Yesterday I was thinking about the radical difference between how two languages, German and English, encourage a person to express appreciation for a thing.
The typical German phrasing, “das gefählt mir,” or “it gives me pleasure,” puts the thing front and center and gives it the power to please. The colloquial American phrasing, “I like it,” is the opposite: the subject is central and absorbs the thing with approval. I wondered if this subtle difference has implications for crafts and conservancy and how yet other languages might differ with cultural implications to follow.
At the same time, my friend Ron was wondering why he is “addicted” to learning languages. I think we were fondling the same Elephant.