Language

What is Language?

  • Critical Properties (Clark & Clark, 1977)

    • Communicative: Language is used to communicate between individuals.

    • Arbitrarily Symbolic: The relationship between symbols (words) and their meanings is arbitrary.

    • Example: The word 'big' does not have to inherently denote something larger than the word 'miniscule'.

    • Structured: Patterns of symbols hold specific meanings.

    • Generative: Basic units of language can be combined to create limitless meanings.

    • Dynamic: Language is constantly changing and evolving.

Additional Properties of Language

  • Displacement:

    • This property enables individuals to communicate about matters not present in the immediate environment (the "here-and-now").

Does Language Determine Thought?

  • Linguistic Determinism:

    • The idea that language determines the characteristics and content of thought.

  • Existence of Thought without Language:

    • Inquiry into whether thought can exist independently of language.

    • Example: The Hopi language lacks terms for past tense; this absence may hinder speakers' ability to conceptualize past events.

Cultural Evidence: Colour Terms and Perception

  • Language and Colour Perception:

    • Different languages segment the color spectrum into varying numbers of hues.

    • The Dani people of New Guinea have only two color terms: mola (for light) and mili (for dark).

    • If Linguistic Relativity (LR) were accurate, one would expect the Dani to struggle with tasks requiring color perception and memory.

    • Contrary to expectations, Dani speakers performed similarly to English speakers in tests of color memory and perception.

    • Conclusion: Rosch's findings do not support the linguistic determinism theory.

Cultural Evidence Continued

  • Linguistic Differences and Perceptual Processes:

    • General consensus: linguistic differences do not cause significant variances in basic perceptual processes, such as color perception.

    • Evidence is less clear regarding higher-level perceptual and cognitive processes.

  • Cultural Values Reflected in Language:

    • Language can reflect cultural values.

    • Example: The Hanunoo people have 92 terms for "rice," suggesting that rice is a valued commodity leading to a differentiated vocabulary.

Revising the Concept of Linguistic Determinism

  • Influence of Language on Thought:

    • Established consensus that language influences thoughts, particularly regarding the perception of ambiguous images.

Modified Perspective on Linguistic Determinism

  • Linguistic Relativity (Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis):

    • Acknowledges that language influences thought.

    • The language one speaks or hears can bias thinking in certain directions.

    • According to Lilienfeld et al. (2013, p. 311), language "shapes some, but not all," of our thinking.