Difficult to Describe...

Language shapes our reality in ways we don't often consider. How do you talk about something there are no words for, in fact, how do you even think about it?

A simple example is to consider that there is only one word in English to describe love, yet in other languages there are words that clarify and classify the type of love (parent/child, platonic and romantic, etc)

The extra descriptors facilitate the discussion and even the mental exploration of what love is, they allow the concepts to be refined and combined. The language creates not only a way of communicating, but also a mental matrix for internal dialogue as well.

As an artist and writer, I want to help create a new vocabulary, one robust enough to describe the nuances of human experience and yet simple enough to be useful. I, of course, want to focus on areas that describe experiences and events at the edges of our reality.

I REALLY don't know what this language would look or sound like, but I do know that it is going to need to reflect multidimensional and subjective realities. To me this sounds like something that must go beyond words, it seems that it almost must use a combination of a wide array of symbols and media to even approach describing these subjects.

I also think it will need a new kind of "objectivity", which is simply an understanding and acceptance that all reality/perspectives are both uniquely subjective AND valid.

So you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled across this site today, "Xenolinguistics" where their stated purpose is: "evolving language in the psychedelic sphere". Just the idea that other people are considering the concept that we need more from our language in these areas seems to me as another pointer that our mass consciousness is opening up.