Comments on: There’s an ant on your southeast leg

By: Jayasankar

Jayasankar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:28:48 +0000

Something I wrote in an impulse after reading about the fears of Malayali intelligentsia about ‘their’ language.

http://disposablewebpage.com/turn?page=fwjVb2IxZb

By: James

James — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:51:54 +0000

John Medina’s Brain Rules (http://brainrules.net/) has an excellent, simple explanation of how language, amongst other things, affects how we learn and think, and also how our brains develop. I only cracked the spine on it today but thus far it is very good.

By: JP

JP — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:23:29 +0000

Again, thanks for all your comments. Dermot, I haven’t read that particular Eco so I will dig it up and do so. Rgds

By: Dermot

Dermot — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:42:30 +0000

Leaving Chomsky & Lakoff aside (temporarily as sooner or later you have to decide where the evidence points).. have you read Umberto Eco’s Mouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation. Lovely brief book on the topic of language

Dermot

By: Charles

Charles — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:00:40 +0000

I get away with different things in different languages. I’d never say some of the things I do in Thai that I do in English. The cultural context has a dynamic too.

By: Alice Bachini-Smith

Alice Bachini-Smith — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:55:39 +0000

Great link on a subject that I’ve been interested in (and convinced about- glad to say the research backs up my strong impressions!) for a few years now- thanks!

My belief that language profoundly shapes our thinking grew from comparing fundamental ideas of Jewish theological philosophy with those of Western Christian philosophy. I found many important concepts with no linguistic equivalents in the English language, and also (more significantly, I think) that these new-to-me ideas were difficult to retain without the addition of new words.

May try to blog on this too- fascinating subject!

By: DE

DE — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:15:18 +0000

Ugh. Reminded what a mess Steven Pinkers “How the Mind works” was.

His full interview with Dawkins rewarding however.
(http://ncane.com/9zx)

By: JP

JP — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:52:50 +0000

One other thing. In many Indian languages the word for “yesterday” is the same as the word for “tomorrow”. Only context tells you which it is.

By: JP

JP — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:51:59 +0000

Thanks for all your comments. Scott, Rana, it is precisely *because* I’d read Pinker’s early stuff that I found the simplicity of Boroditsky’s counter-examples intriguing. I have not read The Stuff Of Thought. I now will.

For me this is not a cut-and-dried topic, there are many questions to be answered. And exposing myself to different sides of the argument will (I hope) help me learn.

Once again, thanks for all your comments

By: Sriram Narayan

Sriram Narayan — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:54:03 +0000

That was an interesting read. I see it as a particular case of McLuhan’s medium-is-the-message theme. All technology (including language) is an extension of man. As much as we think we shape technology, technology shapes us.