You vs. you

I guess I never really focused on how language affects the way we interact with each other. Obviously, different languages make it harder for us to communicate with each other, but I didn’t realize the language plays such a significant role to cultures and perceptions of people. In one of our discussions in class, we spoke about the differences between foreign languages. Languages are not only structurally different, there is also an etiquette to some as well. We have to be culturally aware of our speech.

It is important to understand the significance of using language to address people. Contrary to English, in many different languages there is a formal and informal form of speech. In English, if I ask a professor, “how are you doing today” it is no different than if I ask my little sister the same question. I will still say to my little sister, “how are you?” Even though the professor is a figure of authority and my little sister clearly is not, I used the word “you” to address both of them. In Russian, and many other foreign languages, there is a formal way to address your superiors. I made the mistake of answering my Russian professor’s question of, “kak dela (how are you doing)” with “harasho, a ti (good, and you).” What I should have said was “harasho, a vi (the formal version of good, and you). I was firmly reprimanded for my mistake. Due to this incident, I was scared to address anyone in Russian for fear that I would mistakenly refer to them in the wrong case.

Even though English doesn’t have a clearly defined case between formal and informal language, we do have certain ways in which we address different people. For instance, if I am greeting my friends I might in a playful way say, “what up, yo.” I wouldn’t necessarily address my mother in the same way, and I certainly wouldn’t address my employer in that manner. It is important in every conversation, no matter who we are speaking with, to always be respectful and culturally sensitive to foreign languages and speech.