Why English? How Language Shapes Thought and Emotion
Written by: Almeyra Lubris
Edited by: Thuth Htet San
If you are familiar with reflecting your thoughts on paper, have you ever paused to consider observing the language choice you chose? Have you noticed the patterns in between writing your emotions and thoughts in the language you grew up speaking in and the language you are pursuing?
For so many years, I have written numerous reflections about either simple occurrences or complicated circumstances in English. Because I thought, it could be rather awkward to write about the complexity of why I teared up over my burnt sandwich this morning or the joy in my dull cup of peppermint tea I drank every night before bed, in my native language.
I have never paid that much attention to how languages can shape the way we form thoughts or expressing our emotions. And the worst part of it was understanding that English can be surprisingly ill-equipped when it comes to self-expression due to its label as a “noun language”. Knowing well I spent all my pages written in that very language. In fact, my native language has more variants in description and expression, which I have always avoided to use.
To put it into perspective, I will give you an example. In English, we tend to say, “I am sad”, linguistically making ourselves as the noun in the sentence. However, in some other languages, it implies that we are not the mere emotion we feel. For instance, in Irish, “Tá brón orm” which translates to “Sadness is on me”. Making it a passing by emotion rather than a label that sticks with you. The same goes with Slavic “Je mi smutno” or Indonesian “Aku sedang sedih”. These languages are stating that emotions are temporary states affecting you, not defining you.
However, why do we mostly use English to express ourselves then? Why is it rather awkward to pour our emotions or thoughts in the language we mostly use growing up in? It all leads back to culture, as it usually does in many things.
Research shows that people from English-speaking individualistic cultures are typically more expressive when it comes to emotion than people from collectivist cultures. For instance, Mesquita (2001) argues that emotions in collectivist cultures are embedded in social relationships rather than individual expression, which helps explain reduced over emotional display. Cross-cultural studies also indicate that Americans feel more comfortable than their Japanese counterparts expressing negative emotions. Hence, cultural differences in emotional expression are primarily attributable to cultural norms.
“Your creativity is not a byproduct of the language… It’s a part of you.”
You can reflect back on times when you wanted to express vulnerability in your language, and it came unnatural instead of flowing effortlessly. You might think that you are more creative or more capable of explaining something complex when you are able to express it in English. However, the truth is, you have always been a creative person and a proficient communicator regardless of the language you chose to express it in. It is the culture that is tied tightly within those languages that might seem like a barrier to unlock the access to your self-expression.
Thus, although using English to express yourself is way easier, your relationship with other languages, especially your native language, is important to repair or maintain. As languages (regardless of many you could choose from) are tied to the way your thoughts are shaped. Therefore, it explains that the more connected you are to a language, the easier it is for you to show vulnerability, complexity, and depth.
References
Mesquita (2001) Mesquita, B. (2001). Emotions in collectivist and individualist contexts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(1), 68–74. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.80.1.68
Matsumoto (1990) – about cultural differences in emotional displayMatsumoto, D. (1990). Cultural similarities and differences in display rules. Motivation and Emotion, 14(3), 195–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00995569
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