Idea 13: The wonder of languages
You are as many a person as languages you know.
Armenian proverb
Language is the principal means of personal communication, both in its oral and written forms. So it is worth reflecting on this marvellous human creation, the greatest legacy we owe to our forebears.
All languages have evolved to perform the same function, but they sound and look very different. Each is a key to an experience of the world, in many respects common to yours or mine. Thus we can more or less accurately translate one language into another, but each language also reflects a unique culture.
The practical implication is that if you want to communicate effectively in any language, your native one or an acquired language, you should appreciate ...
