Monday, October 15, 2012

Opinion Column


Opinion Column 

The merging of different language in today’s culture is one of the most fascinating components of our global community. Every day I find myself speaking a mix of English and Urdu to communicate my thoughts and I believe it works very effectively. The reason why is because there are so many words in Urdu that we have grown up knowing that cannot possibly be said in English without saying a sentence to explain. This mix has made it easier for people that are not proficient in English or Urdu, to form a blend to use at their convenience.
Similarly this happens in many areas of the world. While learning French and German, I discovered that so many English words have been derived from these languages, or they share common Latin roots. Easily recognizable words like, “exactement” for “exactly” in French and “gut” for “good”  in German make it easier for us to comprehend certain words that can help decipher overall content. I have overheard conversations of the German students in our school who pitch in certain words in English for words that cannot be substituted, or vice versa.
Communication in a combination of more than one language with each other has made it easier for our cultures to diffuse. There is are components of English used throughout the world that are demonstrated in an article "A Language Without Limits" by Deena Kamel. It demonstrates that in different parts of the world, there are existing communities of different nations. A specific example is an Iraqi telecommunications sales representative in Scarborough who thinks in Arabic but speaks in English. Like the author Kamel presents that switching between two languages is creative and not incompetent, I find that it is also an inventive way to connect and convey ideas.

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