Features English is missing - but most other languages have

NativLang
8 Nov 201908:56
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video script explores the linguistic features that English lacks compared to other languages, such as reduplication, politeness levels, adjectives acting as verbs, question-asking strategies, and the use of specific particles for being and location. It also touches on the concept of 'clusivity' and 'evidentials', highlighting the diversity of linguistic structures worldwide. The script playfully suggests that English could adopt some of these features, while also inviting viewers to consider the unique aspects of English that other languages might not possess.

Takeaways
  • 🌍 English lacks certain linguistic features common in other languages, such as reduplication, which changes meaning by repeating sounds or parts of words.
  • 📈 The use of different 'you' pronouns to express varying levels of politeness or social relationships is widespread in languages outside Europe, but English has only one 'you'.
  • 🔄 English could benefit from adding suffixes like 'ch' to indicate plurality or to ask questions, as seen in Georgian and other languages.
  • 🎭 The concept of evidentials, which encode the source of information (like visual or auditory evidence), is absent in English but present in many other languages.
  • 📚 English speakers might find it helpful if the language included distinct words for comitative 'with' (companion) and instrumental 'with' (tool), similar to the Ainu and Finnish languages.
  • 🗣️ Some languages, like those in the Pacific, have clusivity, which differentiates between 'we' including the listener and 'we' excluding the listener.
  • 📝 English could improve its question-asking strategies by adopting particles that attach to the relevant words rather than always placing them at the beginning or end of sentences.
  • 🌐 The use of subject pronouns like 'it' is common in English for general statements about the weather, but many languages omit the subject in similar contexts.
  • 🔧 English does not have adjectives that function as verbs, unlike some languages like Luo, where a word for 'tall' can be used as a verb.
  • 📌 English could learn from the global norm of not forcing 'wh' words (like 'who' and 'what') to the front of questions, as seen in languages like Swahili.
  • 🎉 The video script encourages English to embrace its uniqueness while also exploring and playing with linguistic features found in other languages around the world.
Q & A

  • What is reduplication and how does it change meaning in different languages?

    -Reduplication is a linguistic process where a word or part of a word is repeated to convey a different meaning. For example, in Indonesian, 'saya' means 'me', but 'saya-saya' implies 'poor me'. This linguistic feature is common outside of Europe and can be seen in languages like Pangasinan and in Australian place names.

  • How does the Georgian language use reduplication to indicate quantity?

    -In Georgian, if the word 'sami' is used, it indicates a total of three items. However, if 'sam-sami' is used, it suggests three of each item, indicating a greater quantity.

  • What is the significance of 'thou' in English in terms of politeness?

    -The use of 'thou' in English was historically an informal way to address someone. However, it was not considered a polite form of address; the polite form was 'you'. Modern English has largely dropped 'thou', but it can still be found in some dialects and literary works.

  • How do some languages in India express a range of politeness levels?

    -Languages in India, such as Malayalam and Marathi, have multiple forms of 'you' to express different levels of politeness and social distance. Malayalam has at least seven forms, ranging from intimate to high honorific, while Marathi includes a form for addressing a stranger when the speaker is unsure of the appropriate form of address.

  • What is the most common question-asking strategy in the world's languages?

    -The most common question-asking strategy globally is to add a question particle, usually to the end or the beginning of a sentence. This particle indicates that a question is being asked without the need for subject-verb inversion, which is common in English.

  • How does Swahili handle questions without using 'whom'?

    -Swahili avoids the use of 'whom' by structuring questions in a way that maintains the parallel word order found in statements. For example, instead of 'Whom did you see?', a more natural Swahili question would be 'Wewe uiona nani?', which translates to 'You saw who?'. The word 'wewe' is enough to indicate that it's a question.

  • What is the difference between 'being' and 'being-at' in languages that distinguish them?

    -Languages that distinguish between 'being' and 'being-at' often use different verbs to express these concepts. For example, in Mandarin Chinese, 'shì' is used to indicate being someone or something, while 'zài' is used to express being somewhere. This distinction is common outside of Europe and allows for more nuanced expressions of location and existence.

