How the Languages We Speak Shape the Ways We Think

(A Reaction Paper to the YouTube Video as posted by UCTVSeminars)

How does the languages we speak, shape the ways we think?

I didn’t take notice until now, that the languages I speak, does shape the way I think (or could be the other way around). I grew up in a multilingual environment. My Dad spoke Tagalog, my Mom speaks Bisaya, and in church and school we were taught in English. Even our measurement system is a mixture of the Imperial Measurement System, the Metric System and the length of our body parts (e.g. usa ka dangaw, limang baytang). But I think it is a chicken-and-egg question. Which comes first, the language we speak? Or the ways we think?

More is involved in answering this question than just language and thought. There is also culture which includes traditions, our lifestyles, and habits and so on that we might’ve picked up from the people we interact or live with. In the video, it was mentioned that an Australian language doesn’t have directional words like left or right but instead, they use locations and directions like north, south, east and west. Does the language affect the way we think? Or the differences in cultural habits have an effect on both our thoughts and language? But it seems like culture, thought habits and the language we speak developed together at the same time.

Do people even think in language? Most of the time, but it is not always the case. People can conjure images and feelings which is pretty hard to describe in words.

The video “How the Languages We Speak Shape the Ways We Think” mentioned that there is a linguistic diversity which is a testament to the human mind’s ingenuity and exquisite capacity to create something. There is not only one way to do or say something, there is thousands and we are able to constantly create and change languages.

Does this mean that when we learn a new language, we also change the way we think? Or maybe we changed the way we think which made us learn a new language? There are many concepts easily expressed in one language but unable to express in another language. Does the language we speak influence our personality?

It is very extreme when you say that language forms the basis of your thinking. Language is a tool that is needed for communication. It helps you express your thoughts, emotions and ideas. And yes culture matters. Language is the gateway to a culture. Culture is as diverse as the languages we speak. It is a ticket for cultural understanding.

But yes, the language learning experience will ultimately change the way you think, how you communicate or how you view other people. It is because you get immersed in the language, you get immersed in their culture and habits. It is changing your perspective, helping you understand yourself in a new light so to speak.

Does this mean that speakers with different languages have different minds? But I think it is more appropriate to say that two different minds exist within.

Each language is distinct in expressing ideas. It varies in grammar structure and emphasis on certain ideas. It may even seem that each language has its own personality. To learn this language is to embrace these personalities and be comfortable with it.

There is a Czech saying “As many languages you know, as many times you are a human being.” Does this mean that monolingual have singular personality? Bilinguals have dual personality? Multilingual have many personality? But research has shown that bilinguals are able to accommodate speech variations as compared to monolinguals. The question remains is how?

Linguistic difference may influence how speakers of different language view things differently, bilinguals may tend to shift but having a second language plays an important role on how we frame perception. There are also scientists’ findings that shows speaking in another language make you see the world differently.

But does it affect our cognitive patterns? Is it the basis of how our attentional patterns are shaped? There have been studies as well that shows that there is a relationship between language and our perceptual or cognitive processing. This indicates that how the speaker allocates attention on an event is not really affected by the speaker’s perceived mother tongue. The effects of the languages arise only during the linguistic formation are recruited to achieve tasks like putting it into memory.

The video talks about cross-linguistic differences in the thought process and how languages construct the speaker’s representations of the world in varying stages. It talks about language acquisition and how humans perceive and use the words produced to better understand and communicate. It also talks about information processing and how we conceptualize resources thru language learning.

Language is a human’s primary communication form but there are also several other we can use. Language is so complex that it is unique to humans having both verbal and written system. But how can we classify the likes of the American Sign Language or the Indian’s smoke signal? There is a variety of language acquisition and some opposing theories as well. But it is clear that languages have their own personality and somehow, it is carried over by the speaker, the culture and maybe even the religion.