Could the culture of violence be rooted in the language we speak?

Could the culture of violence be rooted in the language we speak?

By: Abraham Daljang Maker

JUBA: there seems to be a link between the hostility most of us have and the language we speak. I am not good in speaking Arabic but I have something little which I can use to order food and strike small conversation with other people. Sometimes I feel ashamed of myself because everyone in South Sudan speaks it to certain level, but I console myself due to the fact it is not an official language although everyone prefers it informally.

To cut this story short, I am just wondering why people sound impolite when speaking Arabic. I have observed this for quite a while, and sometimes I fail to distinguish between quarrels and normal conversation. I am not being bias about this particular language, nor am I naïve about it but there is something peculiar about the way people speak it. When I hearing people speaking, it all turn as heated debate even when it is normal conversation, everyone wants his or her point to be heard and when emphasizing it, the tone of the voice, and facial expression tells it all that the conversation is not so polite at all. Many phrases sound so rude indeed but the only polite word I have ever heard from Arabic speaking group is only word “pazol” (welcome). In fact, the only think I like about these groups who are so obsess in speaking Arabic is that, they are always ready to welcome you whenever you get them eating food however small it might be. But when it comes to quarreling, you will not wish to have been around them. Today alone, I found six different quarrels and all of them were Arabic speaking people. What was annoying was that, the tone they spoke was at the highest pitch which could be audible enough for people making a conversation in a world populated casino. You could hear their voices in 20 kilometers away; you can just imagine that one of them would strike at any moment. I was so much afraid and if I was the one quarreling with them, that harsh sound would only make me be on my heels for safety because it remained me about a proverb which says “a loud barking dog is worse than it bite.”

Well, there are always pros and cons in any culture, language being part of a culture, I appreciate the Arabic speaking group because of another important courtesy and that is greetings. I am not sure if it is the culture but always I see these people greeting each other with hugs and strong handshakes, one time I got irritated when I paid a visited to university of Juba with a college of mind, every one of them came to greet us and tried to shake our hands even those that I don’t know. I got tired with words like “kaip, tamam?” it was very beautiful and marvelous because it shows harmony and unity, but it made no sense to me because at one moment, you can hear the very same people quarreling when they have just hugged each other saying “kaip, tamam?” I am not suggesting that I am so polite but I know myself better when to hold back my anger and how to conduct myself when I am annoyed.

Anyway, whatever the case; whether the language or the people, I am not comfortable with the way people flare up always even when the issues at hand does not need shouting.