  • Why do some languages drop the subject pronoun 'it' in statements?

    -In many languages, the subject pronoun 'it' is not necessary because the verb form itself can indicate the subject. For instance, in Spanish and Italian, statements like 'llueve' (it rains) or 'piove' (it rains) do not include a subject pronoun, as the verb conjugation implies the subject. This makes the language more efficient by saving syllables and maintaining clarity.

  • What is the difference between instrumental and comitative 'with' in languages that have both?

    -Languages that have both instrumental and comitative 'with' differentiate between accompaniment and usage. For example, the Ainu language has 'tura' for going-with and 'ani' for using-with. Finnish similarly uses suffixes to make this distinction. This allows for more precise descriptions of actions involving tools, companions, or methods.

  • What is clusivity and how does it function in languages like te reo Māori?

    -Clusivity is a linguistic feature that distinguishes between inclusive and exclusive forms of 'we'. In languages like te reo Māori, 'tātou' includes the listener, while 'mātou' excludes the listener. This feature allows speakers to specify whether they are talking about a group that includes the listener or one that does not.

  • What are evidentials and how do they enhance language communication?

    -Evidentials are linguistic markers that indicate the source or evidence for a statement. They can express whether the speaker witnessed an event, heard about it, or inferred it. For example, in the Sherpa language, evidentials can clarify whether a speaker is reporting something they saw or heard. This feature adds a layer of detail to communication, enhancing the clarity and reliability of information.

Outlines
00:00
🌐 Exploring English's Unique Linguistic Limitations

This paragraph delves into the linguistic features that English lacks compared to other languages. It highlights the concept of reduplication, where repeating sounds can change meaning, a common feature in many languages but not in English. The paragraph also touches on the absence of distinct informal and formal second person pronouns in English, a trait prevalent in most European languages. Furthermore, it points out the rarity of adjectives acting like verbs in English, contrasting with languages like Luo from Kenya. The paragraph also discusses the global norm of question particles and the unusual nature of English's 'wh' questions, suggesting a more natural way to form inquiries. Lastly, it introduces the concept of being versus being-at, common in languages outside Europe, and challenges English to consider adopting such distinctions.

