wolfy
awsm
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2008
- Messages
- 12,251
I am interested in how language effects our picture of the world and thinking process and what people think about the idea that some languges are better in saying certain things.
I'm a native English speaker and am fluent in Japanese.
It's hard to say whether the cultures dominant psychology affects the language or vice versa.
An expert in Japanese was once talking about how the Japanese language is thought to be vague.
He commented that it is not the language itself which is vague because Japanese can be used in the most strict of settings in science. It is the people and the general culture which causes people to use the language in a vague way.
In some ways Japanese is more alive than English. Words change, new words become popular and fade away.
I would say the language is very social with the community agreeing on what is the in word. While another part remains stable and traditional.
Lots of phrases are built into the language to express the interdependence between people.
Using Japanese has changed my psychology in that way. I am more aware of interdependence between people.
About what Nolla said. I'm the same way when I translate.
I think it's like driving a car. When you first learn you're very conscious of the mechanics of driving and you could explain it pretty well.
But then you become better and you are no longer thinking about the way to drive only where to go in the car so you have a hard time explaining it.
How does it go?
1 Unconscious Incompetence
2 Conscious Incompetence
3 Conscious Competence
4 Unconscious Competence