I have read somewhere that a language is more than a language – it’s a window to a culture and a door to the evolution of a country. You realize this especially when you start to learn a language way later in your life. The languages you learn from birth may not always throw surprises at you. But learning a completely new language drowns you in revelations every once in a while.

One of the examples is words like – ‘frühstuck’, ‘Mittwoch’ and ‘sehenswürdigkeiten’. The ‘Aha’ moment comes when you realize they are not complex words but a collection of simple words – ‘ first piece’, ‘mid-week’ and ‘see-worthy-sights’ respectively.

I have also discovered that the German language has one more unique feature. Coining or having words for complex feelings that almost all humans feel. Words like ‘sonder’ and ‘fernweh’ which take paragraphs to convey in other languages. This, I feel, is quite a revelation because a common word between two people establishes a connection through empathy.

I still am in the process of knowing the language and can’t wait to have many more such revelations.

Wait, is there a word for this feeling?!

Ankitha