Connection and Conversation

297 words

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Honorable mention for Miami University's Humanities Department's essay contest "Why Language?"

 

Language and the ability to communicate unique thoughts and ideas is a purely human trait. No evidence has been found to suggest that animals understand or use language the way we do. Yet, all (approximately) 7,000 languages are related and interconnected, encouraging individuals from all over to converse with each other. So many words in English originated from others, but so many native-English speakers only know their mother tongue—or, they know enough of a foreign language to somewhat communicate with a four-year-old.

Once at Miami, I learned a language I had always wanted to know but never had time for: American Sign Language. I was taught both the language and surrounding culture; in the U.S., around 11 million people are either deaf or hard of hearing, and yet Deaf culture is much larger. It encompasses family members, friends, co-workers, and people like me who simply want to learn the language. However, so few people know sign language. So many deaf and hard-of-hearing people aren’t taught how to sign and instead have to learn to read lips or rely on a hearing aid. 

While learning another language can help with job prospects, especially if you become fluent in it, the human connection that one gains is more important to me. You can always use an online translator in a pinch, though it may not be accurate, for most spoken languages in the United States. This option doesn’t exist for any sign language, so they are instead forced to use their second language, the spoken/written version of their sign, to communicate. Such a large population of people are denied the most human aspect of life—conversation—simply because their language is so rarely taught. So, why language? To form bonds with people you otherwise never would have met.