5A Reading and Vocabulary Does language change how you see…

The topic explained

READING AND VOCABULARY

I can identify specific details in a text and use verbs connected with understanding.

Does your language change what you notice?

HOW YOU SEE THE WORLD?

Note

The article A Have you heard that the Inuit have hundreds of different words for snow? The theory goes that because snow is so much more present in their lives, and often of vital importance, they actually perceive it differently, and recognise more subtle distinctions between different types of snow and ice than those of us living in warmer climes. In fact, this theory is something of a myth, not least because there isn’t a single Inuit language, but a variety of dialects. However, recent research has shown that there is at least some truth in the idea that these dialects have more ways of distinguishing different types of snow than many other languages do. The key question though, isn’t really whether there are more words to describe frozen water so much as whether this implies that the languages spoken by the Inuit mould the way they conceive of the world. This concept is referred to as linguistic relativity or, more famously, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, after two scientists who both wrote, separately, about this idea. B There is certainly plenty of evidence that different languages (and cultures) appear to see the world through different filters. For example, speakers of Guugu Yimithirr, a language used in North Queensland, Australia, would always refer to someone’s position using the words for the directions: north, south, east and west. They wouldn’t say ‘that woman is standing in front of her house’, but something like ‘that woman is standing west of her house’. As a result, speakers of Guugu Yimithirr will naturally be far better than most of us at instantly knowing which direction they are facing. To give another example, you may assume that counting is a universal human trait, but in fact, not all languages have numbers. Some indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil simply distinguish between a smaller amount and a larger amount. We can probably deduce from this that they don’t feel the need to quantify precisely in the way that many of us do. European languages also differ in the way they see the world. For example, the word for bridge has a masculine gender in Spanish and a feminine gender in German. A cognitive scientist carried out research where she asked Spanish and German speakers to describe a bridge and found that the Spanish speakers tended to use more stereotypically masculine adjectives, such as big and strong, whereas the German speakers used more stereotypically feminine adjectives, such as beautiful and elegant. C So, should we conclude that speakers of different languages do indeed see the world from a different perspective? Perhaps, frustratingly, the answer is likely to be yes and no. To begin with, it is possible to comprehend something even if you don’t have a specific word for it. If you’re adding a drop of blue to a pot of red paint, you may not have a word for every colour you make, but you will obviously grasp that these colours are different from each other. Similarly, while blue and green are clearly different colours, many languages don’t recognise this difference and have a word which describes both colours. They can be perceived as similar across cultures, too. For example, in Arabic ‘blue-eyed’ is connected to being jealous or deceitful, whereas in English, it’s ‘green-eyed’. Ultimately, someone’s culture may say a lot about how they see the world, and their culture is likely to be reflected in their language. Whether that means that their language affects their thinking is yet to be conclusively proven. D That said, many people do feel they take on a new identity when using another language. A 2006 study of bilingual Mexican-Americans asked them to take a personality test in both English and Spanish. Amazingly, the results varied, depending on which language each individual was using. Undoubtedly, how much you pick up a culture alongside a language will depend on how and why you are learning it, and whether you wish to become part of the second language culture, but it’s fascinating to consider that you might actually be a (slightly) different person when speaking a second language.

	Spanish	German
Grammatical gender of "bridge"	a masculine gender	a feminine gender
Adjectives used to describe a bridge	stereotypically masculine adjectives, such as big and strong	stereotypically feminine adjectives, such as beautiful and elegant

In which paragraph does the author describe research into the impact of a grammatical feature on the speaker’s perception?

In which paragraph does the author point out shortcomings in a specific piece of research?

In which paragraph does the author suggest an alternative explanation for linguistic relativity?

In which paragraph does the author outline a well-known theory about the effect of language on how we see the world?

In which paragraph does the author comment on the personal impact of speaking another language?

In which paragraph does the author mention a benefit to perceiving the world differently?

In which paragraph does the author refer to research into the effect of language on character?

Verbs for thinking: conclude or deduce?

The verbs for thinking and understanding highlighted in the article:
they actually perceive it differently
recognise more subtle distinctions between different types of snow and ice
the way they conceive of the world
you may assume that counting is a universal human trait
We can probably deduce from this that
should we conclude that speakers of different languages do indeed see the world
it is possible to comprehend something even if you don’t have a specific word for it
you will obviously grasp that these colours are different from each other
it’s fascinating to consider that you might actually be a (slightly) different person

WATCH OUT!

Choose the word that does NOT fit.

Because you had lived in Brazil, I ___ you spoke Portuguese.

a grasped b assumed c concluded

It’s hard to ___ how much the world is likely to change in the next 50 years.

a comprehend b conceive c reflect

They failed to ___ just how important the decision was.

a recognise b assume c grasp

With difficulty, he managed to ___ what she was trying to explain.

a assume b comprehend c grasp

From what I can ___, she’s actually been fired, rather than resigning.

a gather b conceive c deduce

A preview of “5A Reading and Vocabulary Does language change how you see the world” from the unit “Identity” in Advanced English: 3 lesson sections, 1 definition.

Source: NCCD, 5A Reading and Vocabulary: Does language change how you see the world? (pp.12-13)

5A Reading and Vocabulary Does language change how you see the world

The topic explained

READING AND VOCABULARY

Does your language change what you notice?

HOW YOU SEE THE WORLD?

Verbs for thinking: conclude or deduce?

WATCH OUT!

Key definitions

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النتائج والمعدل

الامتحانات

الدراسة

روابط رسمية

المنصة

المواد