Language, a complex human construct, evolves through cultural exchange and technology. From primitive oral communication to the printing press, telecommunications, and the Internet, each advancement reshapes language. Unique contextual meanings and untranslatable words, like the Portuguese “saudade,” highlight its intricacies. Language reflects human creativity and connection, celebrating the rich diversity of communication in our globalized world.
Author: Lara Santos
Language is a complex system, based on words and rules created by man throughout time. It can convey not only literal meanings, but also emotions, making human interactions complex. Over the centuries, thanks to the development of technology, humans have become able to contact the whole world. This increased contact with other cultures and languages sparked a great change. As cultural exchange continues, language also gets altered in every way. This phenomenon can be seen throughout history: colonizers introduce their languages to their colonies, and wars shape the world’s borders and its populations, resulting in multiple completely different languages, with unique words that cannot always be translated, despite similar linguistic bases.
To start, it is important to jump back in time and understand how humans have managed to develop languages. In primitive times, language was based on quick and simple oral exchanges, instead of more structured ways of communicating. The most important aspect was that they were able to understand each other.
The most significant historical event regarding written language was the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century. It enabled exchange of knowledge, which is how intellectuals managed to share their ideologies with everyone. Furthermore, this innovation facilitated the spread of language and the cultivation of culture.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, telecommunications emerged; such as the telegraph, the telephone, and the radio. This allowed people to interact with one another, even those living in remote locations, while promoting linguistic diversity.
However, as we all know, it was the internet that had the biggest impact on the way humans communicate. The internet allows us to access all types of information from all over the world. Social platforms allow us to communicate with whomever we want within seconds. This has accelerated the evolution of language, as we now have more contact with other languages. Even “slang” words are becoming globalized. For example, the word “flex” is used as a synonym for “bragging”.
Considering the intricacy of languages, going from their vocabulary to their grammar, the most complex aspect is the different meanings hidden behind every word in every language. In the same language, a word can have a multitude of meanings. The word “run” in English is predicted to have approximately 645 meanings in the next Oxford English Dictionary (2037). This shows how difficult it can be to interpret a conversation, as one word can mean so many different things. Nevertheless, the context of the sentence and situation let us understand one another.
If a word can have different meanings in the same language, and this confuses us, considering all other languages, it becomes unimaginably complex. A word can mean something in one language, and, in another, the morphologically identical one can mean the complete opposite and be used in a completely different context. Let me use an example: in Portuguese and Spanish, the word “burro” is used to define a donkey, or alternatively, to call someone dumb. Meanwhile, in Italian, “burro” means butter. This is such a weird phenomenon; how even languages of Latin origin kept the same words, but applied completely different meanings to them.
To surprise you even more, did you know that some words are untranslatable? Some words are used in such an exact context that a complete translation cannot be found in other languages. Isn’t it shocking that this implies our communication, and thus also our thoughts, is limited by vocabulary?
Coming back to a bit of history, this is directly related to each country’s background and historical context. Events can, for example, create new words. And for this, I have the perfect illustration.
In Portuguese, there is this one word, which is the prettiest word, and cannot be translated into any other language. “Saudade”. Saudade means “the feeling of hurt, nostalgia, and incompleteness, caused by the absence, disappearance, distance or deprivation of people, times, places or things to which one was affectionately and happily linked, and which one would like to have present again” (this definition was found in a Portuguese dictionary). This word unifies and fills the Portuguese with pride. It is a feeling that was first cultivated when the explorers, like Vasco da Gama, departed from their territory to explore the world by sea. The sea has always had an important place in the Portuguese hearts, as it can remind you of the most beautiful memories you have, as well as the saddest ones. Throughout the years, the Portuguese continued to nourish this unique feeling, that every Portuguese knows of, especially emigrants who miss their home country and their loved ones.
In the great story of human existence, language is a fundamental aspect, as it is the representation of human intelligence, creativity, and connection. From basic oral communication to the digital world of communication, language has evolved in every imaginable way possible, including each country’s values and past. It can be intricate to talk to people, having different languages with different meanings. Nevertheless, it is what makes our world beautiful: its diversity. We must appreciate and admire that words can be used in so many contexts, and they are never used in the same way by two different people. Each one of us has our own understandings and interpretation of words, and we apply them in the contexts we believe are the most suited. And that is beautiful.