Video Module 22: Language & Thought

Question 1

Benjamin Whorf

Answer 1

an anthropologist who suggested that language determines the way we think (linguistic determinism)
- he suggested that our perception of the world is determined by the constraints of our language
—our experience of the world is not independent of language
- E.g. Whorf thought of Hopi language as “timeless” because it did not use tense markers as English did, and therefore he believed Hopi people conceptualised time differently
—Proven wrong because Hopi people do have ways of expressing time, just not in verb conjugation like English

Question 2

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (strong)

Answer 2

the strong version of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis is linguistic determinism, or the belief that our thoughts and behaviour are determined by language.
- E.g. if we do not have the word to describe something, we simply cannot perceive it until we have the word for it
- most psycholinguists would argue against this because there is no solid evidence to suggest that people are limited in their thoughts due to the language they speak

Question 3

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (mild)

Answer 3

the milder version of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis is linguistic relativity, or the belief that language indirectly influences thought through directing our attention.
- Some things are more conversationally relevant in languages than in other languages (e.g. considering grammatical gender, cardinal directions)
- Language guides our perception because it tells us what to pay attention to for communication, which shapes our experience.
- most of the effects of language on our perception are reversible

Question 4

Does language influence colour perception?

Answer 4

The language we speak does not influence colour perception in the sense that it does not limit the amount of colors we can see. However, the labels that our language uses for colour can influence the way that we categorise and distinguish between colours.

Question 5

How do studies of Russian and Berinmo speakers in comparison to English speakers show that language affects the way we conceptualise and categorise colour?

Answer 5

Two studies:
Study 1 showed that Berinmo speakers were more accurate in recognising a colour they saw if the colour options they were presented with during the recognition task had different colour words in Berinmo. English speakers showed greater accuracy in the trials in which both color chips had the same colour words in Berinmo, but different colour words in English.
Study 2 showed that Russian speakers took longer to distinguish between two blue colours if they came from the same colour category (e.g. goluboy) versus if they came from different colour categories (e.g. goluboy and siniy) in Russian. English speakers had equal reaction times since there is only one main category for blue.

Question 6

How have studies done w/ grammatical gender shown that language influences our thoughts?

Answer 6

1 study done w/ German and Spanish speakers (Boroditsky) had speakers memorise word-name pairs, in which the names either matched the GG of the words or not. It found that speakers had better memory for name-word pairs if the GG matched the name given.
Another study (Boroditsky) also used Spanish and German speakers, and showed that speakers would describe objects with traditionally masc or fem adjectives that matched the GG of the objects.

Question 7

What are three ways of how language influences our thoughts, but not our actual perception?

Answer 7

1. language may increase our attention to certain aspects of our environment
2. language can increase our expertise in categorisation of objects (e.g. Russian goluboy and siniy)
3. Language may pose some limits to our expression, but language does not inhibit a person’s ability to think of things they do not have specific words for
   - The influence of language on thought is one of many cues in our environment that guides our attention, however it is indirect.
   - the effects of language on thought can be reversible (e.g. making speakers aware of GG can cause them to rethink how they describe objects)

Question 8

What should we expect if language truly shapes thought? (linguistic determinism)

Answer 8

language should have a permanent and systematic effect on our thoughts and behaviours if it determines the way we think.
- E.g. If we do not have a word for sth, we cannot perceive it until we do