Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
In this episode, Dani discusses language, both their personal journey with languages and how language shapes our worldviews.
For links & recommendations, see full episode notes.
Dani is honest and refreshing in her takes on the world and society. Listen as she explains how she’s come to understand the world through kindness, both towards ourselves and everything else.
[0:00] Hey, buds! This is a different introduction than usual. We’re going with it for now, uhhhh…well this is Understanding Kindness. I’m Dani. I talk about stuff I’ve learned from People and share how it’s impacted my Life. Basically we’re just trynna ask questions and get to know ourselves and the world. You know, if I can do it, you can do it, we can do it together, or whatever. Welcome to Understanding Kindness.
[0:35] Hey there friends and first-time listeners, you can also be friends too if you want! Today I’d like to talk about language. I may have mentioned before that I’ve been learning quite a few different languages over the past year or so. Obviously I am no expert in any language, especially not these that I’ve begun learning more recently. I mostly want to discuss how language can shape our worldview. As I have the most experience with English, I’ll be talking about that the most with some context coming from the other languages I’m learning. I’m very curious to see how this one goes, so let’s hop in!
[1:13] For today’s Native segment I want to highlight a post that Indigenous Action recently put out. It’s titled, “Tending Sacred Fires: Make Colonizers Afraid Again - Part 3”. In the post, the author writes about how we can see the breadcrumbs of the crumbling colonial state. Colonizers and white supremacists are terrified that they’re losing power because they see the cultural awakening that is taking place and understand that if People get hip to the structures that oppress them, they will likely be upset about it and do everything they can to tear it down, stripping colonizers and white supremacists of their power over the oppressed.
[1:49] The author also addresses the liberal side of the equation as well, noting that liberals resign their energies to their elected representatives who will ultimately do anything to keep “America” and themselves in power. They also shout reform from the rooftops which benefits no one but the oppressors because reforming a system that has always been steeped in colonial power structures will just lead to reformed colonial power structures, and ultimately the death of Indigenous existence.
[2:19] In response to these colonizers, anti-colonial antagonists form structures that create environments where more questions are asked than answers given. Within these environments it is known that the only way forward is to replace the colonial power structures with autonomous Indigenous mutuality, something the colonizers are terrified of because they do not understand it because it cannot be controlled. The whole theme of colonial power structures is control and introducing autonomous Indigenous mutuality really fucks with the colonizers’ understanding of how the whole world works.
[2:52] If there is no way to control People or society, how can you have power over them? This is the colonizers’ dilemma and why they are so terrified of People beginning to understand this concept. Luckily for us anti-colonial antagonists, Indigenous histories are full and teach how to resist colonization. We can learn from them, we must learn from them if we ever want to be free from colonialism and white supremacy, and make colonizers afraid again. To read this beautiful post for yourself, check out the link in the episode notes.
[3:24] Yoooo, it’s time for my Patrons! Thank you both so so much. You have my deepest gratitude!
If you’d like to support the show, visit our patreon for monthly donations or our paypal for one-time and recurring donations. They’ll be links for both in the episode notes.
[3:45] Alrighty, languages. Let’s go over my little history with language to provide some context for what I’ll be discussing. So, English is my first language and it was the only language I ever knew until I started seventh grade, at which point I began taking Spanish classes in school. I took a total of six full years of Spanish throughout my schooling and honestly I could not hold a conversation. I knew lots of vocabulary and some conjugations into past tense, but I would’ve been pretty lost if I tried actually talking to someone. I wasn’t in situations where I would actually use it, and I also didn’t push myself to be in those situations. It wasn’t until I began dating Jorge that I actually put all that education on the language into practice, at least 10 years after I’d started learning.
[4:33] I was pushed very far out of my comfort zone when Jorge and I first started dating as he introduced me to his mother, who primarily speaks Spanish. Jorge introduced us and told his mom that I spoke Spanish and we just went from there. It was a very uncomfortable experience, but it was also a huge learning and growing step for me. I was never someone who told People I spoke Spanish, mostly so I wouldn’t have to be uncomfortable, but to be pushed out of my comfort zone like that was actually life-changing now that I think on it. And all because someone just wanted to speak with me and get to know me.
[5:10] Since then I try more and more everyday to speak Spanish and have conversations in Spanish to keep learning and keep it fresh in my mind. To help with that, I also use the duolingo app. That has been a wonderful tool for me to keep up with Spanish, and these other languages that I’ve begun learning.
[5:28] At first I thought that I’d have to get through the entire Spanish course on duolingo before starting any other language course on the app. Well let me tell ya, the Spanish course is one of the most popular so they’re constantly adding to it and it is ever-growing; I don’t know if I’ll ever get through it all. Then I read Braiding Sweetgrass and learned about how the Potawatomi language is endangered and felt that I could help bring it back to Life by simply learning and speaking it. So, that’s what I started doing. Unfortunately, the language is so endangered and so few People speak it that it is not offered on duolingo, so I turned to youtube to find some Potawatomi language-learning videos.
