The funny thing is, Scottish is not a language in and of itself. It's an umbrella term for all of the various dialects throughout the country. Though, that doesn't stop us from referring to it as one.
From the curious dialects of Scotland to the intricate language systems of design and engineering, language is a vital part of our lives in so many ways.
In this article, we'll explore the idea of language as a system, and how it can be used to streamline communication for better understanding across a range of contexts. Let's dive into the nuances and see how we can use language to our advantage!
How language appears as a system
If we look at a definition of language:
Language is a system of communication using speech, a collection of sounds, symbols, and words used by people in a particular country or region. It is used to express thoughts, feelings, and desires, and to understand others.
We can see that there is actually a lot of complexity to unfold. You see the system of language is not restrained to written or spoken words but also has roots in symbols and sounds too. Given just how important language is, it's certainly a topic worth paying attention to in our daily lives.
Language in everyday life
Taking a simple example, anyone who is non-native and learning another language will likely have faced some hardship through misunderstanding. I recall a time when a non-native friend asked "how are you?". My reply caught them off-guard. What was that reply? "I'm fine".
It's not just the words themselves that matter. There is also the tone in which those words are said, the context, and the cultural nuances. Depending on your exposure to the English language "fine" could mean good, or could be seen as a short retort signalling frustration.
Without taking time to pause and understand not just what is said, but what is heard, we might find some interesting surprises. For example, living here in Spain I have been exposed to many "false friends".
In Spain, you could find yourself walking into a pharmacy and sharing that you are "constipado" expecting to get some form of medicine for bowel relief. You may be surprised then when you are handed something resembling a decongestant. This is because "constipado" in Spanish means "congested", not "constipated".
Language at work
In my company, we have just arrived on the other side of a 300-person tech reorg. In doing so, we have a lot of people now working on new products, with new people, and of course, learning new "languages".
These could be literal languages — most teams are made up of multiple nationalities. Beyond the traditional "language barriers" like being put on a team with a Scottish guy, there are many other examples. Exposure to new code languages. New visual languages and Design Systems. New abbreviations.
When we understand that all of these are languages of some sort and that languages need some form of translation to be understood, we quickly become aware of the effort it can take to learn new languages.
Streamlining language for better understanding
Considering all of its manifestations, we can see how language can become quite a complex topic. Not only that, it is always in flux. The Oxford Dictionary, for example, updates its content four times per year. This accommodates new words or meanings that evolve throughout pop culture, science and other key facets of society.
Establishing a common language
Like a dictionary, it would behove us all to aspire to have a single reference for our various “languages”. For example, if you are curious about the English language you would likely reach for that Oxford Dictionary I mentioned. If you're on the other side of the pond, you're more likely to reach for the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Whilst these two sources overlap largely, it's useful to have the mental model that we can reach for one or the other depending on whether we are interested in British English or American English.
In work, and in life, it can also benefit us to reduce these neural pathways to find the answers that we need. In this new team structure that I mentioned, I am often repeating the need for a "single source of truth". Not because having multiple versions is inherently bad, but because having multiple versions increases our cognitive load.
Imagine looking at a document that looks almost the same but a little different to another that you have seen. Now you start to question which is the most up-to-date. What are all of the differences across the documents? How does this affect the information that I am looking for?
Sounds stressful, right? It is. When it comes to language, whether that be in code, in our design languages, or in the words and phrases that we use with one another, we would all do better to reduce, distil, and consolidate the various forms of our languages.
Utilising cues
Sticking with documents, we can use additional metadata to help each other surface related information. Adding tags to documents may allow you to filter by and group similar content types to more easily connect the dots.
Linking out to other related sources can also help people to construct relationships in their minds. So, rather than reaching for copy and paste next time take that extra moment to link to something that already exists or see if there is any additional meaning you can provide via metadata.
These small (often visual) triggers help to act as a way-finding mechanism. Allowing us to move from source to source in the most efficient way. Sound familiar? Most of the internet works in this way through hyperlinks — which you will notice are often styled differently to the body text to support this idea of way-finding.
Cues are everywhere. Some are more universal than others. For example, on most roads that I have driven, regardless of the country, there is often some sort of countdown until the next junction. This visual language (though slightly different across countries) can be widely understood and allows drivers to prepare for an exit, resulting in safer roads.
Look around and see what other language cues you can observe. What can be learned from them? How are they understood in different contexts? Being more mindful of language as a system will help us to improve our own use of it — in its many forms.
Benefits of streamlining language
I'd argue that misunderstanding each other is to blame for a lot of the ills of the world. Now, I'm not saying that a simple conversation would solve all of our problems, but taking that little bit of extra time to understand someone better or to help them understand you will pay back in dividends.
When was the last time that you misunderstood someone? When was the last time you were not as clear as you could have been? Probably recently. Let's all look for ways to improve our shared languages whether those be spoken, written, visual or otherwise.
In doing so, we will understand each other better, move more freely through life, and feel more relaxed as a result.
What can you do today?
At work, when someone asks you a question don't write them a response—send them a link instead.
At home, don't let misunderstandings slip off track. Explicitly ask "did that make sense?" and give your family the chance to feedback.
Out in the world, why not learn some key phrases to help you communicate better during that next trip abroad? See it as a step to understanding that culture better.
If you know someone who is interested in the topic of language, systems, or hacking the world to help make our lives better, why not share this publication with them?
Listening to…
This week’s ponderings have been fueled by this recent find