You have language – you have power!

Language is power, and power is gained through language. In language there is power: with it, what does not yet exist can be created. With language we define borders between good and bad, natural and unnatural, logical and false. Language use is a habit for all of us that – whether consciously or subconsciously – maintains the status quo. Language is a filter that affects how we perceive and understand that which is and has been around us. Language affects how we are feeling. Language is a weapon of both love and hate.

We can determine three approaches to language, which mutually affect and enrich each other, and thus, three kinds of linguists (broadly speaking).

The first kind is the prescriptivist, who standardises language or propagates norms. These are people who, for example, will wag their finger and are interested in language being “correct,” citing their authority figures (be it Endzelīns, your Latvian teacher, a famous translator, or dictionary). Some even yell, “Wrong, wrong, wrong!” However, language norms also facilitate communication and give language status. Norms can also positively affect language use. Therefore, there are few linguist anarchists, and for some people language standardisation is their job. The results of a prescriptivist’s work might be rules, commission decisions, terminology and spelling dictionaries, or study materials.

The second kind is the descriptivist, who describes, categorizes, and systematizes language. They study language and try to understand how it works, how its use is related to social factors, situations, or text types, how we learn languages, how they have developed historically, how language disorders manifest themselves. Descriptivists might go to some faraway island to immortalize an endangered language or study what the linguistic morning rituals in one of Riga’s residential areas are. The work of a descriptivist might result in, for example, scientific studies, popular scientific articles, online tools, text corpora, dialect dictionaries.

The third kind is the activist, who wishes, among other things, to empower marginalized groups and fight oppression in society or the consequences of former totalitarian regimes. For example, there are still Latvians who are ashamed to speak and write in their native Latvian language in public (Latgalian is one of two written traditions of the Latvian language). Language activism might be organizing a Livonian language camp, combating school bullying, and increasing support for your fellow human beings. Activists can become prescriptivists. The outcomes of an activist’s work might be, for example, discussions and workshops, protests, campaigns, or recommendations.

The activities of House of Languages reflect all three approaches, though language activism is the most prominent one. We have power – even if just a little – that we wield every day: to what extent does what we put in our shopping carts affect climate change, support child slavery or animal torture, or benefit the economies of totalitarian regimes? Do we choose to drive a car or ride a bicycle, or use hazard lights to justify disturbing other road users? Voting in elections is a political choice, not being interested in politics and standing on the sidelines is also a political choice. A lot of what we do every day affects other people, and each and every one of us has power. Even if just a little.

Power or the lack thereof manifests itself through knowing or not knowing a language, using it or not using it. Those who know how to put their thoughts into words have influence. Tradition is both female genital mutilation and Latvian midsummer folksongs – some traditions are to be preserved, others are not. It is the same with language. There is a constant need to reevaluate a priori definitions, metaphors, and categories to make people feel better and society more inclusive. Through language we keep transforming ourselves and reality every day.

We need to be mindful of how we speak to and about our fellow human beings and animals.
We need to discuss how authorities can make services more accessible through language.
We need to be mindful of and discuss how we speak about and address people of another gender, body type or with physical disabilities.
We need to discuss how we talk about traffic to make it more people-friendly, healthy, and safe.
We need to discuss which language(s) a state uses to communicate with its people to reduce the influence of forces dangerous to society.
We need to be mindful of how we treat people who speak other languages or another variety of our language.
We need to discuss how we can talk about the climate crisis to understand that it really is a crisis.
And sometimes, we need to surrender to the creativity and joy that language provides. That too can bring about change!