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DOES LANGUAGE CHANGE HOW YOU SEE THE WORLD?

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 5 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 10 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 thanmany other languages do. The key question though, isn’t 15 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, 20 the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, after two scientists who both wrote, separately, about this idea.

pronouns:

1 you = the reader	2 their = the Inuit people’s
3 they = the Inuit People	4 it = snow

5 us = people who live in warmer places

6 this =  the idea of there are more words to describe frozen water

7 they = Inuit people

 

B There is certainly plenty of evidence that different languages (and cultures) appear to see the world through different filters. For example, 25 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 30 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 35 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 40 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 45 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 50 strong, whereas the German speakers used more stereotypically feminine adjectives, such as beautiful and elegant.

pronouns: 

 

1 they = speakers of GuuguYimithirr	2her  = that woman
3 us = people	4 they = speakers of GuuguYimithirr
5 you = the reader	6 we = people
7 this = the idea of distinguishing between a smaller amount and a larger amount	8 they = some indigenous people of the Amazon
9 they = European languages	10 she = a cognitive researcher

 

C So, should we conclude that speakers of different languages do indeed see the world from a different 55 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 60 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 65 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, 70 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.

pronouns: 

1they = colours	2 it = what is connected to being jealous
3 they = ‘someone’ = people of different cultures	4 their = someone’ = people of different cultures

D That said, many people do feel they take on a new identity when using another language. A 2006 75 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 80 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.

pronouns:

1they = many people	2 them = bilingual Mexican-American
3 it = a language	4 it = to consider that you…

 

Questions:

1- What does the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggest about the connection between language and thought?

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that the language people speak influences the way they think and perceive the world.

 

2- Why is it considered inaccurate to say that the Inuit have hundreds of words for snow?

It’s inaccurate to say the Inuit have hundreds of words for snow because there isn’t a single Inuit language—there are various dialects, and the claim has been exaggerated.

 

3- How does the way Guugu Yimithirr speakers describe locations reflect their perception of space?

Guugu Yimithirr speakers use cardinal directions like north, south, east, and west instead of relative terms like “in front” or “behind,” showing a spatial awareness rooted in their language.

 

4- What does the lack of number words in some Amazonian languages suggest about their concept of quantity?

The lack of number words suggests that some cultures do not feel the need for precise quantification, focusing instead on general distinctions like “few” and “many.”

 

5- How do Spanish and German speakers differ in their descriptions of a bridge, and what does this reveal about linguistic gender?

Spanish speakers often describe a bridge with masculine adjectives like "strong" and "big," whereas German speakers use feminine ones like "elegant" and "beautiful," reflecting the grammatical gender of the word.

 

6- What is meant by “linguistic relativity” in the context of the passage?

Linguistic relativity means that language influences perception and understanding of the world.

 

7- How do some languages treat the distinction between blue and green, and what impact might this have on perception?

Some languages treat blue and green as one color, indicating they may be perceived similarly and not separately categorized.

 

8- What does the Arabic expression “blue-eyed” imply, and how does it differ from English usage?

In Arabic, 'blue-eyed' connotes jealousy or deceit, unlike in English, where 'green-eyed' carries that meaning.

 

9- What findings emerged from the 2006 study involving bilingual Mexican-Americans taking personality tests?

The 2006 bilingual study found that participants gave different personality test responses depending on the language they used, showing a shift in self-perception

 

10- According to the text, what factors influence how someone adopts the culture of a second language?

The adoption of a second-language culture depends on personal reasons for learning it and the desire to connect with that culture.

 

vocabulary

Verb	Arabic Meaning	English Meaning
Grasp	يَفْهَم	to understand or comprehend something.
Assume	يَفْتَرِض	to take something for granted without proof
Conclude	يَسْتَنتِج	to deduce or make a judgment based on evidence or reasoning.
Comprehend	يَفْهَم / يَسْتَوْعِب	to understand fully; to grasp the meaning, nature, or importance of something.
Conceive	يَتَصَوَّر / يَخْلُق	to form or create something in the mind; to understand or imagine.
Reflect	يَفْكِر	to think deeply or carefully about something
Recognize	يَتَعَرَّف / يَتَبَيَّن	to identify something or someone from previous encounters; to acknowledge something as familiar
Gather	يَجْمَع / يَحْصُل	to collect or bring together; to accumulate or assemble
Deduce	يَسْتَنتِج / يَحْتَسِب	to arrive at an immediate conclusion or judgment