How Language Shapes Us

In the first half of the 20th century, there was an article published in the magazine M.I.T. Technology Review about language which caused quite a stir.

The author, Benjamin Lee Whorf, a lecturer at Yale University posited that language can impose on its speakers a picture of reality that may be completely different from speakers of other languages.

Over the ensuing years, the article was discredited because there were no hard facts to support his thesis, and common sense would seem to indicate that this is not true.

However, recent evidence suggests that he may have been partly correct. The question seems to be: "...if different languages influence our minds in different ways, this is not because of what our language allows us to think about but rather because of what it habitually obliges us to think about." (Guy Deutscher, NY Times Magazine)

The author offers this example: "Suppose I say to you in English that 'I spent yesterday evening with a neighbor.' You may well wonder whether my companion was male or female, but I have the right to tell you politely that it's none of your business. But if we were speaking French or German, I wouldn't have the privilege to equivocate in this way, because I would be obliged by the grammar of language...to inform you about the sex of my companion whether or not I feel it is remotely your concern."

This is interesting to think about. We know that each of us has been shaped by the environment -- our family, friends, personal demographics. Certainly these forces have shaped us physically, emotionally and intellectually. But how might we be further influenced in these same areas simply by our native language?