In this Ted Talk essay on “How Language Shapes the Way We Think” by Lera Boroditsky, the author argues that language has significantly evolved since the evolution of modern Homo sapiens. It is symbolic through letters, words, shapes, and figures. Its symbolism mainly affects our thinking and how we relate to our surroundings. While I was astonished that people of different cultures perceive time differently, Lera Boroditsky discusses how language influences time and the cause-effect structure, both of which resonate with my encounter in learning French and how it is crucial in developing cross-cultural communication and can be used in education to make learning environments more diverse.
The Main Point of the Video
In her Ted Talk, Boroditsky mainly focuses on the power of language in perceiving concepts like time and causality. For instance, she states that the Kuuk Thaayorre lay time from east to west, corresponding with the sun’s path across the sky instead of from left to right, mainly locking it on the landscape (Boroditsky 00:05:01-00:05:32). If they are facing east, the future is in front of them while the past is behind them and vice versa. Other communities organize time as per their writing direction, thus drawing attention to the fact that language does not only dictate how we name the world but also how we perceive it. In addition, she claims that languages have grammatical gender where, for instance, the Germans claim the sun to be female, as the Spanish say it is male (Boroditsky 00:08:06-00:08:19). In this case, gender threatens to structure how speakers talk about objects and consequently how they perceive objects in the world around them. Thus, the examples have shown how linguistic structures impact cognitive processes on how we interact and conceptualize the world.
Personal Experience
The video relates to my realization that certain concepts in French are different from my native language. Languages differ in terms of sounds, vocabulary, and structures (Boroditsky 00:01:30-00:01:41). When learning French, I encountered this difference firsthand in expressions like “Il y a,” which indicates the passage of time. This phrase directly translates to “there is” or “there are.” Hence, the information initially confused me because it required thinking about timelessness directly and more descriptively, reinforcing Boroditsky’s point.
Importance
Boroditsky’s video is essential since viewers can relativize views and expands people’s knowledge about experiences and cognition. Understanding information from other cultures and communicating without language barriers is vital to fostering a global citizenship mindset and addressing complex global challenges (Stein-Smith 405). Through language, people convey information and encode how they perceive reality. Thus, the relationship between language and thinking is critical to establishing a society that is connected and balanced on a global level.
Application
The education sector may benefit from the video. Some teachers may not understand how students from a different culture from the dominant one may find it hard to comprehend things due to language barriers (Johnston 6). By understanding Boroditsky’s message, these teachers can recognize that different languages foster different cognitive processes. This understanding will help them address the diverse needs of students from various linguistic backgrounds. Thus, the video can ensure a more inclusive and effective learning environment.
Suprising Fact
What surprised me was how different languages influence the perception of time and space. Most people think of time as linear and constantly running out (Hammond par. 1). Boroditsky challenges this notion by stating that one recognizes time according to one’s language, as evidenced by the Kuuk Thaayorre. Therefore, depending on the linguistic and cultural context, time can be expressed in various ways, which is an astonishing fact.
Summing Up
In conclusion, the video mainly educates on how language affects our thoughts, which influences specific actions, relating to my encounter in learning French, where I encountered some confusing phrases. The video helps attain a well-connected global society, and its info is crucial in a school setting since it ensures effective communication. Having always believed that time is linear, Boroditsky amazes me since she states that language influences time perception. Hence, the video broadens our understanding of how deeply language intertwines with our cognition and worldview.
Works Cited
Boroditsky, Lera. “How Language Shapes the Way We Think.” Ted Talk, 2017, www.ted.com/dubbing/lera_boroditsky_how_language_shapes_the_way_we_think.
Hammond, Claudia. “What We Get Wrong About Time.” BBC, 3 Dec. 2019, www.bbc.com/future/article/20191203-what-we-get-wrong-about-time.
Johnston, Peter. Choice Words. 2nd ed., Taylor & Francis, 2024.
Stein-Smith, Kathleen. “Rethinking the Role of Languages in the US: Toward a More Diverse Cultural Identity.” Journal of Language Teaching and Research, vol. 10, no. 3, May 2019, pp. 403–411, doi:10.17507/jltr.1003.01.
