Language and Diversity

One concept from the text that I found very interesting is the concept of language use. I found this concept interesting because language and the context in which it is used is in no way universal. The things that I might say to a friend or family member may not be considered appropriate or acceptable within another culture. I know from personal experience that the English language has many words that do not have a translated meaning. For instance a friend of mine grew up in South Africa and they speak Afrikaans as their primary language. This friend is also a co-worker that works with me at an elementary school, and she shares with her children an Afrikaans word of the day. I just discovered this week that there is no translation for the English work "both". I was telling this friend a story and they interrupted me to say "You know we don't have a word for "both", and I was just thinking how much longer it takes us (people who speak Afrikaans) to explain things to each other". It never really dawned on me until that moment that language is something that many people take for granted and that someone like my friend leads a challenged communication life. This friend grew up in South Africa and moved to the states when they were a teenager, and it breaks my heart everytime I hear them talk about how people treated them and how hard it was to learn the language and slang that people used once they were living and going to school here. I have had the privilege of being present when this friend talks to their parents on the phone in South Africa and I can honestly say that their language is beautiful, and being able to share the moment with them and get a small glimpse into their world is priceless. It also amazed me how much of the conversation I could follow through my friend's non verbal communication and how much respect I had gained for them just by realizing how difficult it must be to live and communicate everyday in English and still work so hard to retain their culture. Like many things in life are fragile and not to be taken lightly, and language from culture to culture and even generation to generation is one of these delicate things that need to be balanced in all facets of our lives.