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Spanish is a bigoted language

Cooky

Veteran Member
Considering there are numerous gendered languages, I have to agree. And, for a moment if you would, think about your accusations and how the compare the neuter English language and its culture.
Words are nothing more than sounds we make. They are powerless and meaningless on their own. A language can be no more bigoted than the clash of thunder or roar of a volcano. The speaker, however, does have the ability and power to take those words, charge them with meaning, and use them for good or ill.

...So you think language has no bearing in the way people think? I disagree, because with language, there are only so many words available to choose from to express yourself... And the more you use the only words available, the more limited your thinking becomes, and the more persueded you are to think along the pre-selected vocabulary that has been layed out for you.

...The Greeks for example, were very enlightened, and had a much broader vocabulary choice than Latins, who later adopted many Greek terms.

With the lack of words, there were often concepts not known. Likewise, with excessive hierarchical words, we might tend to see a lot of machismo in places like El Salvador.
 
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Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
...So you think language has no bearing in the way people think? I disagree, because with language, there are only so many words available to choose from to express yourself... And the more you use the only words available, the more limited your thinking becomes, and the more persueded you are to think along the pre-selected vocabulary that has been layed out for you.
I'm pretty sure it doesn't. For example, America is very highly individualistic as a culture, yet male or female, young or old, we have only "I" to refer to oneself. Japan, on the other hand, is a very highly collectivist culture that posses at least a dozen ways of expressing/identifying yourself as "I." We also have a very long history of making new words when we find ourselves lacking, or we'll just shovel them together like the Germans do. Or, think of the emotionally dry English where we often use metaphors, various expressions, and a combinations of emotion words to express how we feel when we can't find an English word to do it. IMO, the "whorf hypothesis" isn't much different than telling a painter that her pictures are restricted to three colors because she only has a tube of red, yellow, and blue paint. To many it may seem that way, but in reality those three colors in different combinations will form each and every other color you can think of - the imagination is the only restriction in the way to turn three colors into over 300.
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
Can I express my personal opinion? I underline this is exclusively an impression of mine and should not be considered as a generalization.

Yes...seeing what Italian women are like, Italian women tend to be much more submissive to men than American women are.

On the other hand, seeing what American men are like, Italian men behave unfairly to their women...tendentiously.

Does language play a role? Maybe just partially
 
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Cooky

Veteran Member
I'm pretty sure it doesn't. For example, America is very highly individualistic as a culture, yet male or female, young or old, we have only "I" to refer to oneself. Japan, on the other hand, is a very highly collectivist culture that posses at least a dozen ways of expressing/identifying yourself as "I." We also have a very long history of making new words when we find ourselves lacking, or we'll just shovel them together like the Germans do. Or, think of the emotionally dry English where we often use metaphors, various expressions, and a combinations of emotion words to express how we feel when we can't find an English word to do it. IMO, the "whorf hypothesis" isn't much different than telling a painter that her pictures are restricted to three colors because she only has a tube of red, yellow, and blue paint. To many it may seem that way, but in reality those three colors in different combinations will form each and every other color you can think of - the imagination is the only restriction in the way to turn three colors into over 300.

Fascinating. Thank you.
 

Cooky

Veteran Member
Can I express my personal opinion? I underline this is exlusively an impression of mine and should not considered a generalization.

Yes...seeing what Italian women are like, Italian women tend to be much more submissive to men than American women are.

On the other hand, seeing what American men are like, Italian men behave unfairly to their women...tendentiously.

Does language play a role? Maybe just partially

I sometimes wonder how language impacts culture... It could in subtle ways.
 

dianaiad

Well-Known Member
Indeed . That is why English does not have a term for machismo. :)


It does now...(grin) "machismo."

This is the thing I love the most about English; we may have a Germanic grammar, but our vocabulary comes from every where.

My favorite quote about this, by James Nicoll:

The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that the English language is as pure as a crib-house whore. It not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary.

James Nicoll (b. 1961)

In fact, I dare anybody here to go a full day without using at least one word taken from another language. One rule: you CAN'T spend the day with duck tape over your mouth and mittens on your hands. You must communicate. ;)
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
With Spanish, male and female attributes are core essentials in communication. A lot is based on 'status' and 'hierarchy'. With that, those who speak Spanish are trapped in a hierarchical paradigm for life. Which prevents progress, and enables machismo, which leads to corruptive tendencies to the core.

Do you agree or disagree?

Disagree. Most languages that are derived from Latin, such as Spanish and Italian, apply gender to nouns in the masculine or feminine.

You're just used to English, where such nouns are neuter.
 

74x12

Well-Known Member
With Spanish, male and female attributes are core essentials in communication. A lot is based on 'status' and 'hierarchy'. With that, those who speak Spanish are trapped in a hierarchical paradigm for life. Which prevents progress, and enables machismo, which leads to corruptive tendencies to the core.

Do you agree or disagree?
I disagree. I think it's good. What I find corrosive is modern political correctness ... For me, men are men and women are women. I'm not for oppression or anything. Just recognizing differences between the sexes. I like that about Spanish.
 
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