Does language shape how we think?
1
point
When I lived in Italy, I learned very quickly that when Italians say family they don't mean the same thing. It is a culture where communities are family, even when they aren't related. Lost in translation captures the meaning that is lost when we switch languages, because language is so deeply entangled in culture that it's hard to separate them. Culture shapes how we think. In America being in the military is treated by society as something honorable and worthy of respect. In Colombia it's just a job someone does for money. Being in the street while wearing military uniform means you are working, and no one will come up to you and say "Thank you for your service", because cultural expectations are different. And in the way culture changes the way we think so does language. In Denmark there the word "hygge" which simply means cozy, homely, nice, but its actual meaning is a different story. Hygge is state of mind, it's a way of life, it's the national identity. It refers to the effort of making safe havens for social togetherness. Languages have so many words that are reflections of how cultures perceive the world, and in turn it influences the way we think. 1
point
I think that partly yes. As I write and cv editing, I often meet very different examples. People in different countries think differently and part of this is the influence of language. Since there are many dialects and expressions which we do not have in the language or in them. By this, I think that part of the language influences how we think. |