How language can effect the way we think
Language is central to our experience of being human, and the languages we speak profoundly shape the way we think, the way we see the world, the way we behave and live our lives.
If you are bilingual – does your character change with the language you are speaking? How closely are cultural and national identities defined by language? And what impact will the ever-increasing domination of English have on the way the world communicates?
All these questions have been studied by scores of linguists, philosophers, anthropologists, and psychologists for a long time. However, what we have learned recently is that people who speak different languages do indeed think differently and that even pieces of grammar can profoundly affect how we see the world.
Now let’s find out what some people and language specialists think about the way language can effect the way we behave and live.
“Absolutely, I feel that language drives the way we think. The more rich a language (say in terms of vocabulary), the more likely a person will have varied thinking. It just opens new avenues of the thought process. I feel the realm of our thinking is partially determined by language”.
Bonny, USA.
“I speak English, Gujarati and Urdu and I can definitely confirm that I think differently in English and not just because of the different words. English seems to me to be so formal, serious and self-centred – somehow ‘cold’ – whereas Asian languages are somehow warmer and have far more feeling. They are also more family-centred and less selfish. And when I want to vent and let off steam, I always do it in Gujerati”.
Bilal Patel, London, UK
“I think it does. At least in my case. I speak Hindi, Tamil, and English. My mother tongue is Tamil. The synthesis of these three languages and the fact that I was brought in a place where the native language is Hindi puts me in a unique position. I don’t think the way the north Indians do nor the way the south Indians do. But, I think that to ascribe this just to the languages we speak is an incomplete conclusion. Maybe language plays a much smaller role when compared to how we were brought up”.
Navaneetha Vaidhyanathan, USA
“The most important thing is the mother tongue. I am a Nigerian. My native language is Igbo but I fluently speak English and Russian. I think our mother tongue plays a big role in the way we think and behave due to the connection of the language and culture. It is actually easier for me to behave and express myself naturally when i speak my mother tongue. And when I speak the other languages, I know I act differently in it. My wife says she sees different characters in me when I speak different languages. So from my perspective, I think our language can change not only the way we think but also the way we behave”.
Tochi, Nigeria
“If you are decidedly fluent in another language, and if that language belongs to a very different cultural heritage than your own, you do, as it is, change your “figure”, posture, your face expressions as well may change dramatically to adjust to the new background. When I speak Japanese I don’t gesticulate at all, and concentrate on the level of politeness with respect to the person I am talking to; Italian words shift from an emotional tier to a more cerebral, class-conscious one: I couldn’t really describe somebody else as “simpatico” in English as we do in Spain or Italy, because it’s a whole concept behind one word that the English language lacks”.
Ross, Italy
“I read, write and speak three languages: French, Spanish and English. When I am in that particular country I think in their language which makes me feel a part of the society. French is feminine and rosy, Spanish masculine but very poetic and English is more to the point, lacking the idea of male and female for its nouns. To me, old languages are richer in natural observations and philosophy closer to a Buddhist vision”.
Dana, Spain
“Language enhances one’s ability to think and express. No language is superior to the other. Each has something unique to offer and learn from. The more you know the better informed you are”.
Ashok Manthina, USA
So now you know when you’re learning a new language, you’re not simply learning a new way of talking, you are also learning a new way of thinking.
Taken together, these opinions show that linguistic processes are dominant in most fundamental domains of thought, unconsciously shaping us from the nuts and bolts of perception to our major life decisions.
Source: BBC
