Decisions, decisions...
There is something extremely frustrating about being able to speak multiple languages, for example, you don’t know if you have the same sense of humour in all of them. Sometimes you can’t remember a word in your mother tongue and attempt using your second language to fill the gap with unpredictable results.
There is, however, something just as fascinating about foreign languages, and is the ability to shape your mind and understand a completely different culture.
The power of grammar.
It came to my attention that, in Europe, there are, among others, three distinct ways to talk about decisions. In Italian you would ‘take’ a decision, in English you ‘make’ one, and in German you ‘meet’ one.
What may seem a simple linguistic fun-fact, turns out to hide a much deeper cultural meaning.
The fact that, in English, you are making a decision implies you have the power of doing so. In a nutshell, you are the creator of your own destiny. I daresay this is highlighted in the stereotypical American tradition of being a winner, succeeding in life, being the top in any aspect of life, even the dumbest, as long as you make it with active purpose.
On the other hand, Germans meet their decision, like friends. The path is already laid in front of them, they simply need to find it at the right place and time, and go with it. There’s no fabricating or choice involved, as opposed to the action of ‘making’ a decision. Meeting a decision sounds definitely more welcoming than bumping or crossing one; even having to build one seems unlikely when you visualize them as entities already there for you to encounter.
As an Italian, I can assure you there is no pressure on being successful. Perhaps coming from a long line of Christian traditions, Italians seem to live trying to avoid temptation and sticking to what’s good and valuable: the old angel vs devil on your shoulders. Now, imagine every decision you might need to make is presented to you along with a counterpart, the catch is you have to take one. Italians don't make their own destiny, nor are allowed to meet up with apple-offering snakes. You either take that damn apple, or you don't.
By the way, in France, too, they say ‘take’ a decision, and it makes total sense if we consider it from a historical point of view. Given two options: poverty or revolution, they took one.
Language is a truly fascinating topic that spans from grammar to philosophy, and this is where the conversation becomes juicy. You wouldn't imagine what lively debate has been happening for centuries on the topic of decisions! More specifically, on predestination and the omniscience of an all-knowing good God that would either allow mortals to actively decide to commit a sin or, not much better, a God that doesn't know what decision said mortal is about to make.
Image: via
There is, however, something just as fascinating about foreign languages, and is the ability to shape your mind and understand a completely different culture.
The power of grammar.
It came to my attention that, in Europe, there are, among others, three distinct ways to talk about decisions. In Italian you would ‘take’ a decision, in English you ‘make’ one, and in German you ‘meet’ one.
What may seem a simple linguistic fun-fact, turns out to hide a much deeper cultural meaning.
The fact that, in English, you are making a decision implies you have the power of doing so. In a nutshell, you are the creator of your own destiny. I daresay this is highlighted in the stereotypical American tradition of being a winner, succeeding in life, being the top in any aspect of life, even the dumbest, as long as you make it with active purpose.
On the other hand, Germans meet their decision, like friends. The path is already laid in front of them, they simply need to find it at the right place and time, and go with it. There’s no fabricating or choice involved, as opposed to the action of ‘making’ a decision. Meeting a decision sounds definitely more welcoming than bumping or crossing one; even having to build one seems unlikely when you visualize them as entities already there for you to encounter.
As an Italian, I can assure you there is no pressure on being successful. Perhaps coming from a long line of Christian traditions, Italians seem to live trying to avoid temptation and sticking to what’s good and valuable: the old angel vs devil on your shoulders. Now, imagine every decision you might need to make is presented to you along with a counterpart, the catch is you have to take one. Italians don't make their own destiny, nor are allowed to meet up with apple-offering snakes. You either take that damn apple, or you don't.
By the way, in France, too, they say ‘take’ a decision, and it makes total sense if we consider it from a historical point of view. Given two options: poverty or revolution, they took one.
Language is a truly fascinating topic that spans from grammar to philosophy, and this is where the conversation becomes juicy. You wouldn't imagine what lively debate has been happening for centuries on the topic of decisions! More specifically, on predestination and the omniscience of an all-knowing good God that would either allow mortals to actively decide to commit a sin or, not much better, a God that doesn't know what decision said mortal is about to make.
Image: via
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