In 2010, psychologist Lera Borodistsky wrote “Lost in Translation’. This article focuses on doing research to find out whether or not the language we speak set a foundation to the way we think. For a very long time it was questionable if languages could be studied and to what affects they have on people lives and their way of thinking. Through research, it has now proven that language can have a major impact on how people see the world. I agree with the findings in this article, I believe that language plays a major role in how people see and react to different parts of the world (Podolefsky & Brown, 2012).
In this writing, I learned that English speakers arrange time from left to right and Hebrew speakers do it from right to left. I
Language is a very import part in our life, we carry it with us through all the steps, processes, moments experiences of our life, language built us and make us grow and the most important thing is that it grows with us, changes, modifies itself, and becomes more appropriate and specific. As we pointed out language help us to create and understand the world around us, gives meaning to everything and gives birth to emotions and feelings; a world without language would be meaningless and very lonely. Language it’s what help us grow up, the more we learn through it, the more we desire to experience and study in deep, leading us to new prospective, opening our mind to more specific and deep concepts, ideas, projects, goals. We really can’t
Most questions of whether and how language shapes thought start with the simple observation that languages differ from one another. And a lot! Just look at the way people talk, they might say. Certainly, speakers of different languages must attend to strikingly different aspects of the world just so they can use their language properly.
In “Lost in Translation,” Lera Boroditsky writes to people within businesses or people who are wanting to invest in companies that work with other countries. She writes to inform and tell the reader that if getting involved with other countries you need to know what to expect. The examples she provides in her article show that language in some countries does differ from others, but it isn’t like that in every country. She writes to inform business people what they need to know before they get involved with other countries. This is why this article is published in the Wall Street Journal, Boroditsky wants all business companies to know what to expect before they get involved. Throughout the article I pulled out rhetorical choices that make the article what it is. Lera Boroditsky credibility shows through past references, significance to audience, statistical jargon through logos, and personal anecdotes.
The main reason that Boroditsky’s argument that language shapes our minds is valid is that the research she did with her teams covers a wide variety of aspects on this topic while still keeping her article cohesive. The first research Boroditsky introduces to her audience is the research on the Kuuk Thaayorre, which is an
In his article "Does Your Language Shape How You Think?" the author Guy Deutscher discusses how the acquisition of one's mother tongue shapes one's view of the world. The article was published in The New York Times in August 2010. The author's major paradigm is that every language one learns influences one's mind and feelings in a different way. Deutscher explains that depending on one's mother tongue, objects can be considered masculine or feminine, which results in the speaker feeling differently about them. The author believes that different languages do indeed make one speak about space in different ways as well; although he claims people do not have entirely different views of it. Deutscher then explains that experiments have shown that
Famous American anthropologist and social theorist Clyde Kluckholm , claims in one of his publication that “Every language is also a special way of looking at the world and interpreting experience concealed in the structure of language are a whole set of unconscious assumptions about the world and the life in it”(Writing logically, Thinking critically 7th edition P 35). Based on this theory, we can learn more
The novel Lolita, written by Vladimir Nabakov, contains perhaps the utmost example of the unreliable narrator. Many readers have questions Nabakov’s character after reading this story. As Humbert claims in the story that he toyed with the doctors and nurses when he was institutionalized, he toys with us, the readers, and makes very convincing arguments for our sympathies. His nature is very controlling, mocking and delusional as it appears through his lyrical narration. While he does this, many readers who dive into the life of Humbert Humbert see him as an honest narrator who never denies his inexcusable actions.
Linguistic relativity is the notion that language can affect our thought processes, and is often referred to as the ‘Sapir-Whorf hypothesis’, after the two linguists who brought the idea into the spotlight. Whorf writes how “Language is not merely a reproducing instrument for voicing ideas but rather is itself the shaper of ideas, the program and guide for the individual’s mental activity” (1956:212), and I will explain how it is able to do so. In this essay I will argue that certain ways of mental categorization, spatial cognition and reality interpretation, based on the characteristics of our specific variety of language, influence our perception of the world. I will discuss how languages divide up nature differently, and
Originally published in the Wall Street Journal in 2010, Lera Boroditsky’s paper titled “Lost in Translation” analyzes the impact language has on thought. Formatted as more of a persuasive than truth seeking essay, Boroditsky begins by asking the reader if the language a person speaks shapes the way they think. This makes the reader believe as though she is truly trying to find an answer to this inquiry, but as the paper goes on, the reader is mostly introduced to evidence that supports Boroditsky’s stance and she merely touches upon the argument of the opposing side. Although Boroditsky does not include more counterarguments, “Lost in Translation” is a well written article which demonstrates that languages indeed shape the way people think through her use of the Rhetorical Triangle, inductive logic, and her stylistic choices.
I found this paper to be fascinating. I have always thought that our language shapes how we think; this paper sheds new light on the varying languages spoken throughout the world. The following is an excerpt from Lera Boroditsky’s paper:
While some bilingual individuals perceive English as a language they had to learn out of necessity, there were some other individuals who see their ability to speak English as their strengths to connect with various people from different cultures. Some individuals also expressed that English affects “the way one sees the world, how one connects with people and possibilities one’s future holds” (Aguayo 2017:5).
No matter where you are in the world, you are taught about language. Whether it’s in your home learning your language or in school trying to learn a foreign language. Although while learning language the notion is never really thought about or brought up that the language and way we speak can influence the way we think and interact. Phycologist and neuroscientist alike have spent years, with multiple different tests to see if there is a connection between the various languages that are spoken and the way people not only think but also how they go about their daily lives. She writes to not only her colleagues and neuroscientists but also to anyone in the general public that is genuinely interested in the connection between
Quite naturally speaking, it is evident to me that individuals who are limited in spoken languages tend to be limited in their perceptions. Imagine an athlete who must develop and apply the skills necessary to enter the winner’s circle. A thinker must do the same to become accomplished in consistently seeking and employing reasoned ways which lead to optimal outcomes.
What was their hypothesis or what research question were they trying to answer? In order to solve this concern they came up with the hypothesis that language has a big relation to culture. Therefore, depending on any person 's culture; they will have a different view of the world, as culture influence on people 's behavior, thinking, and the way they
From my readings to research from Edutopia to literature courses, I have gained a deeper appreciation for language. In order to understand what one is speaking, a person needs to spend time listening to one’s language and before responding must reflect and analyze what the other said and how to respond. If a person wants to love another person they have to listen to their language in order to speak their language, and the core part of learning another language is by listening. According to Joan Blaska, author of The Power of Language: Speak and Write Using “Person First” the language people use shows one’s bias and prejudices. Beliefs and another’s performance fall under the influence of language. Blaska claimed “ the degree to which children are able to perceive themselves as competent and worthy, or the opposite, is heavily influenced by the verbalizations used by their teachers...Studies have found that labeling of students does affect teacher expectations which in turn affects student progress”. People have heavy influence with their words, because of this, our language must be intentional in a way, that breaks down negative stereotypes and helps one gain empathy as well as seeing others capabilities. Communicating and reading others comments and inquiring others has helped me to accept