I came across a couple of posts on Hive that had the tag #30daybloggingchallenge. I liked the idea, and so this is my challenge.
I only speak English. I do know some Te Reo Maori but, it's only words, and I can't string a sentence. It's also the same for French, Spanish, and New Zealand Sign Language.
I used to learn NZSL, but a child and job changes got in the way. It's a shame because I love NZSL, it's a beautiful language.
When I was in High School - I believe the American equivalent is College - I taught myself to speak backwards. I did this to annoy my friends because that's the kind of friend I am. It worked, a bit too well if I'm honest.
I love the concept of language. I'm fascinated by how language is not just different words but completely different mindsets. This level of complexity is not seen anywhere in the animal kingdom. This complexity proves to me that evolution is pure bollocks. How can something not seen anywhere in the animal world come about over gradual change? The jump from different dialects to entirely new languages is far too big to happen via evolution. This has to imply an intermediary. Language simply defies Darwinian evolution. Darwin's theory says that it has to happen over small jumps and has to have a reason to exist. Language has no evolutionary benefit. And yet it exists. Therefore something else has to cause it.
But the concept of language is mind-blowing. Think about it. It's literally just air moving through a resonance chamber with varying pressure and then redirected by positioning the tongue. On its own that's incredible, but then someone's brain has to interpret the resulting sound into something that it can understand. But the brilliant thing is that that brain can be trained to understand what is being said.
Stop and think about that for a second. When you think about it, you have to conclude that language is far too complex to have just happened by chance.
But I also am enamoured with the idea that language changes. Language is fluid. People who get annoyed at how the younger generation butchers language are foolish. They forget that they did the same when they were young. Therefore the idea of a static language needing to be protected is a fool's errand. Our universality is a result of improved technology. Ultimately this changes how we speak as we come into contact with different languages. These languages are in themselves shaped by different cultures and lifestyles. As we learn about these cultures and lifestyles, we start to utilise their words. This, in turn, changes how we speak. Then, as we spread this information to our friends and family, it changes their language. Enough of these changes throughout society and the entire language gets modified. At first, there are complaints, then it becomes the norm.
This fascinates me. It's beautiful and dynamic and a lifeform in its own right.