"Every language expresses a different world view"
When I first came across these views by Umberto Eco, I couldn't help but think that he's onto something here. I work with second or third language users of English on a daily basis and these views have confirmed my thoughts; the more that is understood about the world view or culture of the foreign language then the easier the language becomes. In other words as a former tutor once said to me "focus on the person [and that person's world] and the language will take care of itself."
Interesting thought. We're exposed to both Spanish (Hispanics) and Indian (Navajo and Pueblo) and we have friends in both cultures.
ReplyDeleteDan