Language as zoom

Feudal languages can act as a zoom to the perspective. It is a phenomenon not quite achievable in languages such as English. A man is standing on the top of a high-rise building and looking down at the smaller buildings. They all seem quite miniscule and insignificant. A man stands on the bottom of high-rise buildings and looks up. The buildings all look majestic and quite formidable. Well, these two perspectives more or less sum up the social perspective in a feudal language social system.

A man is standing on the third floor of an unfinished open storey of a building. He is looking straight at another building’s third floor. His vision is of a straight line, and sees the other building as more or less of equal level to where he is standing. This is more or less the social perspective that languages like English creates.

See the perspective from the super feudal language called Malayalam. A sparsely educated (but formally well-educated) police constable is a big man in most of the social areas. People treat him with deference. He can address most Indians as Nee, and refer to them as Avan (both lowest indicant level). Most of the people treat him as a superior, and may address him as Sar or Ningal (in Malabar), and refer to him as Sar, Avar, Adheham etc. (all superior indicant words).

However the reality is that in the Indian police hierarchy, he is a small official, and graded as Shipai or peon. As per intellectual capacity most of them are of the nitwit levels. Above them are the Head Constables, who they treat with deference, and address as Sar, and refer to as Sar, Avar, Adheham etc. The head constable may address the constable as Nee, and refer to them as Avan.

Now to the common man, the head constable is higher to the constable, and naturally, the perspective is that of a higher storey. The same communication that exists between the common man and the constable exists between the constable and the head constable. So, the head constable is also seen as a higher man, with the same communication hierarchy assigned to the constable. However, the common man keeps in mind the picture of a higher storey. In fact, he is looking at the second floor of a high-rise building, from his position on the ground.

Above the head constable is the Assistant Sub Inspector. Above him, the Sub Inspector. Above the Sub Inspector is the Circle Inspector. Above him, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySp) and the Assistant Superintendent  of Police (ASP). Above them, the Superintendent of Police (SP). 

Above the SP is the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) and then comes the Inspector General of Police (IG). Above the IG is the Director General of Police (DGP).

Now look at the perspective of the common man. He is well below all of them in the step like hierarchy in the communication. From his position on the ground, he stands and sees the towering personalities, all of them placed in the celestial heights.

There is an acute difference in English. Every one of them is just He. However in the feudal language, every one of them is a step higher to the lower level. In the common man’s perspective, the top most man is placed somewhere on the top of Mount Everest. Under no circumstance can he imagine the DGP to be just a public servant, answerable to the members of the public for any and all of his official deeds. If anyone were to tell him thus, he would call him a madman.

The perspective in an English setting is that of standing on the third floor and viewing the third floor of another building. The same height.

Now try to visualise this idea as a software coding.