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Introduction

When you read the title of my blog, you conclude that language does influence the way we think. But it was not (and is still not) obvious for everyone. Some people believe that language is a reaction to the world around us; that our sourroundings shape the way we express. There is this well-know example of Eskimos who have invented different words to describe different types of snow. Why have they done it? Because they needed. Because, for somebody who lives in an igloo, it is crucial to make this disctincion. Does it mean that the topic of my blog doesn't make any sense? Not really.

I would like to start with bringing you closer a very intereting linguistic hypothesis that encouraged me to start tinking about language as something more that an instrument of communication - sending our thoughts to others. According to Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, language influences the way we see the world far more than we think. There are two versions of this idea:
The strong version which says that the language determines the way we think
and the weak version which says that it only influeces our thoughts.
It is extremely difficult to verify if the first assumption is right but, on the other hand, we can read about various experiments that show differences in time, space or colour perception between people who use languages with dissimilar structures. These are the topics that I'm going to write about in next posts.

In conclusion, there are many, sometimes extremely opposite, ideas and theories that try to answer these (and many other) questions: Are our thoughts determined by the language we learned? Or is the language only "a reply" to our need of comunication? Obviously, I'm not able (and I doubt if I would ever be able) to tell you simply "yes" or "not". I would only like to introduce you some interesting general issues connected with this subject. Enjoy!

Comments

  1. AgataL4 March 2019 at 23:06

    Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis was the first thing I really loved about linguistics. It makes so much sense! It accounts for differences between individuals and between ethnic groups; it is relevant to foreign language learning, too. I am really looking forward to reading your blog :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michał Bryja6 March 2019 at 21:52

      Thank you for this comment! I hope you'll like my next posts too. Btw, have you seen the film "New Arrival" with Amy Adams in the leading role (available on Netflix)? That will be a perfect choice for a person interested in linguistics!

      Delete
    2. Michał Bryja7 March 2019 at 21:42

      EDIT: This film is unfortunately not available anymore on Netflix. :(

      Delete
    3. AgataL7 March 2019 at 23:45

      But of course I know "Arrival", and I love it! The movie - and Amy Adams - should have won all awards on earth! :) I guess prejudice against science fiction is partly responsible. Such "genre movies" are just not taken seriously enough.

      Delete

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