Words about words

What can we share about words and languages?

I enjoy learning about the world-view of others through their language - especially looking at the implications of individual words.

Historical linguistics show our experience of the world over time; the minds of our ancestors revealed to us.

Cultural linguistics allow us to compare and contrast our views of the world with our brothers and sisters around the world.

My "eureka moment" in late elementary school: when seeing a loaf of bread on the kitchen table in my Virginia (US) home, I ask my Croatia-born father, "How do they say 'bread' in your village?" He: ""kruh." I: "But deep down, they know it's really 'bread,' don't they?" I remember that moment every day in my 20 years of teaching languages in high school...I remember that I once thought that every other language was "linguistic funny-money".... I remember and am patient with my students.

I visit that Croatian village with my dad when I am in high school, and learn how different the image and the implication of "bread" there: hot, crusty, chosen early in the morning from the baker, eaten up the same day. I remember to tell my students: you will learn the word; you must be open to how the speech you have learned potentially expresses experiences you have never had; be aware.

What is your experience?