There are some 7,000 languages spoken worldwide, each unique, using different sounds, vocabularies and structures. Charles the Great said: “To have a second language is to have a second soul.” This begs the question: Does the language we speak shape who we are? As it turns out, yes.
In societies such as the United States or Western Europe, self-expression and language precision are valued. Asian cultures, on the other hand, prefer an indirect form of communication. Words like “perhaps” and “maybe” are used more than “yes” or “no”. Americanism takes an informal approach to communication. Therefore, it’s OK to refer to a stranger or the boss as “you”. However, the Thai language has 12 forms of the same pronoun, choosing one depends on status. In this way, languages are essential in leading any culture, be that our own or otherwise.
People who speak different languages notice different things, depending on the constructs of their mother tongue. Take an accident. In English, it’s OK to say: “She broke the glass.” But in a language like Spanish, you’d probably go with: “The glass broke.” The same incident produces two different responses. English speakers will remember who’s at fault, because their language asks them to, while Spanish speakers are more likely to remember it was an accident. This has real consequences, especially when it comes to crime and punishment.
Professor Jim Cummins has written extensively on mother tongues. For Cummins, the stronger our home language, the easier it is for us to learn others. Of course, research also shows that being bilingual gives people many advantages in life. Linguist Julien Leyre writes that learning another language develops our ability to “understand the mental world of another person, based on the language they use, and how that world is different from our own.”
Our mother tongue is central to how we think, what we know and who we are. Like us, languages are living things that change over time and must be cared for to survive. By doing so, we protect not just the linguistic structures or vocabularies we use, but the culture, knowledge and power behind them.
【小题1】Why does the author mention “Americanism” and “the Thai language” in Paragraph 2?| A．To tell the cultural differences between them. |
| B．To indicate a language is a guide to a culture. |
| C．To stress American expressions are informal. |
| D．To reveal a language is associated with status. |
| A．They will seek blame. | B．They will punish others. |
| C．They will avoid responsibility. | D．They will draw a lesson from it. |
| A．They enjoy a more colorful life. | B．They can remain mentally healthy. |
| C．They find it easier to learn a language. | D．They can gain insight into others’ minds. |
| A．How do languages differ? | B．Will your language be extinct? |
| C．Why does our mother tongue matter? | D．Should we speak a second language? |
