The language that we hear our mother speak shapes our thought patterns. That's why, even if we don't currently use a language in day-to-day life, the original language we hear is called our mother tongue. Even if we are once removed from a language, it still can shape our thought patterns and worldview. I was visiting once with a friend of mine who, at the time, was in his early 60's. He is a full-blooded Shoshone man and he was lamenting that he didn't speak his language. When I asked him what language his mother used to speak to him, he replied, English. When I asked him what his mother's first language was, he told me she spoke only Shoshone before she went to school, around the age of 7. I invited him to consider that, although the vocabulary his mother used was English, the thought pattern behind it was undoubtedly Shoshone, which would have influenced his earliest impressions of the world around him. This got him thinking, and he started to realize how much his own experiences, worldview, thought processes, and decision making was patterned after the language of his ancestors. When he started to expose himself again to his language, he was delighted to discover that it came easily and naturally to him, revealing that Shoshone really is the language of his heart.

     It is often said that to really know someone, we must walk in his shoes. I think this really means to see things from his perspective. I think we should back this up a step, and before trying on someone else’s shoes, we attempt to understand the language of their heart. Language is so much more than vocabulary. Language includes culture, subtext, nuance, and world view. The language we hear and speak first, as well as the thought patterns behind it, literally shapes our brains. Understanding the landscape of your friend’s world will help you step into their shoes and see things from their perspective.

     An interesting way understand differences in thought patterns is translations. Typically, when something is translated from a language we don’t speak, into a one that we do, we don’t really notice because the translators take thought pattern into consideration. You RARELY read a direct translation. If you did, you would notice that the ideas are more difficult to grasp, and you may have a hard time understanding the intended meaning, even if you understand the individual words. Let me give you an example.

Here’s an example sentence in Navajo:

"Ashkii yázhí bilasáana yishą́."

A proper English translation would be:
"The little boy is eating an apple."

However, a direct, word-for-word translation would be:
"Boy little apple I-am-eating."

This version follows Navajo syntax and verb structure, but in English, it sounds confusing because Navajo typically places descriptions (like "little") after the noun and emphasizes action differently. The verb "yishą́" (I-am-eating) is also contextual—it implies that "I" am doing the action, even though the sentence starts with "boy little apple," making it seem unclear to an English speaker.

This brief example highlights the complexities involved in walking in another person’s shoes; and may explain why two people from different backgrounds struggle to understand one another, even if they are technically speaking the same language. But the effort is always worth it. Even if you are unable to master the heart language of your friend, taking an interest in our brothers and sisters with open minds and hearts can bridge a lot of gaps and unite us in spite of our worldview differences. May all such differences serve to enrich our lives, and not divide us.