Investigation into Language: Universal Language

London Design Biennale 2018 - Saudi Arabia

Somerset House, London

This exhibition presented the universal cohesion of design, and the way different cultures visualise and communicate their ideas about the future of now. There was a strong idea of the use of technology and materials within design that can and will shape our environments, such as the use of coal an an organic material in architecture, and completely recycled furniture.

Saudi Arabia - 'Prelapsarian' (before Eden, innocent and unspoilt); a universal language, a means of communication that can be understood by all, with its hypnotic connection giving a sense of serenity and tranquility

Concept

Saudi Arabia’s installation, Being and Existence, explored the relationship between language and our emotional state, and in particular the effect of different forms of language on the messages we communicate. Artist Lulwah Al Homoud developed an abstract form of language, evolved from the Arabic alphabet and taking the form of a geometric pattern – an intricate, symmetrical web of fine lines and symbols. This graphic work stemmed from her research into Arabic calligraphy and Islamic geometry, which she undertook as part of her MA from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design – the first Saudi to achieve this distinction. Al Homoud explored the rhythmic “codes” and symmetries of the Arabic alphabet and then used these as the basis for geometrical designs. The process combined the mathematical and the emotional, the realms of logic and language.

Presentation / production
Visitors entered a darkened room with animated geometric patterns on each wall. These were intended to convey the sense of a prelapsarian, universal language – a means of communication understood by all. A series of mirrors drew the visitors and patterns together as part of the installation, creating a connection that, Al Homoud hoped, instilled a sense of serenity and tranquillity. “Language can spread love, anger, grief and peace,” she said. “I chose a language that speaks to the soul to create a peaceful experience. This piece of design is an attempt to unite us in an abstract way.”

Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis

This hypothesis stands for the fact that language plays a very significant role in people’s lives because it is not just a way to communicate, but it has an influence on people’s behavior and their way of the thinking (Hussein). In other words, people who speak differently tend to have different points of views about the world. The theory goes that the language, not only diction but also the syntax, does not just impact how people communicate with one another, but also how speakers of a language, and polyglots by extension visualize and interact with the world on a basic level. This inextricable relationship between language and worldview is the underlying concern not just of linguists, but storytellers, particularly the recent film “Arrival.” Sapir’s views on the relationship between language and culture are clearly expressed in the following passage taken from his book Language:

Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their society. It is quite an illusion to imagine that one adjusts to reality essentially without the use of language and that language is merely an incidental means of solving specific problems of communication or reflection. The fact of the matter is that the real world is to a large extent unconsciously built up on the language habits of the group…We see and hear and otherwise experience very largely as we do because the language habits of our community predispose certain choices of interpretation. (Sapir 207).

• 'If you immerse yourself into a foreign language you can actually rewire your brain'
• 'The theory that the language you speak determines how you think and affects how you see everything'

non zero sum game. In game theory, situation where one decision maker's gain (or loss) does not necessarily result in the other decision makers' loss (or gain). In other words, where the winnings and losses of all players do not add up to zero and everyone can gain: a win-win game.

Linguistic relativity

Arrival Film

“Arrival” is an American science fiction movie directed by Denis Villeneuve and published in 2016 based on the short story “The story of your life” by Ted Chiang (Poll). In the movie,12 alien spacecrafts went to 12 different nations on Earth, including the US, Russia, China, and Pakistan. Experts in various fields must decode the aliens’ presence and their language. A linguist was called upon to translate the aliens’ language and understand why they appeared in different parts of the world before launching a global war. The movie employs one of the popular linguistic theories called Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which is a theory that suggests that people’s thoughts are determined by the language they speak. There are two versions of this theory; the strong version or the linguistics determinism is less accepted by the linguists and it states that all human thoughts are determined by the language they speak, and the weak version or what is called linguistics relativisms implies that language shapes people’s thoughts “Ask A Linguist FAQ.”

The aliens’ written language moved in circles, each sentence lacking a defined beginning or end. The alien visitors seemed to view time in a similar manner: as a circular concept.

Working to decode this mysterious language, accomplished human linguist Louise Banks—played in the sci-fi film Arrival by actress Amy Adams—begins to have visions of the past and future as her perception of time shifts from linear to circular. In other words, thinking in a different language causes her thought patterns to change. This is a core idea at the heart of the film: that an intimate relationship exists between the language you speak and the way you perceive the world.

• Cognitive differences between people exposed to different languages
• Common example: the mayans descriptions of objects that are based on material compared to the english use that is based on size - also some aboriginal tribes describe space as absolute vs relative description used by language or latin based speakers
• As the world becomes more and more connected are perceptions will continue to merge and tested this theory will become harder and harder
• The Heptapods in the film use a written language that is in circle form without a beginning or end