4.1: Chapter Resources

Activities

Language Shapes Thought

In section 4.1 (Language Shapes Our Thought) we are introduced to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis which “postulates that your native language has a profound influence on how you see the world, that you perceive reality in the context of the language you have available to describe it.” At its extreme, this view leads to linguistic determinism which argues that speakers of different languages cannot share a worldview because we cannot conceive of that for which we lack vocabulary. Today we are more likely to encounter the concept of linguistic relativity, “meaning that language shapes our views of the world but is not an absolute determiner of how or what we think.”

To help students explore this concept further share one of these resources:

● The article, Does Your Language Shape How You Think?, Guy Deutscher, New York Times Magazine, Aug. 26, 2010, which begins with a discussion of Sapir-Worf and its influence on our understanding of language and communication. While the underlying assumptions of the theory have not held up the influence of our language on how we perceive reality is unquestionable. The article goes on to provide several examples to illustrate this connection.

● Or, this TED Talk from Lera Boroditsky, How Language Shapes the Way We Think. There are about 7,000 languages spoken around the world -- and they all have different sounds, vocabularies, and structures. But do they shape the way we think? Cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky shares examples of language -- from an Aboriginal community in Australia that uses cardinal directions instead of left and right to the multiple words for blue in Russian -- that suggest the answer is a resounding yes. "The beauty of linguistic diversity is that it reveals to us just how ingenious and how flexible the human mind is," Boroditsky says. "Human minds have invented not one cognitive universe, but 7,000."

Investigation:

1. Do you think there is sufficient evidence to disprove the linguistic determinism worldview?
2. What examples help illustrate why modern communication study has embraced linguistic relativity?
3. How does one's language shape their perceptions of the world? Can you think of examples beyond the reading/video?
4. What relationship is there between linguistic determinism and bi-mulitlingualism? How does speaking multiple languages influence meaning making?
5. How can we “see” things that we lack the language for?
6. If one culture couldn’t discover algebra because of the lack of number words in their language what might our language miss and what we have yet to discover as a result?

Cultural Communication Variation

Section 4.1 (The Study of Language) explores the study of communication, including linguistics. “Linguistics deals with the study of particular languages and the search for general properties common to all languages. It also includes explorations into language variations (i.e. dialects), how languages change over time, how language is stored and processed in the brain, and how children learn language.” This activity has students focus on specific aspects of verbal communication to identify cultural variations.

There are a number of cultural variations in how we use language:

1. words, syntax, meaning
2. tone, volume, rate
3. direct/indirect, turn-taking, interruption
4. content
5. use of silence

Student Activity: You can have students self-select or you can assign them one group for the discussion. Describe some of the different variables and distinctions within these aspects of languages, thinking about examples from your own cultural experiences. Some additional guiding questions:

● Group A: Brainstorm some examples of words that have different meanings in different cultures. How do contextual clues influence meaning?

● Group B: How do the nonverbal aspects of language influence communication? How do they vary across cultures? Do these variations influence meaning?

● Group C: What does it mean that one way of talking is more direct than another? What are different ways people can interrupt one another and take control of the conversation?

● Group D: Brainstorm a few examples of what is acceptable/unacceptable content to discuss in different cultures. Are some topics acceptable for only some groups to talk about?

● Group E: How is silence viewed in different cultures? Can silence be used intentionally to communicate? Are there times when silence is perceived differently?

Investigation:

1. Have students share their answers to the questions posed.
   1. Section 4.1 (Language Is Arbitrary and Symbolic) explores the difference between connotative and denotative meanings. How does this variation in meaning influence what we think words mean and how that varies across cultures? Section 4.3 (Communication Styles) looks at the difference between high and low context cultures. How might this influence the role that contextual cues play in our interpretation of meaning?
   2. Nonverbal is covered explicitly in chapter 5 so this discussion gives you a chance to preview what is to come. Particular emphasis should be placed on vocalics (section 5.2: Vocalics) or paralanguage, the nonverbal aspects of speech that influence meaning, including rate, pitch, tone, volume, intensity, etc.
   3. Section 4.3 (Communication Styles) covers the variations one might see in how direct or indirect one might be when communicating. “Direct speech is very explicit while indirect speech is more obscure.” How might these different styles be perceived in various contexts? If the norm is for one style and the other is employed how might others react?
   4. Section 4.1(Language Shapes Our Thoughts) discusses how language shapes our thought. This discussion includes jargon, argot and other differences in available words to describe everyday phenomena.
   5. Attitudes toward silence are the focus of discussion at the end of section 4.3 (Attitudes Towards Speaking, Silence, and Writing). Silence is also discussed in Chapter 5 (sections 5.2 and 5.3). The absence of language use is nonverbal but there is a lot of overlap in our understanding of the phenomenon as it is used in verbal communication exchanges.

Adapted from MIT OpenCourseWare 21G.019 / 21G.021 Communicating Across Cultures, Spring 2005, (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Jargon

Section 4.1 (Language Shapes Our Thought) argues that “sometimes, a special language is developed by a group, sometimes labeled a jargon, which often references a specialized technical language.” Students use a lot of jargon without realizing that they are doing so, this discussion focuses their attention on the specific jargon that they use in specific cultural contexts.

