Have you ever thought about how essential language is in our lives, and how it makes us human? Using language, we can talk about abstract concepts such as kindness and love, human dignity, hope and dreams of a different future, and apply them to our own lives. What is more, each of the world’s approximately 6-7.000 languages represent a unique way of viewing and categorising what we experience. Take the Japanese word komorebi, which, you might remember from an earlier post of Kirstin’s, means sunlight that filters through the leaves of a tree. I know my world is a little bit richer from learning about this.
In the spirit of our February theme of Collaboration, I hope you will join me tagging #shootinglanguage on Instagram. Let’s all explore and celebrate the linguistic landscapes that surround us, and keep an eye out for language on street signs, posters, notes from your kids, on book covers, billboards and shopping lists and everywhere else.
I have been doing this for a while by myself, and I have discovered that not only do letters, handwritten or not, make for interesting graphic elements in themselves, but also that there are messages to be found if you know to look for them, and that there is just so much language out there, far more than I could ever imagine, even living semi-bilingually in English and Norwegian like I do.
I came across this sign outside a café. I’ve never been inside the place, but this sign makes me want to go.
Just the suggestion you need when you visit what is supposedly one of the rainiest cities in the country.
When language and type combine to form a message.
Notice that all the previous images are in English? All are in fact shot in Norway. While Norwegian is still the most prominent language in our linguistic landscape, English is becoming more and more visible. There are also quite a few other foreign languages to see.
“We cut your wool. Environmentally friendly hairdresser.”
“Real Glühwein from Vienna” – Norwegian with a smattering of German at last year’s Christmas market in Oslo.
The Norwegian here reads “Have a fantastic day.” I love the writing, as well as the linguistic mashup.
I wonder how many languages there are in our community? With so many people from so many places, I am sure there are a lot, and I hope you will show us the languages that surround you, in the comments, in our Everyday Beauty flickr pool, or on Instagram with the tag #shootinglanguage.
~ All the best from Jenny.
Oh, I love this idea, Jenny! I’m an Irish Spanish&Catalan>English translator living in Dublin, where all the signposts are bilingual (Irish-English). You can be sure I’ll be joining in over on instagram! Thanks, Vxxx
That’s awesome – looking forward to seeing your images! I have a degree in Celtic studies, so Ireland has been a big inspiration for my work on photography and language.
Really? How cool! Come to Dublin some time and I’ll take you on a photowalk 😉
I may just take you up on that some day; I really really love Dublin, and would be thrilled to see it through the eyes of someone who lives there 🙂
I love this Jenny. Every time I see signs and writing in public I think of you. Perhaps I will be better at remembering the hashtag from now on. I can expand your Celtic offering to English/Welsh signs.
It will be fun to see what everyone finds to contribute.
Lynn
Yay! Looking forward to the Welsh; that language is visually very strange to me, with all the w’s and y’s 🙂
This is wonderful Jenny. I share your love for words and type. I’m going to think a bit more about noticing what the signs around me are saying (in both English and French!).
Canada is certainly another interesting example of a bilingual country. Are the linguistic landscapes different depending on whether you’re in the French areas or not?
This is brilliant, Jenny! What a wonderful selection of signs. I shall definitely keep my eyes peeled to join in the fun.
Do! There really is a lot out there when you know to look for it 🙂
fantastic!!! i work in the Chinese part of town and i am blessed with a huge amount of signage!!! and the rest of Boston is also abundant with English/Spanish signs as well!!! i will definitely be looking!!
p.s. i love your shots!!!
That sounds wonderful! I tend to forget that there are many languages beyond English in the States 🙂
What a brilliant idea !
Thanks for sharing the Japanese word. Now I feel richer too. I have learned a Welsh word that I would like to share. It is “hiraeth” and I was happy to see it is similar to a Romanian word that is also hard to translate into English. Me being Romanian, really made my day. “Hiraeth /hɪəraɪ̯θ/ is a Welsh word that has no direct English translation. The University of Wales, Lampeter attempts to define it as homesickness tinged with grief or sadness over the lost or departed. It is a mix of longing, yearning, nostalgia, wistfulness, or an earnest desire[1] for the Wales of the past.[2]
Hiraeth bears considerable similarities with the Portuguese concept of saudade (a key theme in Fado music), Galician morriña and Romanian dor.”
Thanks for letting me know about hiraeth – what a fascinating word, and I love finding similarities like that between otherwise unrelated languages.