ENG 210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Counterpoint, Steven Pinker, Determinism
Document Summary
No two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality. (sapir 1929) Our thoughts are determined by the linguistic structure and categories of our language. In whorf"s words, we dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages. English verb forms mark whether the event is in the present or past (mary walks vs. mary walked). Hopi verb forms do not mark tense; instead, they mark how the speaker came to know the information (first-hand knowledge vs. generally known information) Claim: hopi speakers and english speakers think about events differently: Hopi focus on source of info, english focus on time of event. Languages provide speakers with a systematic default bias in their habitual tendencies" (lucy 2005) Difference in language creates difference in habits of thought. Linguistic differences between languages will generally be paralleled by non-linguistic cognitive differences in the native speakers of the different languages.
