Roni Matar – Pronouns Across Languages
Roni Matar – Pronouns Across Languages
- Pronouns and Identity Work Across Languages
- The presentation explores how pronouns and identity-related language concepts differ across languages and cultures.
- It highlights the importance of recognising these differences when applying identity-focused approaches such as Integral Eye Movement Technique (IEMT) in multilingual contexts.
- Linguistic References and Experience
- Pronouns are framed as linguistic references to lived experience.
- Different languages categorise and express these experiences in distinct ways, influencing how people perceive and describe identity and problems.
- Active vs. Passive Language
- Languages differ in how they attribute agency to actions.
- Some favour passive constructions while others emphasise active agency, shaping perceptions of responsibility and causality.
- Grammatical Gender and Perception
- In some languages, grammatical gender is assigned to nouns, subtly influencing how speakers perceive objects, roles, and concepts.
- Cultural and Linguistic Influences on Identity
- Language and culture are shown to play a central role in shaping identity and self-perception.
- Bilingual or multilingual individuals may experience and express identity differently depending on the language in use.
- Practical Applications for Therapists
- Transcribing sessions to identify linguistic nuances that may be missed in real time.
- Eliciting pronouns and references from multiple individuals in similar contexts.
- Analysing online forums (e.g., Reddit) to observe how language is used to describe experience.
- For multilingual therapists, translating passages across languages to notice shifts in meaning and structure.
- Adapting Techniques
- Guidance is offered on adapting identity-focused techniques when working in languages that lack direct equivalents for concepts such as “self” or specific pronouns.
- Importance of Context
- Emphasis is placed on understanding cultural and linguistic context when interpreting language use within therapy.
- Metaphors and Visual Communication
- Metaphors and visual aids (such as drawings) are suggested as effective ways to bridge linguistic differences and support understanding in multilingual or multicultural settings.
