Just Words? Part 1

"I strongly believe that words can change the human being itself." I've been thinking about this statement. It struck me when I heard it as a bit counterintuitive but thought-provoking. It countered my intuition because of the context. We had been talking about strong language in general and expletives in particular. The idea that, say, swearing too much could change a person puzzled me. It wasn't something I had thought about previously, but it got me thinking. This post is the first part of my attempt to explain my thoughts.

Back to the original statement: Can words change people? Actually, this statement must be true. I don't think there's any doubt that words at least sometimes constitute actions. The bride who says "I do" at her wedding isn't merely saying those words; she's making a commitment, and she's embracing a set of norms bound up with marriage. She is saying "Yes!" to her husband, and also "I accept this" to the institution of marriage itself. She isn't just saying something; she's doing something. Once we admit that words are, or can be, actions, it's easy to see how words can, and do, change people.

Words change people insofar as people are products of their actions. Some would say that people just are their actions. That overstates things, but it's not far from the truth. We label people "good," "bad," "selfish," "warmhearted," etc. not based on what's in their heart; we apply those labels after we see how people manifest their thoughts and feelings in relation to others. There are no good, bad, selfish, or warmhearted people without a society to provide us with an opportunity to be good, bad, selfish, warmhearted, etc. Society provides an opportunity for people to express the virtues and vices. This is an important point, but it's not the only one. I'll write more on this in Part 2.

Qualia, Language, and Butterflies

I believe in something philosophers call qualia. Qualia are, basically, what human experience is like. If a blind person asked you what it's like to see red, you'd be hard-pressed to describe it adequately. Red is something you simply experience. Consider another example: What is it like to taste something? Maybe you think you can answer that question by replying "sweet," "sour," "chewy," "crunchy," etc. And I would say, "Yes, that's correct, but what is the experience of tasting something sweet like? How can you describe it to someone who has never tasted something sweet?" You can't, or at least I don't believe you can, but it exists as a quality of your experience. Lots of people disagree with me, though, and my view might well be in the minority.

Anyway, I believe that there some experiences in life that are simply ineffable. They can't be described properly in words. Qualia are ineffable. So is the feeling in my stomach as I write this. The closest approximation in English is to say that there are butterflies in my stomach. What does that mean? I can't say.

July 4

Life, as usual, goes on. Work is the same old same old. I enjoy it, though I'm looking forward to the next much-needed 3-day weekend. I'm taking Korean class this month, this time 2 hours a day, everyday. All together it's a heavy load, but it's all worthwhile.

Oh, and that Korean high school English teacher I met through Facebook? Well, I've met her a couple of times now, but she reads this blog, so I ain't gonna say much more than that ;) We were chatting last night, though, and she said something thought-provoking. I intended to write about it here, but it might be awhile before the post goes up. Her comments touched on some interesting ideas that I'm keen to explore at length.

Bugs

I've noticed a few broken links on the site lately. This is no doubt due to my HTML skills being stuck in the 20th century Blogger, but I've fixed what I've found. Please let me know if you find anything else that demands my attention.

Meta-Musings

People, especially my friends and coworkers, describe me as sanguine. Well, actually, they don't use that word, because most people aren't as geeky about language as I am, but it's what they mean. Sometimes I wonder how you--the people who read this, or at least the ones who don't know me--would describe me. Honestly, I don't care that much about what random strangers think of me, but it spurs my curiosity every once in a while.

By the way, I'm well aware that this post practically invites trolling. Inflammatory comments will be deleted swiftly and mercilessly, unless they're sufficiently clever and/or amusing.

When It Rains

The rainy season in Korea began this week. It's been a dreary week, weather-wise, but it's also been an interesting one for me, personally. Up until this week, I had gone several months without a date, which I admit without embarrassment. I don't care much about social mores when it comes to these sorts of things. Mostly I've been content with my life, so it hasn't bothered me. Recently, however, things have changed--and rather suddenly.

Last weekend one of my students tried to set me up on a blind date with another Canadian expat. Tonight a friend of a friend wanted to set me up with someone else, a Korean girl. I declined because I had already made plans for tomorrow that precluded a late night tonight. Those plans involve another girl, and they go far to explain why I haven't followed up on the blind date opportunity.

For the past month I've been chatting with someone I met on Facebook. She lives outside of Seoul, 2-4 hours away, depending on your mode of transportation. We've used Facebook, Skype, and text messages to communicate, and we've been doing it a lot lately--at least once a day. She's Korean, but she teaches English to high school students; communication isn't a problem. Quite the opposite, actually: we anticipate each other's thoughts before we give them words. We're going to meet tomorrow halfway in between our two cities. Despite long and, often, personal conversation, I'm not sure what to expect. This sort of thing, like many of my experiences in Korea, is a first for me.

Inside Jokes