Friday, February 07, 2014

Languages are rivers.. a metaphor

I love languages. I love how they flow, just a little bit different from each other.. I find English confusing and Punjabi intriguing.. Hindi soul nourishing and Gujarati fun, Deccani fantastic and Sanskrit impressive..

Languages are like rivers... they flow on, unmindful of the banks, the villages on the side. When they are polluted, ironically, the only people who suffer are the polluters. The river itself, continues on its journey. It is the same, and yet different every day.

Sometimes, they may change course suddenly. But usually, the change is slow, imperceptible. but certain. Then one day, someone picks up a map from a century ago and whoops out of surprise. Or, we pick up an old book and wonder if its the same language we are reading. It is not. The name is the same, the flow is similar. But its not the same river.


 

3 comments:

Onkar said...

Very true. Nice post

Gentle Breeze said...

The thoughts in whichever language they may be are equally important..
The rivers (languages) are basically means to reach the ocean (knowledge/contentment/social interaction)
How about Urdu? I find it really classy and has serene..what is the word for it "nafasat"

How do we know said...

Onkar sir: thank you!

Hi GB: that is a very nicely developed metaphor.. thank you! and yes, jo bafasat Urdu mein hai, vo kahin aur shayad nahi.. except perhaps in Persian.. :)