[6:05] There isn’t a huge wealth of information on that site for the Potawatomi language, but it was definitely a great place to start. I began learning, both from the videos and from Braiding Sweetgrass how the language functions, which is very different from both English and Spanish (two Latin languages, admittedly). I’ll get into this a little more in a bit.
[6:25] Once I had begun learning Potawatomi on youtube and I was chugging along doing Spanish on duolingo and in my everyday Life, I saw something on the duolingo app that caught my eye. It was a loading screen that mentioned they offer endangered languages like Navajo and Hawaiian. I felt that as a colonizer on Turtle Island I had a duty to help speak Life into these languages as well. I began those language courses immediately. I can’t say if the Native languages of Turtle Island have the same or similar roots, but there was definitely a difference between them and the two Latin languages I had already known (again, I’ll get to this more in just a bit).
[7:02] So I had begun learning three different languages on duolingo and one language on youtube to round out my language-learning to four total that I was juggling in my mind. Surprisingly enough, the jump from learning one new language to learning four new languages was starkly different. I found that since I only had one language for context initially (English), trying to move around sentence structures and pronunciations and tenses in my head to try to get across what I wanted to say in a new language (Spanish) was very difficult. Once I had broken down that English was the “correct” way to structure things by having to use another language, taking on a few more languages wasn’t actually that difficult at all. I’d say the most difficult part of language-learning is getting over that hump of understanding that other languages say things in different ways and the meaning of what’s being said is the important part, not the direct translation.
[7:56] Adding three more languages on top of that, kind of all at the same time, wasn’t actually overwhelming then, it was fun! And I was learning so much! So, after a while I even decided to start learning Italian on duolingo. I have Italian ancestry and had always wanted to learn, but, again, thought I had to complete the Spanish course before starting anything new. Now that I had thrown that idea out the window and was loving all this learning, I decided why not add another language to the mix?! And now, I’ve remained steady at five languages that I’m currently learning, though I don’t think you ever really finish learning anything so maybe it’s six all together, and this has seemed to be a good balance for me.
[8:38] Alright, now that that little Dani history lesson is over, I want to get down to the real topic for today. Let’s discuss how different languages shape our worldview. Now, as I mentioned before I actually only have context for Latin and Native languages of Turtle Island (which I’m not even sure have any ties to each other, though they do share some things in common, I’ve noticed). Let’s just keep this in mind while I talk today, and know that there are probably so many other types of worldviews that are available that even these languages don’t allow for.
[9:10] Let’s start with gender, since it’s a topic I’ve discussed recently on the show. Latin languages are pretty famous for gendering almost everything. English is kind of an exception, but that’s because of it’s unique views on Human Animal’s relation to everything else, though there is definitely gendering in English. In Spanish and Italian, “objects”, meaning any noun that is not a Human, are assigned genders, either masculine or feminine. In Spanish the articles la and las are used for feminine words and el and los for masculine words. Italian uses la and le for feminine and il, i, and gli for masculine. Every noun is assigned one of two genders in these languages, implying that everything in the world is one of two genders, there are no other options outside of masculine and feminine descriptors.
[10:03] Sidenote: There is some very cool stuff going on around ungendering language in Spanish. There is an episode of Gender Reveal (episode 72 with Vico Ortiz) where they talk about using a gender-neutral -e suffix to the ends of words and using le instead of el or la. I’ll link it so you can check it out if you’d like to see how languages other than English are evolving to be more inclusive.
[10:25] English, on the other hand, doesn’t gender objects like Spanish and Italian, but it does gender [adjectives] and how we talk about People, just in a slightly different way. English uses she and her to refer to women and he/him to refer to men with, until recently, no way to identify otherwise. It’s even gendered descriptive words like beautiful and handsome. Perhaps these adjectives aren’t exclusively gendered by the use of articles like la or il, but the meaning and function of the language implies that these words are gendered and to be used only for specific People.
[11:00] Now, the difference between these Latin-based languages and some of the Native Turtle Island languages here that I’ve noticed is that some Native languages don’t use gendered language when referring to People. I have noticed exceptions and use of gendered language, though I cannot say if this is a result of being colonized and adopting the colonizers’ ways or not. However, from what I’ve learned so far, in Potawatomi you could use the gender-neutral pronoun of win, and in Hawaiian, ‘o ia. These both just refer to a third Person, there is no specification on their gender. So you can kind of see that if there isn’t even a way to talk about someone else in a gendered way without consulting them, the concept of gendering someone based simply on their appearance isn’t even thought of.
