Language is one of the invisible architectures that shape our world view and group dynamics without us really noticing it. To express our thoughts we use language. At the same time language restricts us to the words that are already there.<\/p>\n
Hacking our language is actually not new. The linguist D. David Bourland coined the term e-Prime in 1965 to describe a derivative of the English language. E-Prime does not make use of any of the forms of the verb \u201cto be\u201d to dissociate from the idea of the absolute. Everything depends on the perception of the speaker and anything in the world can possibly change.<\/p>\n
By omitting all forms of \u201cto be\u201d it becomes also impossible to use the passive. Using active sentences forces the speaker or writer to indicate the responsibility of each action to a subject. Hence clarity of thought improves.<\/p>\n
Language makes it sometimes very easy to distance ourselves from reality. We rather say \u201cI like to eat meat\u201d instead of \u201cI enjoy eating an animal\u201d. The latter sounds quite cruel but means exactly the same thing as the first. When we think of meat in the West we often imagine a cooked steak or a piece of packed meat in the supermarket. We might not even think of the animal that just died recently to provide us with what we call our food.<\/p>\n
Expressions like \u201cShe is a nice person\u201d or \u201cHe is a bad teacher\u201d become obsolete and translate into \u201cI like this person\u201d or \u201cI cannot follow his teaching\u201d.\u00a0 It probably also has an effect on one\u2019s own perception of identity, as the E-Prime speaker cannot use phrases like \u201cI am German\u201d or \u201cI am a woman\u201d.<\/p>\n
The use of e-Prime appears to me less dogmatic than what I was used to. I see similarities with non-violent communication and believe that skipping the verb \u201cto be\u201d can be a step towards a use of language with less conflict and less violence (unless listeners translate the sentences back and choose to understand them in a dogmatic, violent way). At the same time I think that it is possible to claim universal truth without using \u201cto be\u201d. For example if one says: \u201cYour cooking skills suck.\u201d or \u201cYou smell nice.\u201d they claim universal truth.<\/p>\n
Anyone who is capable of speaking more than one language has probably realized that some languages offer expressions we miss in others. And not only that! When I studied Chinese I realized that with a new language can come a new world view.<\/p>\n
One example: In the West we have a linear idea of time. We – as an individual – move along the time path as time progresses. Figuratively we move from the left to the right while the beam of time with its beginning and end remains constant. Our calendars are structured that way.<\/p>\n
In the Chinese perception, time is circular and flows over a person from the back. The individual remains in the same spot and time is the one that moves. The expression for \u201cthe day after tomorrow\u201d, \u5f8c\u5929 (h\u00f2uti\u0101n) is in Chinese literally \u201cthe day behind\u201d. \u00a0While the expression for \u201cthe day before yesterday\u201d, \u524d\u5929 (qi\u00e1nti\u0101n) literally translates into \u201cthe day in front\u201d. In the West we would usually see the day in front of us as \u201ctomorrow\u201d and the day behind us as \u201cyesterday\u201d. \u00a0One could possibly argue that our concept of time is an invisible architecture in itself but I don\u2019t want to go into more detail on time here.<\/p>\n
In some languages, like in my native tongue German, we use different forms to describe male and female terms for occupation, role or other personal descriptions. Pilot would be Pilotin (female) and Pilot (male), Physician would be Doktorin (f) or Doktor (m). As you see the suffix \u201cin\u201d usually indicates the female form. However, it doesn\u2019t make texts or speeches nicer to always include both forms. In the past and even today there is a widespread use of the male term and often women are asked to feel included into that male word.<\/p>\n
Some initiatives started to use the female form for employee and with an asterisk indicated that the female form includes also male employees. A small company in Berlin made use of this technique in their work contracts to the big surprise of male employees. The dazzled reactions show how we manifest a patriarchic structure of society and male dominance through our German language.<\/p>\n
Some alternative groups I have recently spent time with constantly use the female form of a noun. To indicate that they mean both, the male and the female they make a very short break before the \u201cin\u201d. This language hack felt strange for me at first. That shows how much I have been conditioned to subordinate myself under male descriptions over the span of my lifetime. In fact I like the idea to value both genders in the most concise way possible in the slightly complicated German language.<\/p>\n
Recently I have been thinking a lot about what shapes our view of the world without us really noticing it. I like to call these phenomena \u201cinvisible architectures\u201d. Here I focus on those invisible architectures that are relevant to (almost) everybody in a given society. I find them highly interesting as they help us understand the development of group dynamics.<\/p>\n
Hidden Architectures include, for example, language, social codes, laws, economic systems, and our use of money. Last but not least even physical architecture can have an influence on group dynamics without us really noticing it. Thinking about hidden architectures I realized that almost nothing in the world is really carved into stone. Most depends on our perspective. That means: Change is possible. Even if we think there are no alternatives. And even more so if we know about the influences of hidden architectures on group dynamics.<\/p>\n
This is a five weeks series. Last week I wrote about the Influence of physical architecture.<\/strong><\/p>\n How Architecture Influences Group Dynamics<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n