Language learning? or, cultural Insighting

Different languages, different cultures

In my opinion, the comprehension of a new language not only permit us to learn new forms of communication, it is also an opening to a new culture and traditions. Once you begin to get further in the language learning, you also begin  understanding other ways of thinking and customs, that are expressed by the way we communicate with each other. There are little things and details that if we pay a little more attention we can discover about the difference between our native expressions and the ones with the new language. Like the way we call other person in a particular situation, and one begin to discover that some things doesn't even have a literal translation in another language, but we do understand their meaning.

When we start to get a more closer look of expressions and colloquialisms, the language learning also bring  us a whole new world of cultural and social behaviors and even values. For example somebody who's learning Japanese from Spanish will notice a lot of different formalism that are not used in his native language, the same would happen from English to french or Japanese, and many other examples. All of that is only in general, without counting with the particularities and  colloquialisms for a singular country or population. An example of this could be also the Spanish in Latinamerica, there are a lot of difference in the way we express ourselves in Venezuela, and the way people express in Colombia, we understand each other but also are aware of the many differences in the way we refer to things or people.

I was learning French last year, at the French Alliance that was nearby my home at that time. A thing that was interesting was, as they are a representation of France, they not only teach you about languages the traditional way, instead they also explain you the reason of many expressions and the cultural differences that are implied in the language. Adding to that, the capability of the teachers, who are all great, and the different resources and interactive activities, made it an amazing way to learn a new language. You get to feel more interested and more amazed every time, and you begin to understand why there are those differences in the way they talk or communicate with the world. 

The difference on the formation of any language by the historical context, makes it impossible to learn well a new language, without taking care of the social and cultural aspects, that gives the language form and structure. If we take that aspect for granted, we won't be able to communicate with each other in a proper way, and even understand a lot of things that need a cultural immersion, to provide the actual importance of what is communicated.

Because of this, I believe that the learning of new languages and also to be able to have foreign teachers and interchange courses , is something that helps to achieve a better global perception for different cultures and regions, and create bridges between cultures otherwise isolated with each other.

I also believe this kind of experiences, not only helps individuals, but a proper integration between distant regions and a more healthy globalization in general, diminishing the shock created by the different cultures, and providing more tools for integration and comprehension of one and other.

Particularly, I would like to live those experiences, and use them to grow more as a more understanding human being, not only to others, but also taking in count that sometimes understanding other cultures, you are also more able to understand yours.

Well this was my humble opinion on that matter. The next post should be more interesting....