Language: reflecting cultural values

More and more I’m learning how very much the nuances in language reflect nuances of culture. I’m guessing the idea that languages often reflect cultural values is old hat to someone who studies linguists, speaks many different languages or reads foreign literatures. But it’s something I took for granted until I found myself submersed in a culture entirely foreign from my own, able to clearly speak but struggling to convey precise meaning. I now understand more fully why interpretation is an art quite distinct from literal translation.
In the context of Nepal and Nepali language, a couple cultural themes stand out: hierarchy, respect, and duty. How does language reflect these cultural values? Sometimes one word carries many different meanings, sometimes one word has a singular strict meaning or structure, and other times there are a plethora of words with a single meaning. Here are a few examples of each that I’ve noticed in Nepal:

One word, many meanings: (lack of inherent specificity)
“Basnu” – to sit; to live/reside (somewhere); to stay somewhere; to visit someplace
Thus during my first few months here, my novice attempts to tell locals I live here – “ma yaha baschhu” – really translated to them as I stay here. I gradually learned that the term must be qualified with a time frame: I’m staying here for two years. I hear this word most frequently in the command form “bas-nus”, meaning: sit down and stay for tea!

“Ramro” – good, beautiful, well, intelligent, numerous other positive adjectives
It’s easy to accidentally call someone beautiful when you’re trying to call them a good person. I believe this linguistic subtlety is akin to Spanish – in Spanish, there are two forms of “to be”, and the meaning of many adjectives changes depending on which you use. There are also two forms of “to be” in Nepali. Context naturally always helps as well, but it’s still sometimes surprising that one word practically functions as a universal adjective for positive descriptions.

“Khannu” – to eat, to drink (to consume?)
This was challenging during the first month when my host mom would ask me,“timi kajaa khana sakyo?” – have you eaten snack? Nepali snack usually consists of both tea and a bit to eat. So I struggled to tell her that I’d already eaten, but no I hadn’t drank tea, and I’d like to drink some tea. (“Khana khaeko chhu, tara chiya khaeko chaina, desere chiya khanchhu ahile”)

One word, one strict / formal meaning
“Dhanyabad” – Thank you, (very formal).
No casual version of “thank you” exists in Nepali, only this very formal version. Again, it’s a reflection of cultural values: Nepali people don’t believe in “thanking” others for doing their job, because to do ones job is simply to fulfill ones duty. “Dhanyabad” is used to express deeper gratitude, and/or to show respect in a formal situation.

“Ghar” – literally translates to home but really refers to your “hometown” or “motherland”. You may only ever have one “ghar” in your life. Thus, telling a Nepali I’m going home at the end of the day doesn’t make sense to them – they literally think I’m going back to the US. So I’ve learned to say I’m going to my room.

“Bhanda” – compared to …
The most common way Nepali people compare two things is using the simple mechanism “something is ____ compared to something else.” Thus every comparison is “this dog is big compared to that dog”; “To run is better than to swim;” and – many Nepali people’s favorite: “Nepal is bad compared to America.” This structure drives me nuts because it functions by placing things in a hierarchy, which feels to simplified and rigidly matter-of-fact to me. But over time I’ve come to see it as one of many hierarchical language structures, all of which reflect and reinforce the importance of hierarchy in Nepali culture.
It took me ages to realize that very often when people ask a question in this comparative form, they are actually asking me what I prefer. Even so, I’m often uncomfortable speaking in absolutes – such as calling an entire country “bad” compared to another – so I either qualify my response by saying “for me …”; by breaking it down into more specifics, such as “the roads in Nepal are bad compared to most roads in the USA”; or by saying that the two things are simply different.

Many words with the same meaning
“Haas / Hunchha / Thik chha / La”: ok; it’s fine.
Yes, there are four different ways to say “Ok.” And yes, there are appropriate and inappropriate situations for each, depending both upon context and with whom one is speaking. The different forms are used to reinforce hierarchy and to display respect, with “haas” being the most formal, and “la” being the most casual.

“Hajur / Ho / Uh” – loosely, yes, or confirmation
Again, these varying forms of confirmation are appropriate for different audiences and in different contexts, and are used to reinforce hierarchy and display respect. “Hajur” translates to sir or mam. “Ho” means is. “Uh” means yeah.

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With that, I’d like to leave you with a couple questions, dear reader: can you find any structural nuances with your native language that subtly reflect aspects of your culture? Do regional differences in dialect reflect regional cultural differences? What precisely? I’d love to hear your thoughts.