War-like

I studied Linguistics in college.  Languages have always interested me, and I loved being able to study something that was also my hobby (and now I am qualified to flip a burger in three languages, yippee!).  I've had a niggling feeling lately that I've fallen off the proverbial academic bus, so I'm looking for ways to stay up on my linguistics research.

Which brings me to my first question for the void: does anyone out there have recommendations for interesting reads in the realm of linguistics or language?  It's sometimes so hard to get a sense of what's good from Goodreads, so I'll leave the recommendations to anyone out there who happens to have an opinion or recommendation.  Help?

But anyway.  I've been thinking for the past couple of days about a study I read back in the day about English language and violence.  I can't remember the name of the study, so don't quote me on anything, but the gist was this: language, and specifically slang, tells you a lot about the culture in which it is spoken.  More narrowly, English speakers use a variety of violent and/or war-like slang words...and what does that say about our culture?

For example:

"I bombed that test."

"Knock 'em dead!"

"That class totally kicked my butt."

"I'm so mad, I'm going to kill him!"

"I'm so tired, I feel like I got hit by a bus."

"That oral exam? I killed it!"

Etc.

There are a ton of other examples that I can't think of right now (because it's Sunday night and my brain has been off for some hours), but it's a pretty interesting concept, don't you think?  Frankly, you've only got to turn on the news to see how violent a society we live in.

I speak French (but not well enough at this point to compare idioms) and elementary Arabic (heavens, I basically only speak "TV/24 Terrorist" Arabic...), but I'd be interested to hear how much of this exists in other languages.  Would a peaceful/pacifist country like, say, Sweden, have far fewer violent slang words in their language?  Would German speakers use more violent language than English speakers?

[These are gross over-generalizations about these two cultures, but there you are.]

AND. At what point does language start influencing culture rather than the other way around?  Can it?  Does it?  If we started speaking in less violent terms, would that make us a more peaceful people?  I doubt it.  But it's an interesting thought.

More often language evolves as the culture changes.  It's like the words we use to describe the internet (blog, web, etc.) or mass-produced items (fast fashion, McMansion, etc.) that only recently came onto the scene.  I think if Shakespeare visited suburban DC tomorrow, he'd be hard-pressed to understand what anyone was blabbering on about.  Then again, put me back in Elizabethan England and I'm sure I'd have just as much trouble understanding The Bard.

Now there's a thought.  How much violent language does Shakespeare use as description?  Has the language culture shifted that much since his time?

But, that's a study for another day...when my brain is on again.

French Lavender Soap

My Arabic conversation instructor in college was a Swedish-born Egyptian with sparkling eyes, cutting wit, and a grand flare for artistry.

One day as she was helping me struggle through dual conjugations and the musdaar, she told me that she almost always assigned a specific item to each person she came in contact with.  Something tangible that describes the feeling or jist of the person. 

I think I tend to do the same thing, but it less defined terms.  There are definitely certain sounds, sights, tastes, smells that remind me of certain people, but I'm not sure if I'm consciously assigning that to them or if it's more of an organic process.

I was intrigued and asked her what she'd mentally assigned to me.  She considered for a moment, then declared: French Lavender Soap.

This, coming from her, was quite flattering to me.  She was beautiful, international, sparkling and outgoing.  I was dorky, gangly and arabicly tongue-tied.  And yet she thought of me as pleasant (though, come to think of it...who knows...). 

For some reason I've been thinking back to this lately and wondering if she'd still place me the same way.  Am I still peaceful French lavender soap?  Or am I now more of a sassy half-full jar of Nutella?