Long Live Language

I’ve studied two dead languages and have at least moderate understanding of three or four live ones, English included. So when I stumbled across Paul Musgrave’s post via Ann Althouse, I was intrigued.

 One point he makes is that culture and language are interdependent. Language and culture are taught simultaneously. Where we have one, we have the other; but without one, the other is nearly completely lost.

 There are 15 Eskimo words for snow.

 There are dozens of ways to say kill/die in Latin.

 Every culture has priorities in its language, an abundance of words for one concept and a paucity for another. Spanish differentiates between temperature-hot and spicy-hot, English doesn’t. Language reflects values, experiences, traumas, and triumphs as much as any art or archaeological artifact. It is at once common to all humans and unique to every place and time. Musgrave makes some excellent points about this.

 I don’t particularly want to learn Eskimo, but I enjoy knowing that there are that many words for snow. How many different ways can Bedouins say sand? How many words for chocolate did the Mayans have?

 Sadly, the text of the article that set all this off is subscription only.

 Today’s word is hoosegow.