As a linguist and a writer, I appreciate the critical importance of understanding the subtle nuances of language. Both French and German (and many other languages around the world) have several words for "You," according to the degree of familiarity and formality. As a foreigner you will probably be perplexed by the way Latin countries are moving the goal-posts on conversational familiarity, and may find that generational differences and even regional variations between town and country.
Don't let anyone tell you they speak our language in the United States, especially if you're shopping for clothes. You'll find that knickers are shorts, pants are trousers and vests are waistcoats. All of this can be mildly amusing, but move language into the the fields of business and politics and the implications can be serious.
The problem arises when the word carries different connotations in different languages, and if you are unaware of these differences, you can land yourself in difficulties. Such a word is "crusade." Dictionaries give "military campaign" as the prime meaning, but in general parlance it's the figurative meaning of "aggressive movement against public evil" that is meant to be communicated. A major diplomatic flare-up occurred when the US projected the invasion of Iraq as a crusade, meaning "aggressive movement against public evil" while the Muslim world perceived that America was considering the action in its literal context of a Holy War - specifically in the context of reclaiming Holy Land from Islamic rule.
As I am at pains to point out in Tork & Grunt's Guide to Effective Negotiations, what matters is not what you say, but what the other party hears and how they interpret your communication.
So - it's Valentine's today, and did you hear what you wanted to hear...?
The problem arises when the word carries different connotations in different languages, and if you are unaware of these differences, you can land yourself in difficulties. Such a word is "crusade." Dictionaries give "military campaign" as the prime meaning, but in general parlance it's the figurative meaning of "aggressive movement against public evil" that is meant to be communicated. A major diplomatic flare-up occurred when the US projected the invasion of Iraq as a crusade, meaning "aggressive movement against public evil" while the Muslim world perceived that America was considering the action in its literal context of a Holy War - specifically in the context of reclaiming Holy Land from Islamic rule.
As I am at pains to point out in Tork & Grunt's Guide to Effective Negotiations, what matters is not what you say, but what the other party hears and how they interpret your communication.
So - it's Valentine's today, and did you hear what you wanted to hear...?
