Linguistic relativism explained

Hello everyone,

Today I would like to discuss one of the most stunning powers of language. Why? Because it can really make a difference in the way you approach your own learning process and help you deepen your appreciation of the language you're learning. If you’re reading this post you’re likely to be an advanced student and, therefore, are already equipped with the tools that will allow you to value the relevance of a topic that I already touched on just some weeks ago on this blog (October 3): the relationship between languages and thoughts.

The old controversy over linguistic relativism has not been solved yet. Proponents of a radical form of this theory hold that a person’s mother tongue shapes their thoughts and dramatically affects their worldview. On the other end of the spectrum we find those who believe that a language is just one of the multiple ingredients that make up a person's cultural environment and that it’s the actual culture that defines their worldview. As is often the case, the answer to the problem lies somewhere in between.

The way I see it, speaking a particular language DOES indeed affect certain perceptions and therefore our very thought processes. In my experience as a teacher, STEM students tend to be skeptical of this critical fact. They usually tell me that a desk is a desk, no matter how you choose to name it. Shakespeare would have agreed with them (“a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”). Of course, I will reply that the word desk clearly covers more semantic ground in English than pupitre does in Spanish. Bear with me for a second.

According to the authoritative Merriam-Webster dictionary, a desk is "a table, counter, stand or booth at which a person works". Think about it: a desk is a table (in an architect's studio), a counter (in the reception area of a hotel: the front desk), a stand in a trade fair or even a simple booth in an office. Unfortunately the term pupitre is a lot more specific. It only describes the small table that one usually finds in a classroom. This means that the ability of the label desk to evoke other meanings is far greater in English, since it opens up new possibilities for wordplay, allusion, etc. And that is just one word. Imagine what happens when you consider every word in your dictionary... And then, of course, there's the grammar. If you say "I made a new friend" in English we listeners can't possibly know if the friend you refer to is a man or a woman. In Spanish, though, you would be forced to specify that piece of information. So the ambiguity is lost.

For the record, I agree that a speaker’s culture (I use “culture” in its anthropological sense) also plays a major role in the construction of a person’s worldview but we should not downplay the key influence of our mother tongue.

For what it’s worth, here you have a video which lists some simple but eye-opening examples of the ways a language affects how you perceive (i.e. translate) the reality outside of your skull. It’s most definitely food for thought.