Twaba dutekereza bitandukanye bitewe n'indimi tuvuga?

Ku isi hari indimi zirenga 7,000 zivugwa n'abantu batandukanye. None, ibyo byaba bivuze ko hariho uburyo 7,000 butandukanye bwo kubona ikintu kimwe?

Mu ndimi gakondo zimwe zo muri Australia, nta magambo abamo avuga "ibumoso", "iburyo", "imbere" cyangwa "inyuma".

Ahubwo, ba kavukire b'izo ndimi bakoresha mu majyaruguru, mu majyepfo, iburasirazuba, iburengerazuba, ndetse ahantu hamwe na hamwe, urugero nk'igihe abantu bari ku meza bafungura, bashobora kugira bati: "Nyabuneka, hereza umunyu abo mu burasirazuba".

Nubwo ibi bishobora kumvikana nk'ibintu bigoye, ikibivamo ni uko abo bantu muri rusange usanga bamenya kurushaho icyerekezo baherereyemo.

None, ibyo byaba bivuze ko "ukuri" kuba gutandukanye, bitewe n'ururimi uvuga?

Kuvuga ibara ry'ikintu

Panos Athanasopoulous, umwarimu mu bumenyi bw'indimi wo kuri Kaminuza ya Lancaster mu Bwongereza, avuga ko indimi ari uburyo "bwo gushyira ku murongo isi ubundi irimo ibintu biri mu kavuyo bigasobanuka".

Ati" "[Indimi] Ziduha inyito".

Sophie Scott, umwarimu w'uburyo ubwonko butekereza wo kuri Kaminuza ya University College London mu Bwongereza, yabwiye BBC ati: "Uburyo indimi zitandukanye zigabanyamo isi, bishobora guhinduka, kandi ibyo mu by'ukuri bigira uruhare mu buryo ubonamo iyo si".

Avuga ko ufashe nk'urugero rw'ijambo "iteme", rishobora kuba iry'igitsina-gabo (masculine/masculin) cyangwa iry'igitsina-gore (feminine/féminin), bitewe n'ururimi urivuzemo.

Scott avuga ko kubera iyo mpamvu, abantu bashobora kuvuga ibyiza byaryo mu gihe bari kurivugaho.

Ati: "Akamaro karyo cyangwa ububasha bwaryo bushobora kugirana isano kurushaho n'igitsina-gore cyaryo, mu gihe ingufu zaryo n'ingano yaryo bishobora guhuzwa n'igitsina-gabo cyaryo".

Mu gutanga urugero rw'uko indimi zishobora kugira ingaruka ku ntekerezo yacu, Profeseri Athanasopoulous yabwiye BBC iby'igerageza ry'ubushakashatsi rijyanye no kuvuga ibara, hagati y'ubururu n'icyatsi kibisi.

Ati: "Ushobora kugira indimi nyinshi zifite ijambo rivuga icyarimwe icyatsi kibisi n'ubururu, rizwi ubusanzwe nka 'grue' (mu Cyongereza). Nk'urugero, ibi ubisanga mu ndimi nka Himba [ruvugwa] mu mirambi yo muri Namibia".

"Mu igerageza rimwe, twabajije abo twarikoreragaho kureba ku ibara ry'amabati, nyuma yaho ho amasegonda 30 tubereka amabara menshi.

Tubasaba guhitamo ibara bari bamaze kubona. Ni ibintu bigoye ku muntu uvuga Icyongereza, dutanze nk'urugero, ariko uvuga ururimi rwa Himba ashobora kubikora nkaho ari akantu koroshye cyane nk'amazi kubera ko iryo bara ni ingenzi kuri bo".

Kubw'ibyo rero, "ntabwo ushobora gutahura amabara mu buryo bworoshye atari mu rurimi kavukire rwawe", nkuko Profeseri Athanasopoulous abivuga.

Gusobanukirwa n'isi

Igitekerezo cyuko indimi zituma tumenya uburyo dufata ikintu nkaho ari icy'ukuri, cyagiye kigira abagishyigikiye n'abakirwanya mu myaka ishize.