[11:45] This is not to say that gender doesn’t exist in Native languages. Though I cannot speak for all, I have found that in the ones I’m learning there are still different words for mother and father rather than just a gender-neutral word like parent; genders just function differently in these Native languages, which presents a different worldview. For instance, in the Potawatomi culture, Water is feminine and there are many links between Women and Water. In many Native Turtle Island languages, there are very little nouns as well; most things that English would call nouns are actually verbs. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer talks about how a Tree isn’t a Tree in Potawatomi, a Tree is a Being and the word for Tree literally means to be a Tree. This understanding of the world around us implies that one cannot be something without acting as such. Let’s think about how that view could shape how we are in the world.
[12:42] If the language we use to understand and talk about the world tells us that one must act in a specific way to be a specific way, how does that change how we are in the world? Well, a Human Animal cannot be a Tree or a Beaver or the Wind because we cannot do what Trees, or Beavers, or the Wind does. We can gain lessons from them, we can be like them, but we cannot and will not be them. If we cannot just say we are something or someone else because we want to be like them, how do we do that? Well, I think it means we’d have to actually do the things instead of just saying we’re xyz.
[13:22] How would this function in relation to something like an ally? In the English language and with how it functions, anyone can just say they’re anything and that’s that. The words do not imply that you must do the actions to be the thing. So, anyone can call themselves an ally and essentially the word holds no meaning because there isn’t any action implied with it. An ally is just a noun and nouns are objects, they’re labels. But what if the word for ally did imply action? What if there was no way to be an ally without doing the things allies do? Allies don’t just call themselves allies and that’s that. Allies defend those who they’re allies with, they stand in solidarity with those who they’re allies with, they are accomplices, tearing down the structures of oppression that harm those who they’re allies with. It’s quite interesting how we have to get to the actions of being an ally in a roundabout way because of how the English language works.
[14:19] Let’s take a look at a phrase like I’m sorry. Recently, I’ve begun holding myself back from apologizing. I don’t want to tell People “I’m sorry” anymore…I want to be sorry. By this I mean, if I feel sorry for something I’ve done, I want to commit to not doing that thing anymore instead of just saying meaningless words that make me feel appeased for doing something that caused harm. There’s also a very big culture around conditioning Women and anyone who’s AFAB to say “I’m sorry” for pretty much just existing in the so-called US that I’d very much like to uncondition myself from. So, couple those desires together and instead of saying sorry so much, I’ve found myself thinking more about what I’m saying or doing so as not to cause the harm that I was “sorry” for. It may seem weird or shocking at first, not to apologize for something you’ve done, but I can tell you from experience that so far that People usually prefer you just don’t do the thing again instead of feeling absolved from your behavior because you said two words.
[15:23] A similar word that I’ve tried to strike from my vocabulary is please. I’ve found this one to be a filler word that implies there is an unkind way to ask for things. If we have language that implies there is a kind way to ask for things and an unkind way to ask for them, it just breeds ways to ask for things unkindly. And again, using the word please can then just be tagged onto anything to absolve one from actually asking for something in a kind way. Removing the additive please from my vocabulary has made me think more about how I’m asking for something and how it comes across from the other Person’s point of view. It also offers more opportunity for me to be grateful for someone else. I’d rather express my gratitude to someone either with words or actions, than just add a filler word to my sentences to make me feel like I’m being kind. People appreciate appreciation.
[16:15] English, and Latin languages in general, are rich in nouns and labels, making everything separate from us Human Animals; they’re very Human-centric languages. Native Turtle Island languages tend to be relational, they indicate our relationships to other Beings and to our Mother Earth. Humans are not at the center of the languages and their functions. Can you see these stark differences in worldview here? I’m not in any way an expert in any language, especially Native languages and the closest I’d get is maybe English, but from my basic understandings of these few languages I’ve been learning it’s quite clear how they shape how one sees the world, and views their place in the world.
[16:59] I cannot change the English language altogether right away. I’ve learned to change how I relate to our world though. Broadening my mind and my repertoire of understandings of the world by learning new languages has allowed me to do this. In little ways I’ve changed how I speak and how I write. I think more about it. You may have noticed last episode that I referred to Water as “her” and “she”. I’ve learned from some of the Native cultures around me and what they believe about Water and adopted that into my language and understanding of Water as her own Being. If you’re someone who reads my writing or the transcripts for these episodes, you may have noticed that I capitalize Beings’ names. These are slight ways that I am taking control of how I interact with and understand the world, despite the colonized way my mind thinks because of the language I was taught as a child.
