In our most recent Redhawk Rant, we discussed cultural awareness. I don’t recall the exact definition, but it’s something along the lines of recognizing and understanding differences arising from people’s distinct backgrounds. Broken down like this, it’s quite easy to think that cultural awareness doesn’t pose that much of a challenge–after all, we’ve been trained in respect and kindness since we were kindergarteners. Ask any elementary school child in Frisco to tell you the “Golden Rule” and they’ll say “treat others how you want to be treated.”

Unfortunately, these lessons that we consider the most important, fundamental tenets of character and integrity don’t always carry on as we get older. I suppose that’s the reason why there are still people in our community who look down upon people that do not share their own life experiences. If I were to take the time to list out every bigoted act I’ve encountered either first-hand or in the media, this would be a full length novel instead of a weekly column article. However, I want to focus on a particular method of discrimination and the reason why it is so detrimental to our world.

Language.

Language is arguably one of the most important human inventions. About 7,097 languages are spoken in the world today, but half of the world’s population makes up only about 23 of them. The coolest thing about language, though, isn’t its rich diversity or its incredible variety of sounds; the thing about language that has always captivated me has been its unique ability to change the way we think.

Different languages convey different ways of looking at the same thing. For example, in English we do not inherently gender our nouns, but in different parts of the Indo-European language family, certain nouns carry specific genders. In German, the noun for bridge is brücke, a feminine noun, while the Spanish word for bridge is puente, a masculine noun.

Thus, if a Spanish speaker and a German speaker were to reflect on the same bridge, their descriptions would vary. Most likely, the Spanish speaker would reflect on the architectural integrity of the bridge, the amount of weight it can hold, its sturdiness and rigidity–all terms carrying a masculine connotation. On the other hand, the German speaker would probably comment on the bridge’s aesthetic value, the architecture, possibly even the style of art the architect was trying to emulate–these things carry an inherently feminine connotation. Both people looked at the same bridge, but if you were to base your own perceptions of the bridge solely upon the descriptions of either person, you’d feel like you were thinking of two completely different monuments.

That’s all well and good, of course, but these differences in language point to an even more interesting mindset change: the language you speak could determine your propensity to save money for the future.

A controversial study by behavioral economist, Keith Chen, at Yale University put this theory to test by measuring the amount of money people had saved up, and the only existing variable was the language they spoke. Chen found that people who spoke languages without a distinct future tense, like Chinese or German, were more likely to save money than people who spoke languages like English or Italian with a distinct future tense. The reasoning? Perhaps it is easier to prepare for the future when you don’t consider it much different from the present.  

It’s probably just my being a massive nerd, but that’s probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard. The fact that language not only differentiates the way we see things, but also changes the very way our minds work will never cease to amaze me. For this reason I can’t fathom why anyone would discriminate against people who speak different languages in the United States.

We’ve all heard the stories on TV or recounted back to us in a Twitter thread—or perhaps you’ve lived through it. And perhaps you’re one of the people who insist that American residents learn English, which does indeed have long term benefits for immigrants.  

But just think about the immense knowledge we have to gain from people who speak different languages, the different world views, the different ways of thinking! The possibilities are endless for us if we just take the time to educate ourselves on the importance of language diversity and embrace those whose words don’t sound exactly the same as ours.

We have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.