My grandpa used to carry around a Merriam-Webster’s Pocket Dictionary that I was always fascinated with as a child. Perhaps my affinity with words’ origin and refined diction stemmed from my avid reading sessions, where I immersed myself in the various definitions on every page. As I did so, a series of questions continuously picked at my mind: Who created all these words? Did people stand in a city hall council and decide on what specific words mean? Even if you did that, how would the first word even come to be? Wouldn’t defining the first word require other words to precede it?
Fast forward to two summers ago, I remember sitting on the sofa at my friend’s apartment. Even with the sweltering heat of June surrounding us, we were immersed in a conversation about art in all its glory and significance. My friend, who shares my love for linguistics, brought up a particular word: kala (कला). We talked about how the word meant several things and cannot be defined that easily due to its complexity. For example, while kala in Sanskrit refers to “charm,” the same word means “dream” (of those while sleeping and aspirations) or it could mean “artistic expression” such as dance or poetry. At the end of the day, this conversation had me thinking about how words take on a unique life of their own in every language, while being shaped by the culture and history of the people who speak them.
This intertwined relationship between language and the necessity of day-to-day lingo leads to fascinating differences across the world. For instance, within the Inuktitut language that’s spoken by the Inuit people, there are many words that refer to different types of snow and ice. On the other hand, languages spoken in more tropical climates, don’t have the necessity to develop such specific terminology. between language and necessity leads to fascinating differences across the globe. In some cultures, the natural environment plays a significant role in the words that develop. For example, the Inuktitut language, spoken by the Inuit people of the Arctic regions, famously contains many words for different types of snow and ice. In contrast, a language spoken in a tropical climate may not need such specific terminology. The culture and environment dictate the importance of certain things, and the language adapts accordingly. This phenomenon is properly defined by the term “linguistic relativity,” where the language we speak influences how we perceive and approach the world around us.
Furthermore, it is interesting to not that these linguistic nuances cannot always be translated into other languages. In English, we might say “charm” or “grace,” but neither of the two fully captures the cultural weight and depth of kala. It’s not just about the words themselves, but the feelings and histories they carry with them. As I reflect on my childhood fascination with dictionaries and my evolving interest in linguistics, I have come to appreciate and love how language acts as a cultural mirror for one’s values, environment, and necessities.
Truly, the beauty of language lies in the fact that it’s an art form that evolves with the human touch and experience.