Before I go into this issue I just want to point out that the police officers here look to be all of about 14 years old. 14 years old and carrying big sticks. I'm not sure whether to respect them or pat them on the head.
Ok, language. Language is a funny thing, and as I've learned, often has very little to do with communication. It's the ideas that bring communication. Ideas are key. If we could create a language that conveyed specific ideas than we'd probably never be confused again. Sadly that probably won't happen in this world.
Some prime examples come from the Korean-English Gap (as I have named it). The Gap is that space between English words and Korean ideas where any understanding of what the other person is talking about gets lost.
"Okay" is a good example. In English "Okay" can be a few things; a filler word, a word stating your condition, or an agreement. AN AGREEMENT. If one is given an option, "okay" is not an answer because okay is a response to some sort of argument. Apparently this is no so in Korean.
"Yes" and "No" have similar issues in Korean ideas vs English words. In Korea yes and no are given as answers to decision questions "You wanted to go to the store, right?" but in reverse to English. Therefore I never know what a Korean is actually saying when they say "Yes" or "No" to a question that I've posed. I keep trying to have them answer in full sentences but that's difficult.
Another example is "prepare," which takes on an entirely new meaning in the Korean mind. For them it can me, get, buy, get ready, bring, make available. They don't even imagine that it might mean "make."
I had a point here...
It's just that, language is more than words. You can say lots of words and not make a lick of sense. Particularly if the words mean something different to you than they mean to someone else. Things can get confusing, people can get hurt. It's the ideas you have to collaborate, communicate.
Communication is key.
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