12 Colourful Language - Sweden

Entering Institute: Göteborgs universitet, Konstnärliga fakulteten, Gothenburg
Contact / Supervising teacher: Gunnar Krantz
Author/s: Stephanie Carleklev
Length: 1 min.

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Languages are full of unknown possibilities that easily rub off on those who speak them. The film Colourful Language is about how special and exciting the languages found in Europe are. Every language has something that makes it very special: words, ways to say something or single letters that can only be found in that specific language. The Swedish word ‘lagom’ would need a longer translation should one want to express the fact that something is just right in another language. And Å is not like À and I is not like i - and those little details can make a huge difference.

In Colourful Language language-specific letters (diacritics) are the main ‘actors’. They live through fun as well as struggles and serve as a lively illustration of their special nature. As the title says this, is a very colourful business. In the end it is always an advantage to learn a new language. It will lead to many new possibilities. The idea for the film is based on my own experiences after living in Germany, the US and Sweden and travelling extensively in Europe. Acquiring new languages allows one to express oneself in previously unknown ways and many different layers. Language learning is a wonderful opportunity for growth.