Over the past few days I have been restudying a letter that I first read two months ago because each time I read it something new pops into my mind. The letter is from the world governing body of the Baha'is (for more information on the Baha'i Faith go to: http://www.bahai.org/) addressed to Baha'is around the globe. The letter talks about a positive culture that is developing in the community which "... promotes a way of thinking, studying and acting, in which all consider themselves as treading a common path of service...". It is my understanding that this common path of service has as its aim to bring about a change in society (also within the individual) that will lead to increasing unity and the well being of all mankind. So what does that have to do with the need for a universal language?
Well whilst discussing aspects of the letter and the attitude of service required, it dawned on me that without a framework of communication that had the same meanings attached to words for all people there could be room for confusion. The language that we use to express ourselves is by its very nature reflective of our environment, society and cultural norms that we live in. Mention words like "redistribution", "local", "conservative", "liberal", "empowerment", "globalisation" and depending on where we live or how we grew up or the philosophies we follow, we may each have a different understanding, which could either be positive or negative toward the word and its meaning. These words have become "social constructs" that carry their own unwritten meaning based on our context. Think about how that could potentially derail the message of the sender if they are not aware of how the receiver will interpret their choice of words. Words are in fact far more than just the simple thing they describe, they help us categorise, explain how we should interact with the thing they are describing and our attitude towards it. This has been a perennial source of anxiety for professional translators who not only need to know the language but the culture and context.
But of course isn't this diversity of understanding what also leads to the spark of creativity? Absolutely. Or it could lead to disunity and reduce the bonds of friendship. So it seems to me that there are in fact two aspects to a need for a universal language. One aspect is the attitude within which that language is used and interpreted and the second aspect is the common interpretation of the words. With nearly 15 different nuances to the word "snow" in the Yup'ik Eskimo language it does not seem likely or even wise to reduce them all to a single word as this would limit our understanding of the diversity of experiences nor does it seem possible to cross-reference every word in one language to another. Esperanto was an early attempt at creating an entirely new and potentially global language but was perhaps an idea before its time.
Perhaps it is within the context of "thinking, studying and acting" together that a global community slowly creates a common interpretation for words and phrases without losing any of the diversity because the diversity was integral to the process. Kind of like not putting the cart before the horse. And whilst we still have hundreds of different languages in the world with no common base of interpretation I am going to try to work on the attitude part and not make assumptions about what a person speaking a different language means for "love and unity come hard when ye fix your gaze on otherness".
PS. For those who enjoy words and their meanings, synonym, antonyms and idioms whether it be in English, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Chinese, Polish, Arabic or Turkish click on:
And if you didn't think words matter to your health, check out this out:
Pennsylvania State University researchers have found a "physiological marker" showing that words can have a significant impact on a person's health. Scientists have known for at least a decade that stress can cause a rise in proteins that have been linked to cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, arthritis and some cancers. But psychologist Jennifer Graham at Penn State reports that choosing words that reflect thoughtfulness, or rationality, or perhaps just caring, can reduce the increase in proteins, called cytokines, such as Interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. During stress, those proteins normally go up, thus impairing the immune system. (Source: abcnews. opinion by Lee Dye 18 Nov 2009)
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