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after enough bourbon ...
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Philadelphia
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Sep 19th, 2009, 10:24 PM
Language
I was recently thinking about language.
When I hear the word, I usually equate it to English, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian. In that respect, I am monolingual - English witha smattering of French, nowhere near enough to achieve fluency.
About 10 years ago I was introduced to a scientist from Italy. He spoke virtually no English, so the admin showing him around was just introducing him quickly then moving him through the company. I started talking about chemical reactions that I was learning about in conjunction with the business when the admin rudely interrupted "He doesn't understand any of this!". He turned to her, and said "No, I understand!" We spent the next 2 hours talking chemistry, with no other language other than tone of voice or facial expressions.
In another instance, I had a close friend in high school who went on to study mathematics in college and later in grad school, where our paths crossed again. I chatted with him briefly about my work in grad school, and he chatted about his, and we agreed that we no longer understood one another. And it was true - the terminology and language we were using had no meaning for either of us.
It's not that I find this so unusual, but the specific experiences I've had have given me an appreciation of communication on a more visceral level.
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__________________
The fut ure is fu n,
The future is fair.
You may already have wo n!
You may alread y be there.
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