proverb, either Czech or Tamil in origin (or even from the mouth of Charlemagne): "Mit jeder neu erlernten Sprache erwirbst du eine neue Seele" -- "every time you learn a new language, you get another soul."
Of course you are right, but I find interesting that something as obvious as this is posted on /. You know, the obvious is often hidden more and more these days.
As for second languages, I master 2 languages fluently. I learned the second one at 18 using total immersion language learning. It is a shame that I never took the time to learn a third, fourth and fifth one or more this way.
I recommend total immersion for those wanting to seriously learn another language, you will experience what the poster is talking about even more deeply ;-)
Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
A lot of Americans have some sort of awe for people who can speak two languages. My experience? Who cares! Speaking another language means...you can speak another language. It says nothing about your character, worldliness, sophistication, or other characteristics commonly attributed by Americans to bilingual people.
I used to interview people whose sole qualification for the job was that they could speak English. Well, what else have you got? Yeah, exactly. I have also seen the reverse, Americans who show up speaking the local language and expect to be employed immediately. Uh-huh, it doesn't work like that. You should hear the butthurt, too, these people spent years learning, planning on living the rest of their lives abroad, and they neglected to learn any marketable skills.
One of the worst pieces of human trash I ever met was a Swiss who spoke seven languages. You know what? Who cares! Language ability has absolutely nothing to do with what kind of person you are. It just means you can speak another language. Yay, I guess. A skill increasingly irrelevant as Google Translate marches on. In another 5-10 years there will be immediate simultaneous translation, and there will be even less need to learn other languages. This makes me sad because I myself spent an enormous amount of time studying, and GT will likely do a better job expressing my thoughts than I ever could with my old-fashioned biological brain.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
Can we turn this around and say, "ability to think in multiple perspectives is important to successfully learn a new language"? There are many for whom learning a second langauge is very difficult while some others pickup a new one easily. Would this theory explain that problem?
This isn't about studying different cultures. It's about the connection between the construction of a language and the effects of that construction on the mind.
Different languages with their different constructions appear to alter and guide certain aspects of thought.
Different languages with their different constructions appear to alter and guide certain aspects of thought.
That is not a new idea. I first heard "learn a language, gain a new soul" decades ago. I know four languages (English, Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese) with varying degrees of fluency, and it is very clear that different languages don't just have different ways of expressing things, but different world views. When people first learn a second language, they are often surprised that there are certain concepts that just can't be translated, because they don't exist in the other language's world view. Mandarin doesn't even have words for "yes" and "no". Japanese does have a "yes" and "no", but they really don't mean the same thing as the English words. Bill Clinton famously questioned what the meaning of "is" is. But that word really does have many nuances that don't exist in many other languages, and vice versa. Some Native American languages have two versions of "is" depending on whether you know what "is" by first hand knowledge, or whether you heard it from someone else. The lack of such a distinction in English is one of the many things that makes our language famously capable of vagueness and ambiguity. Perfect for politicians, and journalists.
That's true for the other way round, too. Coming from an area with many Schlösser und Burgen, calling all of them simply "castle" feels wrong.
And for every english student struggling with the 'th', there is a german learner trying to pronounce the 'ch'. :-)
bickerdyke
Speaking a language and understanding have different levels. I once was told these were the levels:
1) Using bad words and ordering beer (and food)
2) Explaining who you are and what you do. Simple conversation.
3) Reading a newspaper (as they are written for everybody to read)
4) Having a complex conversation
5) Understanding the language jokes
Obviously this is not set in stone, but I think it is a good indication on where you are.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
In Luxembourg, from the first years in school on, we learn french and german.
And additionally learn the local Luxembourgish.
Later, english is added.
So everybody is trilingual, but often from parents there are 1 or 2 other languages added.
And learning 5 languages as a kid is in fact no problem at all.
Atari rules... ermm... ruled.
It depends on the country though. French have a sense of global importance as the English or the Spanish. They reason "I can be understood at the largest parts of the world and don't NEED another language." and downvalue "languages which will dissapear anyhow" (literally out of the mouth of a French speaking Belgian.). I suspect this is rooted in the settlers past and colonies.
As a result, foreign media is dubbed and foreign words are translated. (Germans tend to do the same but are in my experience more linguistical open - that's why you have much "French rap music" but not really "German rap music". Come to think of it, there isn't much German music without them dressing up silly and getting drunk together.).
There is a shift in the younger generation, which is open for "English media and influences", but French natives are generally poor with English. In meetings there is often the agreement to "communicate in English" but it soon shifts to French as it's too slow and cumbersome or not everyone understands English well enough. While other nationalities have less problem understanding French. In meetings with Indians, Germans, Dutch, Luxembourg English is no problem. With soutern countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, ...) English is.. "a sort of reinterpretation"
The acceptance of foreign media seems an indicator for English languistic skill as children get "emersion" at a very young age while they get used reading subtitles. And at a later age find information online with a lower barrier to grasp these concepts. Also technical fields often have a closer relationship to English terminology which give a higher comprehension level.
I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1