“First. There is no communication without language, even when you move you express something, you have a body language. And you might think, but that’s natural we are talking about the constructed language.

Body language is a construction too, it has some base on nature (you don’t great people hitting them in the face), but kisses have diferent meanings in diferent countries, smiles too, and look into the yes can be a good or bad thing depending where you are. So, there is no way to express anything without a language. Umberto Eco has even said that there is not such a thing like a iconic sign, meaning every sign is related to a learnning process and a society.

Language is the way we organize the world, the way we make sense of anything that happens to us by link it to a category, idea or meaning.

Second. Language is the way we fit in a society, by sharing meanings and a way of think. Let’s think about hierarchy.

In Spanish you have “Usted” for when you talk to a person you think really reserve respect. Que es lo que usted piensa? (What do you think?). Then there is “Tu” that means you have confidence with the person you talk. Tu que piensas?. And then you have “Vos”, that is use in some countries, like Argentina and Colombia, and means you are very confident with someone.

I know there is some form more respectful than “You” in english, but i have hardly ever seen them in use. It seems to me, even when i am not an expert, than english language generally imply higher level of respect than spanish for people you talk with.

And then we got japanesse, that not only ask you to change the way you talk to another depending their rank, but also the way you talk about you (the I) according your position.

Third. Language tell a lot about how we see the world and life. This is a very complex point, but i would like to give just one small example. Even when i am not a feminist, neither a machist, there is a word that say a lot about machism, at least in spanish speakig culture. That word is “puto”.

You might know words in spanish have a feminine way and a male way. So there is “puta” and “puto”. Now “both have a negative connotation, but the denotation of the words differs.

Puto: Is the man who have sex with other men. Sometimes also a coward. But the first meaning is a clear insult and express the way the societies look at gay people. Man shouldn’t have sex with man, that is the idea.

Puta: is the woman who have sex with a lot of men. So, women shouldn’t do that.

This is interesting. Because man who have sex with a lot of women are ok. You are not call puto because of that, you are call puto when you actually don’t have sex with women. Also, it seems lesbianism it is not in the same negative level as homosexuality among men.

Of course, a word it is not enough to analize a society. Don’t ever do that, it is lazy and silly. But i hope this examples give you and idea of all the forces and meanings that are in the work in any language.

Yes, the language rules your thinking, even when you rebel to the meanings the language have, you do with the tools it gave you.”