HOW LANGUAGE SHAPES THE WAY WE THINK
INTRODUCTION
There are thousands of languages spoken around the world — and they all have different sounds, vocabularies and structures. But do they shape the way we think? Cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky shares examples of languages that suggest the answer is a resounding yes.
VOCABULARY
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VIDEO
Watch the video and answer the questions below.
- What is so amazing about humans?
- How many languages are there in the world?
- Explain the experiment with the Aboriginal group Kuuk Thaayorre in relation to direction?
- Why are English speakers not as sensitive to colour distinction as Russian speakers?
- Provide an example of how language structure can make people focus more on actions than on agents?
- What big effects can language have to the way we think?
- What does she say about gender?
- What aspects that have personal weight to us can language shape?
- Why is what we know of the human mind narrow?
DISCUSSION
- Did you enjoy the talk? Is there anything that particularly caught your attention?
- How important is learning foreign languages?
- Do you think that the way we think changes when we speak another language? Compare yourself with English and your native tongue.