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The Journey of Indian Languages: Perpectives on Culture and Society ISBN : 978-81-938282-6-7 Language in Architecture Rupa Singh The purpose of this paper is to trace the similarity between architectural styles and linguistics or nature of languages or narrative style in written form. Language as understood by mass is the method to communicate to each-other either orally or in written manner. Nature of the language can be anti-language, biased language, sexist language, natural language, body language, code switching, figurative language, Lingua-franca, taboo language, vernacular, killer or majority language. Nature of language is mirror to culture and civilization at any time in history. Similarly, Architecture is embraced in as many ways as there are architects or people commenting on their practices. Generally, it is taken as an art with Sciences as an attribute to create an object of aesthetics, social responsibility, and sensitivity. Architecture has evolved in nature of languages or style throughout the history of human and built environment. An architectural style includes form, building materials, or method of construction or regional character as distinguished features. Different Architectural styles, for example Romanesque Architecture, Gothic Architecture, Art Nouveau Architecture, Deconstructivism, Architecture; each of them has peculiar method of communicating their emotions, ideas with environment. Each of them can be explained in context of various phrases or narrative style like natural language, ornamental language, anti- language etc. Hamlet when asked in the drama ‗Hamlet‟ by Shakespeare‘ ―What do you read, my lord? He was made to say ‗Words, words, words‘. There is no sophisticated notion of ‗Words, words, words‘. Likewise, architecture is complex as pitched in by Zaha Hadid in ‗The Guardian‟, ―Architecture is unnecessarily difficult. It is very tough.‖ The paper here tries to explore the comparative analysis between the complexity of nature of languages and that of architectural style. Introduction: Understanding Language and Architecture Language as understood by mass is the method to communicate to each-other either orally or in written manner. The words are used in structured and conventional way. Tongue, Mother- tongue, speech, dialect, vernacular, bhasha are synonyms to the word ‗language‘. Edward Sapir in the book ‗Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech‘ says, ―Language is purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of voluntarily produced symbols.‖ B. Bloch and G.Tranger in their book ‗Outline of Linguistic Analysis‟ writes, ―A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbol by means of which a social group cooperates.‖ Wayne Weiten in ‗Psychology: Themes and Variations‟ says, ―A Language consists of symbols that convey meaning, plus rules for combining those symbols that can be used to generate an infinite variety of messages.‖ Walt Whiteman writes, ― Language is not an abstract construction of the learned, or of dictionary makers, but is something arising out of work, needs ties, joys, affections, tastes, of long generations of humanity, and has its bases broad and low, close to the ground.‖ Indeed language is both the medium and thought process depicting the civilization of human race. Architecture is embraced in as many ways as there are architects or people commenting on their practices. Generally, it is taken as an art with Sciences as an attribute to create an object of aesthetics, social responsibility, and sensitivity. Frank Lloyd Wright in the Architectural Forum in May 1930 interprets Architecture to be the triumph of human imagination over Volume:3| 2019 www.baou.edu.in Page 26 The Journey of Indian Languages: Perpectives on Culture and Society ISBN : 978-81-938282-6-7 materials, methods, and men to put man into possession of his own earth and architecture to be man‘s great sense of himself embodied in a world of his own making. Also, in 1937, he writes that mere buildings mayn‘t know the spirit at all and hence architecture is simply a higher type of nature and expression of human nature where his spirit enters into all like God, the Creator. President Barack Obama, at Pritzker Ceremony Speech in 2011 says, ―Architecture is about creating buildings and spaces that inspire us, that help us do our jobs, that bring us together, and that become, at their best, works of art.‖ that we can move through and live in. And in the end, that is why architecture can be considered the most democratic of art forms." Besides, Lance Hosey in Architect says, ―Architecture is like the picture of Dorian Gray: It can look beautiful in public, while somewhere out of sight its true soul withers and rots;‖ and Prince Charles in The Architectural Review expresses, ―Architecture is a language: new designs should abide by grammatical rules to avoid dissonance with existing structures.‖ To sum it up, architecture can be understood either as ‗standing for‘ something else by virtue of interpreting meaning as is the practice in the western tradition, or in the relation effected between it and the participated or observer practiced in the Eastern tradition or the Zen. Different Architectural Styles and their characteristics Architecture has evolved in nature of languages or style throughout the history of human and built environment. An architectural style includes form, building materials, or method of construction or regional character as distinguished features. The predominant architectural style throughout ages has been Romanesque Architecture, Gothic Architecture, Art Nouveau Architecture, Deconstructivism. Art Nouveau Architecture is identified by asymmetrical shapes, extensive use of arches and curved forms, curving glass, curving lines or plant like embellishments and some structures seem almost to rise from ground in swelling and undulating forms forming a whiplash curve. Other features are stained glasses, mosaics and Japanese motifs. The style is reminiscent of natural forms. It is seen more as stylistic choice than binding philosophy of art. People who saw beautiful things could benefit from it were indeed the involved philosophy making Art Nouveau a total style, an idea that all arts should be reintegrated is known as Gesamtkunstwerk. Romanesque Architecture and design of castle should comply with practical uses and aesthetic design necessarily in the case of latter. The style conveyed fear, awe, respect, domination, envy, submission, power and wealth. The interior of stone castles were cold, smelly and dim although it had improved comfort level to that of wooden Mottea and Bailey Castles. The special features of Romanesque Architecture are dwarf gallery, blind arcades and small windows. The Medieval castles designed in this style were expensive but durable. In order to solve the problems of medieval times, Gothic Architecture style developed and marked the beginning of light, pleasant and airy buildings characterized by gargoyle, flying buttress, stained glass. Gothic Architecture style or decorative style was not just functional but also had merits and meaning since it incorporated aesthetic values into the building. For example, popular style of flamboyant gave cathedrals a flame like appearance, pointed arches reached heaven and arch –vaulted ceiling gave a feeling of grandeur and elegance. Gothic Architecture is a retrospective term since back in medieval time; it was ‗modern style‘. Deconstructivism style is idea of fragmentation and juxtaposition of opposing forms dominated by curvilinear shapes or non-rectilinear shapes like circles, triangles or unequal polygons. The style manipulates the surface covering the construction for exterior of buildings to look disjointed and chaotic. Deconstructivism style rejects the idea that Volume:3| 2019 www.baou.edu.in Page 27 The Journey of Indian Languages: Perpectives on Culture and Society ISBN : 978-81-938282-6-7 structures need to assume a coherent form and is rule breaking style. The style gives an experience of something frozen in time or of gigantic explosion. Characteristics of Natural Architecture are fractal geometry, i.e. geometry that does not apply to modern buildings or modern urban settings. Samuel Mockbee said, ―As architects our goodness is more important than our greatness and our compassion more eventful than our passion.‖ Natural Architecture complies totally with his philosophy and advocate socially- culturally relevant, more humane, more natural and sustainable spaces to nurture human spirit. Modern Architecture or International Style is an architectural style referring to large group of similar buildings that emerged and practiced in many countries between 1920s and 1950s. The characteristics of International Style are simplicity of form, clean structure, functionality and lack of ornamentation and rejection of traditional style of separate spaces. It is based on abstraction created by basic shapes and forms and clean lines predominantly showcasing box- like building, cubic volume and flat roofs. The underlying principle of the International style is ‗less is more‘ and emphasis is on ‗form follows function‘. Unlike separate spaces or rooms of traditional style, the modern architecture advocates for undivided living and working spaces that function as multiple-use areas. Meaning conveyed by a building was not an important consideration in architecture until Greco-Roman ways were rediscovered via Vitruvius in the fifteenth century, whereupon they became meaningful to the Renaissance