Hello, and welcome back to the Thoughts that Bind. If you’re new here, welcome! Today we’re talking about that juxtaposition between language and history, and what it has to do with us as modern people.
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that I am definitely pro-language learning as a concept. In fact, I would say I’m supportive of anyone who wants to learn pretty much any language (with the possible exception of fictional languages, I haven’t fully fleshed out my feelings about that). And I thought that was an educated stance.
Colonizer languages
Until recently, however. I’ve started to see a topic trending on social media where people are critical of the idea of learning what they call “colonizer languages”. A little time spent with the idea elucidated its meaning to me. Essentially, many are of the mindset that we should perhaps be wary of languages that come from those people groups that made it a habit of subjugating others, plundering their land, native language, culture and people.
I’ve seen a lot of discomfort expressed around the idea of speaking these languages due to their history of atrocities committed by the people who spoke them. Some also seem to be critical of others for wanting to learn them or avoidant to the idea of learning them themselves.
The perspective
I do understand the point of view to an extent. There’s this ever-present idea hanging in the background of the human psyche that you become what you surround yourself with. Not to mention the fact that language does have a way of making new connections in your brain, ie., changing it.
For many, the idea of learning a colonizer language is the same as choosing to create a mental and emotional link to a people who caused your people (or others) harm on a massive scale historically. Why would you want to link yourself to that?
And while I understand this perspective because it is true that language changes your perspective and your brain, I still think the stance is a bit misguided. Here’s why.
You (likely) already speak one
If you’re reading this in its original language (English), you already speak a colonizer language. And if you’re not reading this in its original language, you still probably already speak a colonizer language. Because of what the colonizers did, their languages became quite widely spoken. And if you do speak a colonizer language, you can attest to the fact that it hasn’t inherently made you want to go subjugate a large group of people (or more intellectually honestly join with others for the purpose of doing so).
While knowing another language changes your perspective on things, it doesn’t take away the perspective you already have. You won’t just suddenly stop feeling that what the Spaniards did throughout the Americas was bad just because you learn Spanish. The brain just doesn’t work that way.
You can’t rewrite history
The other thing I want to point out is that you will not change history by boycotting a language. This is obvious but I think sometimes the point gets lost in people’s ponderings about the rightness or wrongness of learning a language.
This idea that you are a part of what you participate in is true, I won’t argue with that. But that only works when we’re talking about things that are happening currently. Learning a colonizer language now is not the same as participating in the atrocities of the past, nor can you affect what has already happened by avoiding them. We can ask if learning a language is the same as perpetuating the harm that has already been done, but that is a much more nuanced question.
You can’t cherry-pick history
The reason it isn’t so straightforward is because history is a rich and complex subject. It is true that places in which colonizer languages have become the national language (or lingua Franca for that matter) have a long history with other languages that are native to the area. And that the popularization of these languages does make life more isolating for those who still speak only those languages that are native to the area. Or, if we want to think in terms of black and white, we might be tempted to call them the morally better languages to support.
But the history of a subjugated people has more in it than just this subjugation. And in the cases of many modern people who are part of historically subjugated people groups, there has been a lot of history and culturally significant moments since colonization. To shun these languages that now also carry their history because they once brought pain and blood and death doesn’t make sense either.
Think about your motivation
For those of you who want to learn a colonizer language but are concerned about the moral and ethical implications of this endeavor, I would encourage you to examine what your reasoning is for learning this language. I personally believe there are many valid motivations for learning practically any language. If this language will give you better employment opportunities, allow you to communicate with people in your life, connect with people of other cultures or even connect to your own, I think you have a legitimate case for wanting to learn a language.
And that was certainly not an exhaustive list either. The point is, there are many reasons to learn a language. If you have real reasons to learn one, you shouldn’t be daunted by the inaccurate idea that you are doing something wrong by wanting to do so. Not to mention that learning a language well is a lot of work, so if you don’t have good reasons to do so, you likely won’t succeed anyway.
Another clarifying perspective
That being said, I do think it’s important we take into account the smaller languages that are native to our country or heritage. While there is nothing inherently wrong with learning a colonizer language, that doesn’t mean that other languages should be getting overlooked.
Unfortunately, due to colonization and globalization, the many, many languages of the world are dying out. This is nothing new when we look at the grand scale of human history. Languages do change, evolve, and sometimes die out. But it is sad. It’s sad because with every language comes a unique way of viewing the world around you due to different expressions and grammar structures and ways of expressing yourself.
Keep it alive
When languages die out, so do perspectives. And if you’ve ever heard the phrase “it got lost in translation”, you can start to understand just how tragic that can be. There are some things that just don’t penetrate the perspective, even if you find someone who is patient enough to explain what that phrase or word means. They have to be lived. Not to mention that with languages dying out, you soon won’t be able to find that person to explain it.
The only true way to preserve a language is to keep it spoken. To live it. And through living a language, we keep it alive. This is one of the most beautiful and painful parts of languages. They are only alive as long as we keep them alive in our hearts. This is what makes the phrase “living language” so much more poetic than we ever really give thought to. These languages are prolific and nuanced and brimming with life. And although it happens, when they die, a little piece of us as humanity dies along with them.
Learn a language, or a few!
So learn a language, or a few. Learn a language to keep the lessons alive, to improve yourself or your own life. If you’re looking for the benefits of learning a language, check out this post here. But learn a language for a reason, and learn a language with vigor. Your human mind is capable of it, as incredible as it may seem.
Do you speak more than one language? Let us know about your language learning experiences in the comments below, and be sure to share this piece with someone else who may be struggling with their own language journey.
