How Language Shapes the Way We Think - A Ted Talk by Lera Boroditsky

Whether language affects the way, individuals think or not is a matter still under investigation. Some experts support while others refute the claims. Lera Boroditsky, a cognitive scientist, is among the modern proponents who believe language affects our behaviors and actions. Unlike other creatures, human beings can produce and receive sounds, hisses, and tones, which are later transformed into thoughts by the brain. Boroditsky uses various examples to support her claims. After watching the video, I have learned several things. I am surprised to discover about 7000 spoken languages globally with unique vocabularies, sounds, and structures. 

Language develops different cognitions about time and space. Boroditsky uses the example of the Kuuk Thaayore people, an Aboriginal community from Australia who tend to use cardinal points in giving directions rather than prepositions such as left and right ( Boroditsky, 2017). Besides, the community interprets time-based on a locked landscape. It is pretty different from the way people in Europe view space and time. Apart from that, have early effects on matters such as numbers and colors. Aboriginal communities have difficulties in counting. They like to generalize objects. On the contrary, some communities introduce kids early to numbers. Color is also a problem. For instance, English-speaking communities have a general blue color while Russian has dark and light blue categories. Besides, diversity in language creates broad effects in gender nouns. For instance, similar nouns are interchangeably used in masculine and feminine contexts among Spanish and German communities ( Boroditsky, 2017). Lastly, language alters judgment. In English, the subject is more prevalent, while the reverse is true in Spanish. Individuals from either side end up interpreting the statement differently. For instance, if I say "I broke the glass," a Spanish will hold me responsible while an English person will think of various events which lead to that. Based on the examples provided by Lera Boroditsky, I strongly concur that language affects the way we think. 

Reference 

Boroditsky, L. (2017). How language shapes the way we think: https://www.ted.com/talks/lera_boroditsky_how_language_shapes_the_way_we_think/transcript?language=en