June 7, 2004
Meet Bob, the Anglo-Saxon neophyte
New research suggests that mastering a number of languages may result in Multiple Personality Disorder. Or so.
In America, I should have a different name. Language has to do so much with identity that I deem it only fair that people call me Bill when I speak English. Or Bob. My problem is quite simple: I lack words. Only recently have I been exposed to the word vernacular
. That’s a bad sign.
It is, however, not the mere ignorance of words that plagues me - after all, the English language has far more words than German, so it would be a hopeless undertaking to even learn a somewhat significant fraction - but it is that I lack a connection with them. I know what they mean, yes, but it seems that my lens is always a bit foggy when I lean over to inspect the details of their semantic anatomy. I know experience
merely like I know my next door neighbor, or skill
like the clerk in my bank. And don’t even mention manager
; we’ve never met in person.
I communicate through acquaintances.
Not that this is entirely bad. You see, in my world of halfs
, semis
and pseudos
communicative rubbish just flies through me. Yes, I am able to hear it, but my brain doesn’t connect the dots to make me actually understand. Such oblivion has its benefits. For example, I don’t mind advertising any more. Especially car commercials on TV. By all accounts, these little 30-seconders should pose an intellectual insult to anyone outside of Texas. I, however, don’t care. I dutifully shake Super Sale
’s hand and bid it farewell without even knowing what the hell is going on.
A propos hell
. Operating with linguistic tools that just never seem to rightly fit your palm (or tongue, if you will) can be sociological disaster. German is a much more, let’s say, rustic language. The Germans like to have strong opinions, and they like to express them strongly. Here, that’s called cursing
.
I understand a fury in your words,
But not the words.
William Shakespeare
So, how closely are language and identity really connected? Does speaking another language than your mother tongue somehow alter your view of the things around you? Is language so important at all? I, for one, after several years in the US still feel a little impaired, compared to my German self. But then again, I could just be a whiner
.
I should watch more TV.
Posted by Chefredaktion at June 7, 2004 3:12 PM