"The Cosmopolitan Tongue: The University of English," John McWhorter

I agree with the statement, “Not having the language does not make him any less true to what he is.”  Although, in contrast, I think in order to have a greater understanding of our lives and the things that mean something to us, our language is an invaluable asset.  

I remember a particular instance where someone was describing to me a word in German.  With this particular word, there is no exact, definite translation.  The closest we have come to describing this in English is through some variation of the phrase, “A beautiful moment, derived from an exquisite accident.”  This left me wondering if I could fully appreciate and value the meaning of the word I was trying to understand using language, or if, to truly gain the power of this word, I needed to be able to understand a completely new language.  This left me feeling limited and powerless.  I felt as if I could not truly grasp what this word meant.  I felt frustrated.

So, I believe that in order to truly understand the value of a word and to have a definite and clear meaning of what these words mean to us, we need language.  We must have a clear and concise understanding of the most complex, and the simplest words, simply to be able to appreciate them and understand their meaning.  To use them in conversation and to use other words to describe the more complex phrases.  Language is a gift and I think we need to seize our entitlement to utilize it.