this post was submitted on 15 May 2026
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The way the language and culture shape our thinking is a really interesting subject to consider. So much of our understanding of the world is implicit in how we communicate with one another, and it's something that we tend to take completely for granted. It's one good reason to learn different languages because they directly expand your mental toolkit.
Yes, for sure! I tend to end up thinking of it mainly in a fucked up context because of what colonialism did with it (like punishing people for using words in their native language), but there can be a positive side to it too. Learning to go outside a colonized language to re-embrace a native one; learning multiple languages to better understand different perspectives and cultures; learning to go outside a native language that has been part of imperialist/colonial power structures in order to see a language that hasn't.