Native Languages-Our Comfort Zone

In the past few months major software companies have been "Arabising" their products by creating them in the Arabic language. This finding is not so surprising when considering that two and a half percent of all internet users globally speak Arabic as a first language, making it the tenth most common internet language. Wael Abdulal, a sales business development manager at the Cisco corporation, claims that Arabised versions of software are not just a luxury, but are crucial to business in the Middle East. Despite the fact that English tends to be the worldwide language of business, many businesses in the Middle East operate in Arabic. Abdulal claims that "Just because people speak English doesn't mean that they're comfortable speaking English-- they're probably much more comfortable operating in their own language." When people who are bilingual have a choice, they prefer to speak and read in their native language, regardless of whether or not they are fluent in English.

The concept that a person's native language serves as a type of comfort zone to him or her has been brought up several times during class. We have discussed cultural communities in the United States that tend to avoid the English language by creating their own small corner in the world. Professor Boroditsky mentioned that when traveling in a foreign country where one is not an expert at the language, the most relieving feeling is finding someone who speaks the same native language. It does not necessarily matter whether the person met is a good person, or even a friend. Just the connection shared through verbal communication suffices to create a positive image and a feeling of comfort and relaxation. In Crystal's blog, she mentioned that her mother prefers to go to doctors in Mexico rather than ones in the United States because proper communication is of utmost significance. Right now in my Japanese class, I often feel uncomfortable because I am not sure of exactly what is going on, and do not understand everything. Sometimes when we read aloud and I cannot go at the same speed as the other students, I find myself pausing because I am embarassed to stand out and look inferior. Our native language is a part of us, and stepping outside of its use can cause stress and discomfort.

What is it about language that is so powerful in connecting human beings to one another? In a sense the comfort language brings may be the confidence that stems from understanding exactly what a person is saying and what is going on in a situation. It is easy to get flustered and to feel incompetent or insecure when you are unable to understand or communicate with someone. As humans we prefer to feel comfortable and safe rather than embarassed by taking risks and making ourselves vulnerable. We want to excel at all that we do and avoid situations in which our performances are lacking.

Language also can create a sentiment of trust between two people. In one of my earlier blogs, I mentioned that when volunteering at a school's registration, the parents (who mainly were Spanish speakers) avoided me and would not make eye contact with me. But the moment I opened my mouth and spoke Spanish, their faces lit up, they spoke rapidly, and they asked questions. They knew nothing about me other than the fact that I spoke Spanish, but that was enough for them to trust me. It seems strange because when considering trust, language does not seem to be an important factor. We generally see trust as depending on how well you know a person, how genuine and dependable that person is, and whether or not they are a good person. Yet this strong bond of trust can develop through a simple conversation, especially when we are in situations where the conversation is rare (like when we are in a foreign country).

This also brings forth the following question: is there an evolutionary significance to having language be a comfort zone? Perhaps our ancestors had a better survival rate when they only trusted those who spoke the same language. Strangers speaking other languages might have been potentially dangerous, and avoiding them in Darwinian terms enhanced the chance to survive, reproduce, and perpetuate their genes. Qualities such as being afraid of spiders and snakes have been found to have evolutionary roots. Is it possible that a fear of unknown languages has an evolutionary origin as well?


Links:

Conway, Brid-Aine (2007). "Mind Your Language." Retrieved from http://www.itp.net/news/501726-mind-your-language on October 10, 2007.

Crytal's blog: http://crystalesp.blogspot.com/