[17:48] I am not saying that any language or worldview is correct. I’m simply discussing things I’ve noticed since starting to learn new languages from different areas of the world. I’m trying to learn from People different from myself because I’ve found that the culture I’ve been brought up in isn’t satisfying to me. Though English is one of the most spoken languages worldwide, I feel a sense of disconnection. Instead of feeling camaraderie with all those who speak my Native tongue, I feel separate from where I’m from, from our Earth. Learning other languages, especially Native Turtle Island languages has allowed me to see that there are ways to connect with our Mother Earth by having a completely different worldview, and that worldview can be and is expressed in our language. How we speak indicates what we believe about ourselves and the world, and I believe more than what the English language is able to offer.
[18:40] I believe that all other Beings interact with us on a personal level. I don’t just mean other non-Human Animals; I mean everyone: Trees, Water, Soil, Plants, our Mother Earth. Every living Being is connected with us and I make a point to acknowledge that connection now. I talk to Trees, thanking them for the shade they provide on a hot, sunny day; I talk to Moss, thanking them for making the ground beneath my feet so soft; I talk to Sun, thanking him for shining and giving us warmth and vitamin D. I don’t like talking to them in English though. Something I’ve learned from many Indigenous cultures is that they don’t understand English, they only understand Native tongues because they, too, are Native. Not only have I learned this from others, but I’ve felt this. I’ve spoken to Trees and Moss and Sun in English and in various Native tongues and I’ve felt the difference. Though, speaking Hawaiian while living near the Great Lakes isn’t exactly Native, I still feel more connection than with English. And I believe they appreciate it more.
[19:47] Of course, I am not fluent in any language except English so I often do speak to other Beings in English. I still believe they appreciate the acknowledgement, and I know they appreciate when I try to communicate in Native languages. Whether I speak to them in English or Italian or Potawatomi, it’s simply the fact that I’m speaking to them that truly matters, though. They want to feel that connection again too. It’s all about connection and how it feels to feel connected to something and someone outside of and bigger than yourself. We’re all part of this massive journey called Life and it helps each of us when we actually acknowledge that.
[20:23:] If it weren’t for my entire journey up to this point in language learning I don’t know where I’d be or how I would’ve gotten to this understanding of our world. Being able to break down the colonized constructs of thought in my mind that I had been learning from the moment I was born has been an interesting and necessary journey. The few examples I’ve talked about today are just some of the ways I’ve begun reconstructing my thinking, and my actions. I find that once I start on journeys like this one, the flood gates open and it leads to so much more breaking down and reconstructing and learning and growing.
[20:58] Learning about the Native cultures of the Land I’m occupying and the surrounding areas has allowed me to find this connection that I’d been struggling to find for my whole Life. I am incredibly grateful to and in awe of all Natives, especially the Potawatomi, Navajo, and Hawaiian Peoples for keeping their cultures alive amidst ongoing colonization and genocide. It’s terrifying for me to think about completely losing these worldviews and connection with our Mother Earth, and it makes me incredibly grateful to each Indigenous Community for keeping themselves and their cultures alive. I feel even more inclined, indebted really, to speak these languages into Life and learn about what these cultures have to teach me so we can revive the connections with our Mother Earth and the Universe.
[21:42] In my experience, learning new languages opened entire new pathways for me to learn about the world, and about myself. I see myself on this planet in a completely different way than I did just one year ago when I began learning some Native languages, and I’m so much happier for it! My thinking has changed, my actions have changed, who I am has changed. It’s been an incredibly beautiful and life-transforming experience and it never would’ve started if I hadn’t taken a leap and began learning other languages.
[22:14] Hello! We’re onto our recommendations now. I talked about “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This book opened my eyes to so much and started my journey of learning Native languages. It’s a beautiful read that I’d recommend to anyone, really.
[22:34] I mentioned an episode of Gender Reveal earlier, episode 72 with Vico Ortiz to be specific. In that episode they discuss how they’re shifting their Spanish to be gender inclusive and their experience with having to rewire how their brain thinks about these things. Definitely one to check out for some cool language stuff.
[22:53] Then there’s our Native segment recommendation: “Tending Sacred Fires: Make Colonizers Afraid Again - Part 3”. This is a glorious post discussing the far-right and liberal fear of losing power as anti-colonial antagonists push towards autonomous Indigenous mutuality.
I’ll link all of these in the episode notes.
[23:13] If you enjoyed this episode, help support the podcast! All this content is free and I’d love to make it my job one day, so if you’re financially able join our patreon or send a one-time or recurring donation through paypal! You can also share an episode with family or friends, and give UK a kind rating and review!
Check out UnderstandingKindness.com for all episodes, transcripts, and blog posts. And why not take a listen to my other podcast, Better When Awkward, co-hosted by my childhood best friend Jasmine!
Get in touch with me by emailing UnderstandingKindness@protonmail.com, or through social media. You can find all links in the episode notes.
For now, be kind, be compassionate, be understanding, and question everything. I’ll be here. Thank you for listening to this episode of Understanding Kindness. [End transcript]