Language, Thought and Perception

Paper Summary:

How much does our language influence what we can think and perceive? Indeed, does our language control what we can think and perceive? Conversely, do our thoughts and perceptions influence or even control our language? This paper explores these questions, and shows that - while it is difficult to say which comes first, as the process is clearly somewhat circular - it does seem that culture influences language more than language influences culture.

From the Paper:

"Theories such as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which combine linguistic relativity and linguistic determinism, are useful in that they remind us of the relationships between culture and language. For example, in Canada the many aboriginal languages have died - and in terms of this hypothesis, this is one of the important reasons why aboriginal cultures are under threat. On the other hand, in South Africa, despite decades of colonial rule and then apartheid, the indigenous languages, such as Zulu and Xhosa, remained very strong. This was reflected in the fact that the indigenous cultures remained very strong - so it is certainly possible that the survival of the languages enabled the survival of the cultures. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ehrlich, Susan. (1999). Linguistics in Action. Words in Common: Essays on Language, Culture and Society. Ed. Gillian Thomas. Don Mills: Addison-Wesley Longman.
• Evans-Pritchard, E.E. (1969). The Nuer: A Description of the Modes of Livelihood and Political Institutions of a Nilotic People. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Haviland, William A., Shirley A. Fedorak, Gary W. Crawford and Richard B. Lee. (2005). Cultural Anthropology. Second Canadian Edition. Thomson Nelson.
• Hutchinson, Sharon E. (1996). Nuer Dilemmas: Coping with Money, War, and the State. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Sparks, Allister. (1990). The Mind of South Africa. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

More papers on Language, Thought and Perception:

• Analytical Essay # 131205 : "The Influence of Language upon Thought and Perception"
• Essay # 66947 : "Heidegger and Art"
• Analytical Essay # 119817 : "Words and Orwell's 'Politics and the English Language'"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: