How language impacts culture
Have you ever noticed how your language changes depending upon who you spend a lot of your time with? Having lived in many different countries I am always astounded at how quickly my language changes.
Take a simple item like trainers (the UK name for running shoes); they become sneakers in the US, tackies in South Africa and runners in Australia. I remember visiting Australia for the first time and seeing a poster up in the gym shower area that read ‘please wear your thongs when showering’; you can imagine my puzzled expression as thongs in England are women’s skimpy underwear! Continue reading