Language and Northwestern

“Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.” – Benjamin Lee Whorf

The human experience has a meaning that both transcends and defies language, and yet it is most clearly defined by language. A description of events lacks meaning without the poetry of language; some say that the utility of language lacks the ability to describe the human experience in its full realities. Benjamin Lee Whorf holds that language is not just a tool for description, but in fact defines how one thinks. This to me rings of truth, because for my whole life I have been thinking in English, and even with my limited understanding of the French language I can see that to think in French would be an entirely different experience. For instance, instead of power being just a noun in French it is also a verb. What new meaning might this hold? What different thoughts might the French language enable one to think? How might I better understand foreign philosophy and literature by achieving fluency in that tongue? The idea that what language one speaks influences what one can think about has changed the way I think about language; language is no longer just a tool to me, but a gateway to new ideas and greater meaning. At Northwestern University I will be able to explore the meaning of language in the linguistics department with the variety of available research and study abroad opportunities.

Language is a gateway to new ideas on the simplest level because in speaking a foreign language one could speak to new people with different ideas. What language one speaks determines at least in part what one thinks about, according to Whorf. Accepting this axiom, by having fluency in only one language I am restricted to speaking only with people who share certain restrictions in their thinking. Only the English speaking body of knowledge would be open to me. I am simply too inquisitive to allow myself to be held to only that one body of knowledge, and so have set my sights on learning many languages. By learning these new languages I can converse with the native speakers, and open myself to their body of knowledge; I will be able to soak in their ideas and opinions and better understand their culture, history, and social climate. The study abroad opportunities at Northwestern will allow me to converse directly with native speakers, in countries from France to Italy to Japan. I will be able to participate in summer programs like the IES Arles Summer Program and the Padova Summer Program. These opportunities to communicate abroad will give me the opportunity to communicate with foreign people who have ideas foreign to the English language.

A greater understanding of language offers a greater understanding of life by opening a greater wealth of philosophies and ideas up for my understanding. It is often said of the Koran that in order to fully understand its meaning and beauty one must read it in Arabic. This seems true of most literature, as I have discovered in my reading of L’étranger by Albert Camus. The meaning of the text is comprehensible in English, but in French the text has greater depth. As the words are expressed exactly as the author intended, each phrase evokes exactly the cognitive reaction the author intended. This cannot be accomplished after translation because French grammar and vocabulary is different (as with the power verb) cannot be forced into English without losing some meaning. As well, any idioms used cannot be replicated in their exact meaning. This inconvenient truth about translation means that by understanding another language one can find new meaning in life- simply by virtue of the fact that more philosophies and thoughts might be apprehended as they were intended to be. Northwestern offers many research opportunities; some that work directly with professors in their initiatives, and others like the Language Music and Communication project. Of particular interest to me is working with professors like Brady Clark and Gregory Ward on their research about meaning in language. This opportunity to research the meaning in language will help me to understand why the same things said in different languages possess different meaning.

Comprehending multiple languages will allow me to think and communicate in new, more precise and profound ways. After I have spoken with people who speak foreign languages and learned from them, and read foreign philosophies and found new meaning, I will be better able to communicate these new ideas and meanings with a combination of my native tongue and the foreign tongues I have learned. I will no longer have to settle for English idioms and phrases that very nearly express my feelings, but be able to communicate exactly as I mean. The greater understanding of humanity that I achieve in my understanding of language will enable me to make more profound statements more precisely than I might with just knowledge of the English language and body of knowledge. This ability to express myself exactly will help me to be successful in Northwestern’s vibrant student community, where I hope to continue my philanthropic efforts in building libraries in Vietnam. Using my greater knowledge of language attained in the study abroad and research opportunities and Northwestern, I will be better able to convince people of the importance of my cause, and therefore have a greater impact on the world around me. In this way my understanding of language will not only help me, but also children in need.

Whorf has changed my views on life by opening my mind to the idea that language is not only a tool for expressing ideas, but also the basis for the ideas that one has. Wanting to understand the world as much as is possible, I have come to see that by understanding other languages I will be able to comprehend a vaster array of knowledge by speaking to people in their native tongue and reading philosophy and literature in the way that it is intended to be read. The greater understanding of humanity achieved in those two endeavors will allow me to communicate more precisely and profoundly my ideas, feelings, and meaning. The study abroad and research opportunities afforded to me at Northwestern will help me to achieve a greater apprehension of different meanings in language and why languages have different meanings, as well as give me the skills to better communicate my ideas exactly.