Lecture 16- Language And Thought

Question 1

Unlike other animals, when humans think they often think in

Answer 1

The language they speak

Question 2

If categories are socially constructed

Answer 2

Different cultures may construct different concepts and the language we speak plays a role in shaping how we think

Question 3

What is the traditional view

Answer 3

• That thought has priority over language and languages are used to express thoughts we have
• Language of thought is similar to natural languages

Question 4

What is the linguistic relativity hypothesis (Sapir-Whorf)

Answer 4

• Language determines thought
• Example: Iniuit people have more words for types of snow
• Not having a word for a concept makes it hard to understand

Question 5

What’s the strong version of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Answer 5

The language someone speaks determines how they think

Question 6

What’s the weak version of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Answer 6

The language someone speaks makes certain types of thought easy for them and other types difficult

Question 7

What’s the very weak version of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Answer 7

The language someone speaks affects how easily information can be encoded and remembered

Question 8

Criticisms of the linguistic relativity hypothesis (Sapir-Whorf)

Answer 8

• Assumed that every aspect of language is reflected in thought
• Ignores that language can express concepts that they do not have single words for
• Ignores that language differences go together with cultural differences and cultural differences may be more important

Question 9

Findings against the linguistic relativity hypothesis (Sapir-Whorf)

Answer 9

-Speakers if languages with very different colour vocabularies see colours in similar ways

Question 10

Roberson et al (2000) measured colour categories between Bernimo tribe and English speakers, what did they find

Answer 10

• Found that across tasks categorical perception of colour was aligned with colour terms
• These results suggest that perception is guide by language categories

Question 11

What did Fausey and Boroditsky 2010 find comparing intentional (agentive) and accidental (non-agentive) actions and how they are described (breaking vase)

Answer 11

• English speakers used more agentive descriptions than Spanish speakers when describing accidents
• English speakers remembered the correct person who performed the accident more than Spanish speakers

Question 12

Boroditsky 2001 looked at time metaphors and found

Answer 12

English speakers speak about time horizontally, mandarin speakers speak about time vertically

Question 13

Evaluation of Boroditsky 2001 time metaphors

Answer 13

Chen 2007- Mandarin speakers also use horizontal metaphors, failed to replicate findings

Question 14

What was the Vygotsky hypothesis

Answer 14

-Language and thought are initially separate but gradually internal speech becomes the major form of thinking

Question 15

What were Vygotsky’s three stages

Answer 15

1. Language and thought separate
2. Speech is connected to behaviour, words begin to precede action more often
3. After age 7 speech becomes internalised