Language: One Way to Access the Occurring

You are a Master of the words you don't say and a Slave to the ones you do.

- Anonymous

As evidenced by our interaction with media, more than one way of obtaining information--as it occurs--exists. In other words, the "news" can be accessed by television, articles online, the latest iPhone app, word of mouth or even being an eyewitness. I began thinking... 

Recalling that "access to the occurring is through language or not at all," I referred back to the example of media. Seeing that there are many paths leading to the information we seek, there must also be many paths leading to the conversations we seek. These are my observations and questions:

In what ways can language be embodied? 

Language can be embodied. If embodiment is defined as the manifestation of an idea or concept, and we consider language an idea or concept, then it is clear that language has been embodied in characters, words, sign language, facial expressions, eye gestures, and overall body language. 

Upon expanding on this understanding of language, are there not multiple ways of accessing the occurring? It all depends on which language we decide to speak.  

What possibilities arise from replacing "language" with "communication" to gain access to the occurring?

This past summer, as I made my way through Iraq, I realized how challenging traveling can be when lacking the most essential of tools--language. While I have crossed many a border before, this time, I became aware of being in a surrounding where I was lost. Without the compass of language to navigate me, I found myself at the beckoning of a small Sorani phrase book, not exhaustive by any means. Sorani is the language of the Kurds who live in Northern Iraq and surrounding regions (Turkey, Iran). It is a blend between Persian, Arabic and the native Kurdish language which, over centuries, has lost its authenticity.

In failing to penetrate through the language barrier, I found ways to manage to communicate. Although I relied on the phrase book for the essential tools (numbers, directions for the cab), I wanted to find alternative ways to access the occurring. Simply by making eye contact with the hoards of men on the streets at night, I communicated. I communicated by smiling or attempting not to smile! With the store clerks who noticed I was a single female in her early twenties, I communicated. There were so many manifestations of language occurring without my realizing it. They all spoke to me without having a word spoken. 

In language, what role do idioms play in gaining access to the occurring? to culture? to people? 

One of my Turkish students, to whom I taught English, asked me a question. "How many languages do you speak?" she inquired. I responded to her that English was my native language, that I could hold a conversation in Spanish, Turkish and Urdu and that I grew up reading and writing Arabic. I was barely given a chance to qualify my language abilities in each of these respective languages before she exclaimed, "So that makes you five people." I was confused. Five people? Okay...

She explained to me that there was an idiom in Turkish. The idiom states that for every language a person knows, he becomes that many people. Think about it. If you know one language, you know how to communicate to a certain group of people. If you know two, you can communicate to two groups of people. With sign language, for example, you can communicate with the deaf. With brail, the blind. In essence, the languages we know allow us to connect with people from all backgrounds. 

I realized the power of this idiom later on. In seeking insight to the origins of this idiom, I realized that idioms themselves are a way to understand people, to communicate. In English and in American culture, the beauty of our richness in diversity stems partly from the mesh of cultures that have each brought their own idioms into our daily interactions. Looking into the origins of common English idioms today will certainly reveal a number of foreign origins. So, idioms are the keys to gaining access to a culture and people in ways that other tools simply cannot unlock.

Where does language limit and inhibit; in contrary, where does it expand?

I recall one moment during Fall retreat in which it was mentioned that words in different languages can have direct connotations and sometimes multiple translations. As Keith mentioned, the Eskimo tradition has five words for the term "ice." As I mentioned, too, there are several translations of any Classical Arabic term. There is a certain benefit to knowing the connotations of words and even knowing the cognates. For example, the term "bio" comes from "life" in Latin. In English, the words "biography" and "biology" extend from this. Thus, in knowing the origins of language through cognates or connotations, language can expand our understanding of the knowledge we have. The origins also provide context--for instance, the timing of word coinage indicates an aspect of society relevant to the issues of that time (case in point: the word "freak" is explained in this article). In failing to seek these origins, we limit and inhibit the rich, robust dynamic that enhances our understanding of the occurring. 

Here is a relevant excerpt from a book I am reading entitled "Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart" by Hamza Yusuf:

One of the extraordinary aspects of the modern era is that we are discovering aspects of the heart unknown in previous times, although there were remarkable insights in ancient traditions. For instance, according to traditional Chinese medicine, the heart houses what is known as shen, which is spirit. The Chinese characters for thinking, thought, love, the intention to listen, and virtue all contain the ideogram for the heart.

What is my favorite method of accessing the occurring? Metaphors.

Religion is indeed the opiate of the believers.

Faith is the pain-numbing narcotic of the soul from the divine Healer that enables a fallen humanity to endure the trials and tribulations of life on earth.

Life is a divine surgery on the soul that removes the cancer of desire from our hearts, and faith enables us to suffer the procedure peacefully.

— Hamza Yusuf, Islamic Scholar

Metaphors are the translation of language. What seems impossible to communicate becomes possible by selecting words that impose familiar characteristics onto the foreign. This is an effective method of communication. If you have ever been in a situation in which you felt inept to understand what was going on, you know that there is power in metaphors. These are situations in which harnessing the power of a metaphor allows for access to the occurring. For example, whenever I go to the mechanic, I am given a detailed explanation of what is wrong with my car. While I know little to nothing about technical terms relating to vehicles, I do know a fair amount about the human body. Realizing this, the mechanic effectively communicates the problems with my car by likening it to the human body. He translates mechanical language into biological language, which is the one I understand. As is showcased in the poem above, metaphors are a powerful method of accessing the occurring.