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Sunday, June 17, 2018

What's In A Language?

A few days ago, I came across a short video narrated by comedian Tudor Owen. He was explaining the choices of keeping the Welsh name of a lake, or giving said lake an English name. He said Lake Australia had been suggested. Apparently an island on the lake is shaped like the continent. The reason for the change? The Welsh name is difficult to pronounce by folks not familiar with the Welsh language. That got me to thinking.
 
Just for a minute or two, let's go back in time to the days of one of Noah's (yes, THAT Noah) grandsons. Nimrod was considered to be a great hunter and leader. His goal was to keep the people close together, in direct violation of a previous mandate given to humans. As a result, his attempt to build a great tower was thwarted by the sudden introduction of many languages, and the people scattered to the ends of the earth.
 
From that day on, new cultures were established, with their customs and language. Over hundreds of years, changes came about, dialects appeared while some languages died off to be replaced by others. English has become the most prominent. Today, we get a sense of  history through the various communications, through food and art, architecture, as well as the spoken language.
 
In the mid 1940's, around the end of WWII, many Scottish parents refused to teach the younger generation their native language of Gaelic. The reason? They wanted their children to fit into British culture. Today, a group of Scots are doing everything they can to bring back the language. It's an important part of their heritage.
 
So what does all this have to do with Tudor Owen and his take on changing that lake's name? He gave a brief telling of the lake's Welsh name and the myth behind it. (The Welsh name means "grayhead".) Granted, the Welsh name is unpronounceable by English standards, (and the spelling is absolutely mind boggling) think of all that would be lost if that name were dropped in favor of "Australia" --no offense to our friends from down under. Once you start making little changes like that, you begin to chip away at the core of a culture. One chip at a time, one after another until you create irreparable damage to a way of living.
 
To my way of thinking, why not compromise?  Have a phonetic spelling below the name. Give visitors the opportunity to "taste" a language and the stories behind the words. Granted, it can't be done with all things, but it could go a long way in piquing a tourist's curiosity. Like water constantly dripping on a stone, frequent chipping away at our many cultures because someone doesn't understand something can seriously ruin our diversity.
 
Is compromise the answer or do we let it all fade to nothing? Something to think about.
 
 (The story of Nimrod can be found in the Bible book of Genesis 11:1-9)

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