I am writing to you in response of your essay, “The Language of Discretion”, an essay which I have found to be incredibly interesting and thought provoking. To be completely honest with you, I had never really considered the way in which language can come to impact and define an entire life or even an entire culture. This is to say, though, that perhaps language is not given more careful consideration with regards to its meaning because we so often take language itself for granted. Indeed, although some that are dedicated to the true significance of words and their meanings, it seems that language itself has become secondary to the quest to get our words out as soon as possible.
This disturbing trend can certainly be noticed simply by listening to any passing person dribbling words into a cell phone. Language itself has lost all beauty and power that once came with it. Even though I have not been there to personally witness it, I know in my heart that there was a period in time when words held so much power, so much influence, and what came out of a man’s mouth was something that was both worth saying and significant in it’s meaning. Today, we chop words into unrecognizable abbreviations, and we jam entire sentences together into nothing but a single breath. Among all of this, though, it seems that two main desire can be observed, either the quest to get as much information out in a short period of time, or the desire to say as little as possible in a much longer period.
I was very interested, and somewhat intrigued to learn from you that the Chinese language does not have a single word for “yes” or “no. However, upon reading your idea that language is the defining point for a culture, perhaps that speaks greatly about the thought and definition that goes into everyday Chinese life. Instead of having a simple, universal phrase that can effortlessly dismiss or accept ideas, it seems that the Chinese would much rather makes themselves very clear, and choose to embrace each situation on a constant basis, making no decisions without careful thought and consideration. Perhaps we could use some of this philosophy in America, where it seems that we are all too eager to just brush one another off, and the level of concern for others is often scarcely a matter of consideration.
I also read with great interest the way in which some seem to classify a culture solely by the language. I must also say that I agree completely with your statement that although language does in its own way come to define a society, it is ineffective and even somewhat ridiculous to think that all societies are, at heart, the same, and that language just represents different labels on some sort of universal template. Indeed, language is an incredibly potent part of a culture, but only in so far as that language represents the lifestyle and unique aspects that also form a culture.
I found your essay on the various forms of different languages to be a truly enjoyable read. Language may not be the most present thing on our minds, but it should definitely be one of the most important, and it was wonderful to encounter literature that reinforces this point.
