The concept of home is an important construct in every single language of the world, even for African tribal nomads. This is a “linguistic universal” of a sort that unites us all. After all, where we choose to live is pretty fundamental. Speakers of Nivkh in the Sakhalin region of Russia are streamlined to be innovative about the home by their language, for example, as you can see from the interesting construction pictured above. African tribal nomads are coded to be open-minded about the concept of dwelling, of course. In Europe our languages teach us to be extravagant with regard to abode – hence our rich architectural and interior decorating traditions. What (else) can you identify about the relationship between your language and the concept of the home?
🛖🏠🏡🏘🏚
🇬🇧 home, house
🇫🇷 la maison
🇪🇸 la casa
🇮🇹 la casa
🇩🇪 das Haus
🇷🇺 дом, dom
🇭🇺 otthon
🇪🇪 kodu
🇫🇮 koti
🇨🇳 屋 wū house, 家 jiā home
We’re all obsessed with our homes. Kids even love playing house. Playing house is arguably one of those fundamental experiences in most kids’ childhoods, at least in the West. Why? Because it helps us calibrate ourselves as per the homely dimension of our languages. Elsewhere, it’s the norm to keep one’s mind open about the role of the home. Before bricks and mortar existed, everyone sort of played proto-house in the homemaking process to keep attitudes fresh.
The Buzz-Concept Project 