There was a huge debate in class over a probable fallacy that de Saussure has made in his writing. It led us into a discussion about communication, such that despite various language barriers, two individuals are still able to communicate — in some ways. Non-verbal communication was mentioned, and I suggested the idea of a universal language that everyone knew of (no is negative, yes is positive). Perhaps this has to do with what de Saussure said: the words "no" and "yes" have the same significance in all languages.
But of course, the value of a term is "determined by its environment" (de Saussure 8). Language is definitely influenced by the culture we live in; Singaporeans use certain words from the Hokkien dialect that a passer-by in China probably wouldn't understand. It is evident that the environment and the culture we immerse ourselves in will affect our language and way of speaking, because while Singapore and Malaysia are simply a highway away from each other, our vocabulary is different. Similarly, Americans and Canadians apply different values to different words.
On Friday, my friends and I watched the men's soccer game, or as I tend to call it: a football game. I grew up in a British-educated environment, where oesophagus is spelt with an "o" and aluminium is pronounced "a-luh-mi-nee-um." After coming to the United States, I was told to switch from British English to American English, because the way in which I wrote had lesser value than the latter. I still use certain terms (bathroom and not washroom, football and not soccer, trolleys and not carts, lift and not elevator) everyday, only to receive a cocked eyebrow and a mocking British accent from people.
I don't care. Color will always be colour to me.
It never ceases to amaze me how much language can vary, even within a country or region. As someone who grew up in Ohio, I always made a point of saying “pop” rather than “soda” because that is what I grew up hearing. As you can imagine, anytime I use the term “pop” I am always met with jokes from whoever is around. Regardless, I will always say “pop.”
ReplyDeleteBeyond terms and phrases, I find it incredible to see the differences between languages/dialects from more urban versus rural areas. For example, if you asked a farmer from North Dakota to have a conversation with an aspiring rapper from Chicago, they would most likely have a very difficult time communicating with each other. As you quoted, the value of a term is "determined by its environment" (de Saussure 8), so it really does not matter that they both speak English because they speak two very different kinds of English due to the environments in which they learned to speak and/or currently live in. Aside from the accents, different regions can also develop different terms and phrases.
Below I have attached a Buzzfeed article that helps exemplify the extraordinary range of the English language within the United States:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/the-ultimate-regional-vocabulary-throwdown#.raAElLAgW
As someone who grew up learning British English, I am very curious as what is was like for you when you were initially exposed to American English.
It never ceases to amaze me how much language can vary, even within a country or region. As someone who grew up in Ohio, I always made a point of saying “pop” rather than “soda” because that is what I grew up hearing. As you can imagine, anytime I use the term “pop” I am always met with jokes from whoever is around. Regardless, I will always say “pop.”
ReplyDeleteBeyond terms and phrases, I find it incredible to see the differences between languages/dialects from more urban versus rural areas. For example, if you asked a farmer from North Dakota to have a conversation with an aspiring rapper from Chicago, they would most likely have a very difficult time communicating with each other. As you quoted, the value of a term is "determined by its environment" (de Saussure 8), so it really does not matter that they both speak English because they speak two very different kinds of English due to the environments in which they learned to speak and/or currently live in. Aside from the accents, different regions can also develop different terms and phrases.
Below I have attached a Buzzfeed article that helps exemplify the extraordinary range of the English language within the United States:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/the-ultimate-regional-vocabulary-throwdown#.raAElLAgW
As someone who grew up learning British English, I am very curious as what is was like for you when you were initially exposed to American English.