05:03
📚 Enhancing English with Global Linguistic Practices

The second paragraph continues the exploration of linguistic features absent in English and suggests ways it could incorporate them. It starts with the idea of dropping the pronoun 'it' in weather statements, as done in languages like Spanish and Italian. The paragraph then addresses English's singular 'with' and suggests adopting multiple forms, as seen in the Ainu language or Finnish, to express different types of accompaniment or instrumentality. It also introduces the concept of clusivity, where languages like te reo Māori distinguish between inclusive and exclusive 'we'. The paragraph concludes with the notion of evidentials, which many languages use to express the source of knowledge about a statement, suggesting English could benefit from such nuances.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡reduplication
Reduplication is a linguistic process where a word or part of a word is repeated to convey a different meaning or to express emphasis. In the video, reduplication is highlighted as a common feature in languages around the world but notably absent in English. For instance, the Indonesian word 'saya' (me) becomes 'saya-saya' to express 'poor me', and in Pangasinan, 'amigo' (friend) can become 'amimigo' (many friends) through this process.
💡Georgian language
The Georgian language is mentioned in the context of using reduplication to indicate plurality. In the video, it is explained that if children said 'sami' (three), it would mean three total books were read. However, if they reduplicated to 'sam-sami', it would imply that each child read three books, totaling nine books.
💡politeness
Politeness in language refers to the use of specific forms or expressions to show respect or to maintain social norms. The video discusses the lack of a formal 'you' in English, which is common in many other languages, such as German with 'Du' and 'Sie', or Greek with 'εσύ' and 'εσείς'. It suggests that English could adopt a similar system to express different levels of politeness.
💡adjectives acting as verbs
In some languages, adjectives can function as verbs, which is a feature not commonly found in English. The video uses the Luo language from Kenya as an example, where the word for 'tall' can be treated like a verb, allowing for sentences like 'she happies' or 'she doesn't happy'.
💡question particles
Question particles are words or morphemes added to sentences to turn statements into questions. The video notes that many languages around the world use question particles, often placed at the end or beginning of a sentence, unlike English which typically uses word order changes or auxiliary verbs. For example, the Majang language in Ethiopia uses the particle /ŋ/ to form questions.
💡word order in questions
Word order in questions refers to the arrangement of words in a sentence when asking a question. English often requires a specific order, such as 'whom did you see?', which can sound awkward. The video suggests that English could adopt the more natural word order seen in languages like Swahili, where the question word 'who' is used without changing the order of the sentence.
💡verbal aspect
Verbal aspect refers to the way in which actions, events, or states are presented as extending over time. The video discusses the use of specific verbs in languages like Mandarin to express being somewhere (zài) versus being someone or something (shì), which is a distinction not commonly found in English.
💡weather expressions
Weather expressions are phrases used to describe atmospheric conditions. The video points out that English often uses the pronoun 'it' to refer to the weather, as in 'it rained' or 'it's sunny'. This can be confusing because 'it' does not specify what is raining or being sunny. In contrast, many other languages, like Spanish or Italian, do not use a subject pronoun and directly use the verb, as in 'llueve' or 'piove'.
💡instrumentals versus comitatives
Instrumentals and comitatives are cases or postpositions that express the means by which an action is performed (instrumentals) or the company one is in (comitatives). The video notes that English uses a single preposition 'with' for both, whereas other languages like the Ainu language distinguish between the two with separate words, or Finnish uses suffixes to indicate the difference.
💡clusivity
Clusivity is a linguistic feature that distinguishes between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns. The video mentions languages like te reo Māori, which differentiate between 'tātou' (including the listener) and 'mātou' (excluding the listener). This allows for more nuanced expressions of 'we' in these languages.
💡evidentials
Evidentials are linguistic markers that indicate the source or evidence for a statement. They can express whether the speaker witnessed an event, heard about it, or inferred it from other information. The video suggests that while this is a common feature in many languages, such as the Sherpa language, it is not present in English, which could benefit from adopting such a system to convey the reliability of information.
Highlights

English lacks certain linguistic features found in many other languages, such as reduplication, which changes meaning by repeating sounds.

Indonesian uses reduplication to express a sense of abundance or emphasis, as in 'saya-saya' to mean 'poor me'.

Languages like Pangasinan and Australian Indigenous languages are full of reduplicated place names, showing the global prevalence of this linguistic feature.

A proposed solution for English to adopt reduplication could be adding 'onech', 'twoch', 'threech' to indicate quantity.

English lacks a formal and informal 'you', a feature common in many languages, including those in Europe and India.

Languages like Georgian use reduplication to indicate plurality, where 'sam-sami' would mean 'three each'.

English could enhance politeness by reviving the use of 'thou', which was historically an informal 'you'.

Most languages have adjectives that act like verbs, unlike English, as seen in the Luo language of Kenya.

A common global question-asking strategy involves adding a question particle to sentences, a feature not as prevalent in English.

Swahili demonstrates a more natural word order for questions, avoiding the awkwardness of English 'wh' questions like 'whom did you see?'.

Mandarin Chinese differentiates between being someone/something with 'shì' and being somewhere with 'zài', a common linguistic distinction.

Many languages, unlike English, omit the subject 'it' in weather statements, such as 'rained' instead of 'it rained'.

Instrumentals and comitatives are often distinguished in other languages, like 'with friends' versus 'with hammers', but English only has the single word 'with'.

The concept of clusivity, differentiating between inclusive and exclusive 'we', is present in languages like te reo Māori but not in English.

Evidentials, which encode the source of knowledge in a statement, are common in many languages but not in English, as seen in the Sherpa language.

The video encourages English to embrace its uniqueness while also exploring the linguistic features it lacks.

The video suggests that English speakers could experiment with the linguistic features not present in their language for fun and enrichment.

Transcripts

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LanguageComparisonLinguisticDiversityReduplicationPolitenessLevelsQuestionParticlesBeingVsBeingAtInstrumentalsClusivityEvidentialsLanguageEnrichment