"Language is the armory of the human mind..." --Coleridge

Language.

{via: an acomplished lady always knows how to express herself through writing. and yet another way to communicate through language}

I think that the structure and subtleties of language, any language, is fascinating. {obviously i'm wired to favor English since it is "mine"}

It is so strange, when you sit back and think:

-who decided the Spanish should roll the 'R' sound while the French hawk it?
-what is the deal with the English spelling of words {they're, their, there}?
-when did certain accents or phrases come into existence?
-where did the idea that people with a British-English accents are automatically smarter than the rest of the world come from?
-why are there literally dozens of languages in a single isolated area on the continent of Africa? and
-HOW in the world did we end up with all of these different languages anyways?---

i must confess my love of the English accent is what prompted this post {not as intellectually motivated as you might have supposed}:

“Hallo, Hallo? Oh yeah I can hear you now.”

-—now imagine a tall English guy saying this as he walks through the grocery store on his phone...this is my life. this is the reason i've been spurred to talk about my love of languages.


{via: college chaps discussing intellectual literary things i'm sure}

I have a degree in English Language and Literature--now before you start 'oohing' and 'awing' ;) let me confess that while i'm extremely proud of my degree it is focused on literature more than language--so while i love to talk about language my depth of knowledge only goes so far...

However my passion for language goes very deep--i tend to be one who is obsessed with words and how they can truly change the world--how the right amount of dedication, talent and wisdom can be filtered through a love of writing to produce something not only beautiful but also influential.

aside from the written word i also have a fondness for accents in general---i can do a pretty good French, British (Londoner), Spanish (Barcelona), Southern Belle, Southern Hick, and New Jersey accent--they've for sure been years in the making ;)

I love the life and the vivacity that words have when they pop out of a person's mouth in a different accent than what i'm used to...in general different accents or languages have this affect on me aesthetically, not only because of the sounds but because a language is a door into a person's culture, a window into the dealings and perspectives of the world this person's culture holds.

never thought of it that way huh? ;)


{via: British politicians discussing well politics...one of the ways language is used to influence and sometimes manipulate...}

so the next time you run into somebody with a different accent or someone who speaks a different language--let your mind wander to all of the history, power, beauty, and possibilities that lie behind the words they are speaking.

{via: another Parisian coffee talk--i love a good cup of coffee and a good friend to discus things such as language with :) and i just think this photograph is beautiful}

cheers,
scribbler