To what degree might different languages shape in their speaker different concepts of themselves and the world? What are the implications of such differences for knowledge?
Knowing a language serves great value as to what kind of person you are, therefore language shapes your identity but does not entirely define who you are. Having to know a language gives you an aspect as to how your identify the world. Language has great power as to convey emotion and meaning. There are languages that has more powerful words or phrases than others, therefore has more emphasis through a specific text presented. For example, when a poem is written in Italian or Spanish and it is translated into English, it might not have the same meaning because Italian or Spanish is a romantic language which has constant and vowels that often emphasizes phrases or words, whereas English is standard and might not have the same emotion as Italian or Spanish.
Keasha, this would be benefited by some connection to personal, real life examples. What about your own identity and understanding of the world? Do you have experiences from your time in Africa that have created different understandings of yourself and your place in the world?
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