Alternate:Words

In their own words, originally uploaded by Thorsten Becker.

A few days ago I wrote a piece of prose reflecting on the harshness of winter and 'his' well meant intentions to literally freeze the beauty of the world as it flourishes under a feminine sun. A very brief but insightful comment stream ensued under Flickr with regards to my choice of gender for the sun. Despite having resided in an English speaking country for well over 7 years now I had never become aware of the fact that the sun is attributed masculine qualities here (and also in many other parts of the world) because in my native language, German, the sun is feminine (die Sonne) and is always portrayed as female. Winter on the other hand is male (der Winter; in German all seasons actually carry the male attribute) and in many of the stories I grew up reading, hearing and watching was often referred to as 'father winter', especially in Eastern European folklore. Though in Japanese folklore you will find Yuki-onna, the snow woman, a female character associated with winter (also see The Snow Queen as well as the White Witch).

Words and the way we use them are very intricately tied to our cultural heritage. This had become evident to me several years back when I was working as a proofreader for various texts translated from English to German. Many literal translations, while often grammatically correct, don't carry nearly the same emotional value as the original. The sense is intact but the meaning is lost. It made me aware that merely learning a language and acquiring an extensive vocabulary is not enough. In order to truly understand each other we must grasp the cultural meaning behind different words and phrases. That takes considerable time and effort and a constant exposure to different cultures, which is not too difficult to attain in our multi-cultural western societies. But are we inclined to do so? Consider that even within our own language there may be dramatic regional difference. Consider the term 'pot plant'. In British English this refers to a plant in a pot, in US English to a marijuana plant, two vastly different meanings that can quickly lead to misunderstandings (note that children in Germany learn British English in school).

A good percentage of the contempt in this world can be attributed to misinterpretation and misapplication of words due to a lack of cultural apprehension. We are often quick to assume something without sufficient validation. A lot of times a simple question, a request for further clarification will yield a much better understanding.

If you have any thoughts or comments as well as experiences please feel free to share them.

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