Does language shape the

way we think?

Data has proved language has

a great influence on thought.

What do you think are the possible

implications for this?

People who speak different

languages think differently

Argument: Different languages require

different things from speakers.
For example:
Thompson read Chomskys latest
book
In English the tense has to be
marked
In Russian the tense and the
gender
In Indonisian Not necessary (in
fact not possible) to mark tense.

Kuuk Thaayorre
Right

Left

North

South

Forward

Back

East

West

"There's an ant on your southeast leg"

Psychological studies have

proved that people rely on
their spatial knowledge to
build other, more complex
and abstract
representations.
For example: time, musical
pitch, kindship relations,
morality and emotion

Photos showing progression.

English
speakers
Hebrew speakers

Kuuk speakers

Language
has a great
To conclude
power in our cognitive
development and our
experience of being
human. Appreciating this
power bring us one step
closer to understanding
the very nature of
hummanity.