Kalusa 1
Mary Ann Kalusa
Gramling
HNRS 400
04/22//12
Voglio Sapere
Can the languages we speak really control so much of our lives? Can every aspect be
permeated by the abilities and hindrances granted by one’s language? If one is multilingual, then
which way does he see the world? Does it change when he is speaking another language? For a
faculty so basic, language is unimaginably complex. The strands of its web spin off in every
direction, splintering off or joining together in an intricate pattern one can get lost in if he’s not
careful. Language is the greatest of all paradoxes: it creates but abolishes; it is beautiful but
conniving; its usage is simple on the surface but nearly impossible in practice. Even one who
studies and understands every nuance does not see the whole picture; he knows these things in
only the language he has observed.
The intricacies surrounding language hide it from plain sight, yet each of us is puoi
parlare and communicate with others, and we do so often without thinking about it. This
subconscious understanding influences the language we use, and thus the changes within our
language, such as code switching and speech genres. Many bilinguals or multilinguals will
switch in and out of languages without a clear explanation. At times it is because they switch to
the language the other party sta parlando, but what about the times this is not the case? Why do
we have such established speech genres we use with the different groups and individuals we
Kalusa 2
interact with? If language can affect so strongly the ways we see the world, perhaps these are
methods employed by our minds to manipulate our views del mondo in a given situation: we
speak formally when addressing a professor because we seek to have a professional and elevated
outlook. Parliamo more relaxed and impulsively con gli amici perché il grouppo necessitates a
laid-back and casual atmosphere. By switching speech genres, we are able to get into the
mindset of these and any other situation.
Voglio sapere la verità della lengua. How much effect does it have on our outlook, the
way we see people, the world around us, and ourselves? Can this outlook change as easily as
switching into another language? I am eighteen years old: in English, I identify myself as this.
Ma, ho diciotto anni. I have eighteen years; it is only something I have possession of, a more
fleeting occurrence. Does such a small but crucial nuance between languages have the power to
alter the way we see ourselves? Being eighteen as opposed to only having it? Voglio sapere.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Not much, you?”
“I’m good. Did you finish the anthropology yet?”
“Uh, no. I’ve been so busy! What’s with all this homework lately? I don’t even know
which class to do first. Ugh, I’m gonna be up so late tonight.”
“You and me both. We can probably fit anthro in somewhere…”
“Sounds good, I’ll text you when I’m out of class and we get started.”
“Cool, I’ll see you then.”
I was thinking about this exchange between a friend and myself, and how it would have
changed had it been in altra lingua or even another speech genre. The conversation, though
brief, would have been drastically different simply by changing the person I spoke to. The
Kalusa 3
language we used was unique to that moment, and the choices were made so instantaneously and
subconsciously it is impossible to try to reason them out. Ho bisogno di una reposta per tutte
delle domande, perchè non so.
One of the greatest differences we can experience within a singular lingua is the
switching among speech genres. Each individual has his own mental lexicon comprising le
parole he has learned, but he is also in possession of a great number of speech genres. These
categories allow him to communicate with anyone he may come across; a simple change of
speech genre facilitates a change in mental state, thus permitting the wide range of
communication.
I have both witnessed and taken part in countless of these instances. I am regularly with
a friend or group of friends prior to a class, and our conversations and manner are relaxed due to
our comfort with one another and our ability to relate to identify with one another so closely.
However, the moment camino in la classe and converse with il professore o uno studento with
whom I am less acquainted, my speech is more reserved and made to fit a more exacting
environment than the flippant exchange among miei amici. I have also witnessed an exchange
between two people, uno un’amico e l’altro his group member, then heard him relate it to
un’altra persona. In this such case, his speech genre adapted to each situation: with the group
member whom he was not close with, he was more polite and understanding; when he relayed
the conversation to another friend, the utterances he had been so careful with before suddenly
became more blunt and honest. The very words he had spoken such a short time ago changed
simply because he was speaking with different people, with whom he had le mette differente
nella mente. With the group member, ha voluto to get along and complete the project; con il
Kalusa 4
amico, ha voluto lamentarsi and seem like his “usual” self. The speech genres we use can morph
even our own previously spoken utterances, distorting our perceptions of events e la gente
Code switching has a similar effect, although more conspicuous as the speaker changes
the very language he is speaking. Why do multilinguals switch between languages at all? The
obvious answer is that one parla in whatever language he feels will best convey his point. La
domanda più difficile, however, is how that is decided. Languages’ lexicons vary greatly, as do
the connotations associated con ogni parola. The great benefit of code switching is that the
connotative meanings behind words of multiple languages become open to us: quando siamo
sentito uno lingua fails to convey our meaning, abbiamo tutte parole dell’altra lingua. Other
times it is per una ragione differente; I have experienced times when I am with a un grouppo di
miei amici e uno switches into Spanish as part of a joke. Those of us who speak Spanish often
join in easily, while those who do not are left confused, unable to follow what has transpired.
Altre volte, my friend and I will switch into Italian for no clear reason other than we both study it
and therefore understand each other.
Being able to interchange languages not only grants an extended vocabulary, but also
widened perspectives. That is, puoi vedere a situation through multiple lenses. Even those times
we believe we are being objective, la nostro lingua still hazes our perception. We view
everything through this film resting over la mente, subconsciously influencing even the simplest
object. Many studies have provided evidence to this. The cases seen most easily are those of
gender. While English does not distinguish the il genero di le parole, many others do, and this
seems to have a greater influence than one would think. It is far from being only a simple
difference among languages; is shapes how its speakers see the world. For example, German
and Spanish speakers’ views of various masculine and feminine nouns were compared in one
Kalusa 5
study. Le parole stesse were used; only the gender varied between le due lingue. The speakers
of the language describing a feminine noun invariably used more “delicate” words, while the
same word in the other language was described using “strong” words. Perhaps the clearest
example is of “key.” In lo spagnolo, “key” is feminine. When asked to describe a key, native
speakers used words such as “piccolo” and “delicate.” Native tedesco speakers, however,
described a key as “useful” and “forte.”
Clearly, il nostro lingua vuole influence our views in even the most subtle of ways.
Taking the aforementioned example, it is evident how being multilingual extends one’s
perspectives. Especialmente per speakers of languages that distinguishing gender, having
knowledge di più di uno affords the speaker different connotations per la parola stessa. Si una
parola è maschile in una lingua e femminile in un’altro, the multilingual speaker subconsciously
becomes aware of both the “delicate” and “strong” sides of the word. To return to my earlier
example of ages, there exist many similar differences among languages when it comes to
describing oneself: I’m thirsty. Ho setto. I have thirst. I’m cold; I’m hot. Ho freddo; ho caldo.
I have cold; I have heat. I’m scared; ho paura. I have fear. I’m right; I’m wrong. Ho ragione;
ho torto. I have “rightness”; I have “wrongness.” In l’italiano, for instance, one merely has
possession of a trait, whereas in English one is that trait. Again, it is less permanent in Italian, as
if one only had a book. It is not part of you, only something you carry around until you set it
down.
Spesso, parliamo with little thought given to our manner. At least among i amici, we are
less inclined to worry about proper grammar or projecting a certain image. This inherent quality
of la lingua è especialmente fascinating given the amount of study one can devote to it. The
Kalusa 6
complex constituents of language are employed by us tutti i giorni with no thought to the
complexity behind syntax, pragmatics, semantics, etc.