The Language of Anything

I’ve been learning a language for over 60 years, well, at least I’m always willing to learn! I’ve heard it before that English must be one of the hardest languages to learn. Is a sentence hard to decipher? Is a paragraph an anomaly? Are the words always spelled the same in every occurrence? Do words even mean the same every time they are used?

And if I only “read” how do I ever learn to “pronounce”? Why do words that sound similar in pronunciation actually have the letters in different order of appearance…I’m thinking of Desperate and Separate.

Then, when we take a word from singular to plural, from present to past or future tense, there are changes that occur to make the word sound out the way it needs to sound, and it’s resultant meaning not change from the intent of the original. But there are also words that change the order of the letters to change from one phase to another. Fire and Fiery come to mind…

Consider the word “fret” – you know, where you talk about worrying over something, rather than the ridges used on a guitar neck, or the action of something corroding under the onslaught of another chemical or process. Did you know that “fret” often meant the act of eating by a small animal?

Is it any wonder that English can be a difficult language! For any of us! When I was younger our dictionary was two volumes of thick reading material…Today, it’s digital and found on my portable devices! Easily accessed from anywhere, and I make use of it all the time!

When studying an ancient and mostly unused language then we notice the same kind of changes. Take Greek for just a moment. Biblical Greek is not the same as Modern Greek. The language keeps growing, stretching and changing through the years – much like the Queen’s English and American English are different and take divergent paths. Words are spelled uniquely to the source of the main language. Consider the difference between QE Colour and AE Color. I suspect this is the norm for any language as the years’ progress. New words and new ways of saying things are required.

None of this even considers the regional difference of any language within the same grouping! The vocabulary of each region has words that no one else in the world uses! Did you know there’s a dictionary of Texas Slang?! Go ahead… Look it up in Amazon!

We are so connected to so many other languages. For the most part, I think, English has been the collection of a large portion of words from a multitude of languages, both modern and ancient. Their spellings, definitions, and usage has modified over the generations of users that require the words.

Sometimes words may be used as a noun to describe the substance of something, but speak of the action you see others doing then you can grasp the full breadth of the word! When you “see” love in action, then it does not matter what language you speak, you identify it as “love”!

As I think about language as a way of communicating, it comes to mind that language is also a description of how we talk about subjects. To be a scientist you must learn the language of science! This does not include only foreign words that you will recite as if it’s as common as your native tongue, but it also includes knowing a particular field of science enough to be able to converse with another scientist via a language of ideas and shared knowledge.

I have multiple friends and family who are specialists in their areas and can easily converse with other specialists from the same or similar field, while the rest of us only guess at what is being spoken about. Have you ever felt like the third wheel when two techies begin talking? Well. I’m a techie at heart and experience, but as my skills age and I’m not constantly working the field, even I can feel lost!

Here’s my thought today. We use language to express what we know to others. There is an assumption that the hearer understands the commonality of the phrases, words, and ideas because they should simply know! Right??!

The reality is that without comparing our framework with another we may only assume they should know when in reality they may be floundering.

When learning to teach a class, the format was the example to use to ensure the classroom learned the knowledge so they could use it in their careers.

• I’m going to tell you what you need to know.
• Then I’m going to tell you.
• And then I’m going to tell you what I told you.
• Then I’m going to ask you to tell me what I told you. (This may be in the form of a test, project, or classroom exercise.)

There is power of language where you learn from repetitive teaching, examples of application, and then enforcing what you know into practical application.

Let’s test this out. The wise man Solomon describes the use of the language to represent the extremes of our existence.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Solomon, Proverbs 18:21 NKJV

You may read into this what you want, but the power of knowing the words we speak (tongue), from whatever context you choose, has the power of exercising death and life to any hearer, or any situation. The words you speak can kill a dream, or foster a vision; build a bridge, or destroy a connection; express love and concern, or derision and belittlement.

Here are a few examples of the power of the tongue holding death and life in its hands.

• A police officer hollers out to the fleeing perpetrator, “Freeze!” and a person that does not understand the language, or the laws, or the authority figure that calls out, well, nothing flows the way either party expects them to happen.
• A doctor speaks of sarcoma and never uses the word tumor or cancer, then you may think the conversation revolves around taking a pill or getting some special treatment. When you are speaking on different levels, then one must “dumb down” and the other must “learn up”, else the expectation and understanding of the severity are missed.

The same is true to any profession! There is a language to carpenters that is uniquely different than to an electrician, or any other craftsman required to build a house! The architect has a unique language but comprehends all the other crafts to design a product that is simply waiting for a correct construction to occur.

Summary? Do not love the language, or the meaning of the words and ideas behind the thoughts, then you will know nothing. Go ahead. Touch those two copper wires!

Think about it a little deeper. If God or anyone attempting to communicate the principles of God’s word were to speak of Grace, Mercy, Peace, Holiness, Salvation, and Love, it should prompt a question to your mind:

“Do I know what these words mean and how it translates to me today?”

If you have no understanding of these words, then it means your comprehension is limited to only how you use these words in other areas of life. You need a foundation of the Language of God to understand and communicate. You may see the action of these words and not be able to grasp their identity in relation to the Language of God.

I guess what I’m saying, for communication to be effective, the lowest common denominator of what one knows and does not know must be reached so that a solution can be provided to fit the knowledge need.

For the next few weeks, I’m working on a separate (not desperate) presentation of the Language of God to share. You may call it a dictionary, or encyclopedia, but I want it to be experiential and understood at the very lowest level.

Care to help me? Feel free to comment as I communicate! Join me?