So much of who we are, where we are and how we live in the world, starts with understanding root words. In this post from my thesis, I share my reflections on the power of language.
Words are not neutral.
Words are not static entities to be used to “fix” our “realities” on a two dimensional paper.
Hidden in language are worldviews, orientations and assumptions about how we relate to each other in the world. For example, in our home I was taught to never use the phrase “sada Khar” (my house), however, to say “apna Khar” (our home). The “our” is reference to my extended home and collective community. I was taught the house is not mine to own rather a gift bestowed on us from others and something greater. I didn't understand the significance of this teaching exhibited through words and modeled for me. However, today, I sit here to realize I was taught the significance of language and the meanings of words in shaping who we are and how we might see the world.
Language is not static.
It is dynamic in nature.
It moves things. And touches us differently, as it changes over time...or even in the moment.
The meanings of words are not fixed.
They have a history, story, power and an ontological orientation.
In my work, I decenter and disrupt the common meanings of the words through etymological analysis to shed light on new insights and perspectives. Such opening illuminates other curricular possibilities and prospects of how to be with the world. My attempt is to use the language in a flexible, and creative way to enliven the experience on paper. This approach honours the subtleties, nuances of the experience.
Thank you for your time. This post is an excerpt from my thesis: Pre-Service Teachers in an International Teaching Practicum: (Im)possibilities, Interstitiality, and Encounters with Difference. If you'd like to learn more, you can click on the link below to download a copy.
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