Student Activity: Have students choose a culture that they are a member of and then share some jargon from that culture that those outside the culture would not be familiar with. Then have classmates guess what that jargon means.

Investigation:

1. What cues did you use in guessing the meaning? Are you also a member of (or familiar with) this particular culture?
2. Does this same jargon have a different meaning in different cultural settings?
3. When you are unfamiliar with jargon how can you go about decoding the meaning?
4. Why do cultures develop jargon?
5. This discussion can also help illuminate the role of code-switching in our lives. Section 4.3 (Variations in Context Rules of Communication Styles) defines code-switching as the “practice of shifting the language that you use to better express yourself in conversations. This can include, but is not limited to, language, accent, dialect, and vocalics or paralanguage.”
   1. Would you use this jargon in other aspects of your life or is it specific to this cultural context?
   2. Besides vocabulary, what other aspects of code-switching are at play as you move between different cultural settings?

Discussion

1. Section 4.2 (Bilingualism and Multilingualism) focuses on Moving Between Languages, and specifically bilingualism and multilingualism. In most parts of the world today, most individuals have at least some capability in a second language: “The majority of the world's population uses more than one language on a regular basis and monolingualism is by and large a historical and Anglophone anomaly.” Why do some geographical areas see more bi or multilingualism than others? In the US only about 20-25% of the population speak a second language, why do you think our rate is so low? Half of the world is bilingual. What’s our problem?, Jay Mathews, The Washington Post, April 25, 2019. Do you think being bilingual is valued in the US? Why or why not? Do you think we should be working to increase access to improved language acquisition in the US? How should we do so, think about the Critical Period Hypothesis (Creating Bilingual Minds, Naja Ferjan Ramirez, TED Talk) and theories on Second Language Acquisition discussed in section 4.2.
2. “Words, by themselves, do not have any inherent meaning. Humans give meaning to them, and their meanings change across time. For example, there is no inherent, logical connection between "cat" or (or the German Katze or Chinese猫) and the feline animal. We negotiate the meaning of the word “kat,” and define it, through visual images or dialog, in order to communicate with our audience” (section 4.1: Language Is Arbitrary and Symbolic). If words are arbitrary and lack inherent meaning how then do we use them to communicate? Share the Radiolab video Words. After students watch the video, have them discuss what words they remember from the video. What specific meanings do they recall? How do they “know” that is what the word means? Are some of the meanings easier to decode? Why?

Supplemental Resources

Does Time Work Differently In Different Languages?, NatvLang, July 7, 2017

Whorf ignited a controversy when he claimed the Hopi don't speak or think about time the way Europeans do. Malotki wrote 600 pages to prove him wrong. Come explore Sapir-Whorf and Hopi Time! Do speakers of different languages have different concepts of time?

How to Save A Language From Extinction, Daniel Bögre Udell, TED Talk, May 2019.

As many as 3,000 languages could disappear within the next 80 years, all but silencing entire cultures. In this quick talk, language activist Daniel Bögre Udell shows how people around the world are finding new ways to revive ancestral languages and rebuild their traditions -- and encourages us all to investigate the tongues of our ancestors. "Reclaiming your language and embracing your culture is a powerful way to be yourself," he says.

Arrival is a 2016 American science fiction drama film directed by Denis Villeneuve and adapted by Eric Heisserer, who conceived the project as a spec script based on the 1998 short story "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang. The film stars Amy Adams as Louise Banks, a linguist enlisted by the United States Army to discover how to communicate with extraterrestrial aliens who have arrived on Earth, before tensions lead to war.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the difference between communication and language? How does the movie argue that communication is difficult?
2. Do you need shared experience in order to communicate?
3. Do the humans and aliens communicate verbally or nonverbally?
4. What are three questions about language and/or communication that the movie raises for you?

Joy Luck Club - Meet the Parents

The scene from The Joy Luck Club depicts Waverly (Chinese-American) introducing her boyfriend (American) to her parents. Using what you have learned about High v. Low Context and Direct v. Indirect Cultures explain what happens in this interaction and why it goes so poorly.

Why Isn't The Sky Blue?, Tim Howard, Radiolab from WNYC, May 12, 2012.

What is the color of honey, and "faces pale with fear"? If you're Homer--one of the most influential poets in human history--that color is green. And the sea is "wine-dark," just like oxen...though sheep are violet. Which all sounds...well, really off. Producer Tim Howard introduces us to linguist Guy Deutscher, and the story of William Gladstone (a British Prime Minister back in the 1800s, and a huge Homer-ophile). Gladstone conducted an exhaustive study of every color reference in The Odyssey and The Iliad. And he found something startling: No blue! Tim pays a visit to the New York Public Library, where a book of German philosophy from the late 19th Century helps reveal a pattern: across all cultures, words for colors appear in stages. And blue always comes last. Jules Davidoff, professor of neuropsychology at the University of London, helps us make sense of the way different people see different colors in the same place.

Are We Unique? Toddlers Outsmart Chimps in Some Tasks, Not All, Patti Neighmond, NPR Morning Edition, September 7, 2007.

Is human communication unique? This radio story explores the ways in which other animals, specifically chimps and apes communicate and whether it is distinct from human communication.