Umwe mu bantu bakwije cyane icyo gitekerezo ni Benjamin Lee Whorf, umuhanga mu ndimi w'Umunyamerika. Mu mwaka wa 1940, yatangaje ibyo yagezeho mu bushakashatsi bwe ku rurimi rwa Hopi rw'Abanyamerika ba kavukire.

Whorf yavuze ko, kubera ururimi rwabo kavukire, abavuga Hopi n'Icyongereza nk'indimi zabo kavukire baba bafite uburyo butandukanye bwo gusobanukirwa no kuvuga ibintu bitandukanye nk'igihe, cyangwa, dukoresheje amagambo ya Profeseri Athanasopoulos, "ntabwo ari abantu babona kimwe isi".

Ariko ubushakashatsi bwa Whorf bwanenzwe ko busa nk'ubuca amarenga ko abo bavuga ururimi rwa kavukire badashobora kumenya amagambo atabaho muri urwo rurimi.

Bamwe bibajije niba ari uko bimeze, ni gute umuntu uwo ari we wese ashobora kwiga ikintu gishya?

Ibivugwa bitandukanye...

Ariko hari uburyo indimi zituma abazivuga batondeka bakanavuga ibitekerezo byabo, nkuko bivugwa na Profeseri Christopher Hart wigisha ubumenyi bw'indimi kuri Kaminuza ya Lancaster mu Bwongereza.

Yabwiye BBC ati: "Imiterere y'ururimi iduhatira kugera ku bintu bimwe byuko dufata ukuri bijyanye n'ururimi tuvuga muri icyo gihe".

Ubwo buryo buzwi nko gutekereza ugamije kuvuga - bivuze ko abantu batandukanye bavuga indimi zitandukanye batekereza mu buryo butandukanye, mu gihe baba barimo gutegura icyo bavuga.

Gushyira ibitekerezo ku murongo

Kuuk Thaayorre ni ururimi gakondo ruvugwa n'abantu bacye bo mu bwoko bwa Pormpuraaw mu majyaruguru ya Australia.

Nkuko twabikomojeho mbere, muri urwo rurimi nta magambo avuga ibumoso cyangwa iburyo abamo, cyangwa ikibazo kimenyerewe nko kuvuga uti: "Uri kujya hehe?"

Nkuko Lera Boroditsky abivuga, ibyo bishobora kuba ikibazo ku bantu batari ba kavukire b'ururimi.

Ati: "Igisubizo gikwiye kuba ngo 'mu majyepfo - mu majyepfo ashyira uburasirazuba, mu ntera iringaniye'. Iyo utazi aho uri kwerekeza, nta nubwo ushobora gusuhuzanya gusa ngo ibindi ubyirengagize".

Kwitegereza igihe

Rero ubutaha ubwo uzaba uri kuvugana n'umuntu wavukiye kandi agakura avuga ururimi rutandukanye n'urwawe, jya wibuka ko uburyo mufatamo ibintu bushobora kuba butandukanyeho gato, ndetse harimo no ku bintu bisanzwe bifatwa nkaho abantu bose babihuriyeho.

Mu by'ukuri, abavuga Icyongereza bakunze gufata igihe nk'ikintu kiri "imbere" yacu kandi dushyira "inyuma" yacu - mu gihe ku bavuga Mandarin, igihe gishobora kuba imbere, inyuma, hejuru cyangwa munsi.

Nubwo indimi nyinshi zishobora gutandukana, Profeseri Athanasopoulos avuga ko ibi bidakwiye kubuza abantu kuvugana n'abakuze bavuga indimi zitandukanye n'izabo.

Ati: "Mu by'ukuri ahubwo hari impamvu nziza cyane yo kwiga ururimi...kugira ngo umenye ukundi kuntu ufatamo isi".

Uwo mwarimu wa kaminuza avuga ko mu by'ukuri ugutandukana kwacu ari ko kuduhuza.

Ati: "Ugutandukana ni ishingiro ry'inyoko-muntu" kandi "birashoboka ko ari cyo kintu kimwe cy'ukuri gihuriweho n'inyoko-muntu".