This very moment, cultural concepts and forms of expression are disappearing forever.”Īnd so we have arrived at the most important theme of the game, the one that is central to the story: the importance of language for our understanding of the world, and for the existence of each and every concept. “It is said that over 2000 languages of the world are facing extinction. Simply put, concepts are linguistic constructs. The idea of how a word can create an image in our heads, a concept, is something that is not just true for names, but for language as a whole. Physically, he wasn’t Big Boss, but conceptually, he was. All that matters, is that’s the concept that’s taken shape in their heads.” It was up to Venom Snake to live up to the legend, the concept that now existed in people’s heads, and he eventually did. Or, as Ocelot put it: “That’s our reality here, whether it’s real or not. He’s Big Boss in the mind of those who surround him – and in his own mind. Throughout the game, the protagonist is Big Boss. Simply put, ‘Big Boss’ is a specific word representing a specific concept. “Regardless of where they came from or why they’re here, they revere you.” It’s a name with the power to unite and to lead people, because of the concept it represents. Shalashaska explains at the beginning of the game: “Once word of Big Boss’ return starts traveling, that will be our true deterrent against Cipher.” But the concept of Big Boss has another effect, on Diamond Dogs’ soldiers. Quiet is another example, but more on that later.Īs for Big Boss, the name itself holds the power of the concept it conveys.
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“The name Code Talker is a lesson carved into my being.” It was an attempt to turn him into someone else, no longer a Diné boy. The name Code Talker was given by him to Skull Face, and he deliberately keeps using this name. “To erase our words was like erasing our people.” But he was also given a new name, George. In an attempt to dissolve his culture, he was forbidden to speak Navajo. He is aware of the effect of words, aware of the power of language.Īs a child, Code Talker – like many Native Americans – was brought to a Native American Boarding School to be ‘educated’. He sees losing his name as a great threat. But Eli does not comply, if he gives up his name, he’ll lose control. After arriving on Mother Base, the children are instructed to abandon their ‘noms de guerres’, it’s the first step in removing their ‘child soldier’ identities. “Word of the infamous White Mamba spread fast.” To Eli, calling him by his ‘real’ name is denying him this identity, the one he chose for himself. Eli is the clone of another man, the inferior carbon copy, but Nyoka ya Mpembe (White Mamba) is his own person, the leader of a group of child soldiers. To Eli, his Kikongo name is who he is, how he sees himself and how he wants others to perceive him. But as soon as this word existed, the concept – the idea of this man called Shalashaska – existed as well. The moniker is more than a tool for reference, it encompasses their way of seeing, and the reason the name came to be in the first place has everything to do with their concept of this man – and of course, the specifics of their language. This name is the result of how they see Ocelot – their concept of Ocelot a combination of several concepts that in their mind, make up this man. In the game this idea is reflected in several of the characters as they (or others) talk about their names.Īround the time The Phantom Pain takes place, the Mujahadeen started calling Ocelot ‘ Shalashaska’. It’s part of someone’s identity, and by giving someone a specific name you can steer the interpretations tied to it – shape the concept. In the same way as language is more than just a tool for communication, a name is more than simply a way to refer to someone. The Phantom Pain’s story revolves around the relation between (physical) objects and (abstract) concepts, between signified and signifier – and how language plays a central role. And now, it’s impossible not to think in these concepts, we live our lives around them. Take the concepts of history and future, for example. Language is probably the most important part of what makes us humans different from other species. With each change, I changed too.” We cannot observe and interpret the world in the same way if we change our language. “With each new post my masters changed, along with the words they made me speak. For example, Skull Face’s identity was ‘stolen from him’ because his language was stolen from him. This is why language is so closely tied to identity.
We understand the world through language, we think in language. It’s not simply a tool for communication, it is so much more.
Language is a lot more important than we often realize.
INTRODUCTION – how we understand the world through language “All that matters, is that’s the concept that’s taken shape in their heads.”
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