The Tribe That Can't Count | Pirahã Part 1

Summary

In the late 1970s, anthropologist Daniel Everett discovered that the Pirahã tribe in the Amazon has no words for numbers, challenging conventional views on how language influences cognition. Despite efforts to teach them numeracy, the tribe's lack of number-based language impeded their understanding of numbers. This contrasts with Benjamin Lee Whorf's theory of linguistic relativity, which claims language shapes thought. Everett's findings suggest that language affects expression but not cognitive abilities, prompting debates on linguistic relativity, Eurocentric biases, and the role of culture in shaping human understanding of concepts like time and quantity.

Takeaways

• 😀 Everett was sent to an Amazonian tribe, the Pirahã, to learn their language and convert them to Christianity, but he discovered their language had no words for numbers.
• 😀 The Pirahã, who are the last remaining tribe of the Mura people, have had contact with outsiders for around 200 years but still remain mostly monolingual.
• 😀 The Pirahã language is unique, featuring unusual phonetic traits and lacking abstract color words and a number system.
• 😀 Despite teaching efforts, the Pirahã could not grasp the concept of counting or even simple arithmetic, such as adding one plus one.
• 😀 This inability to count highlights a possible connection between language and cognitive abilities, raising questions about linguistic relativity.
• 😀 The concept of linguistic relativity, which suggests language shapes the way people perceive and understand the world, was explored by Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1930s with the Hopi tribe's relationship to time.
• 😀 Whorf's theories about the Hopi having no concept of time have been criticized, with later research showing that the Hopi do have ways to express time and temporal relations in their language.
• 😀 Everett's observations about the Pirahã's lack of number words challenge linguistic relativity, suggesting a difference in expressive capabilities rather than conceptual limitations.
• 😀 Despite claims of cultural bias and criticism, Everett's research is based on the Pirahã's actual linguistic expressions, not their cognitive abilities.
• 😀 The controversy around Everett's work highlights the importance of more diverse perspectives in academic research, especially when studying indigenous cultures and languages.

Q & A

What was Daniel Everett's primary task when he was dispatched to the Amazonian tribe in the late 1970s?

Daniel Everett was sent to study the language of a small Amazonian tribe and to attempt converting them to Christianity.

What unique feature did the Pirahã tribe's language have?

The Pirahã language had no words for numbers, which meant the tribe had no way of counting.

How long have the Pirahã had contact with other communities, and how is their language described?

The Pirahã have had contact with other communities in Brazil for about 200 years, but they are mostly monolingual. Their language is the only remaining one from the Mura people and is known for its unusual features.

Why did the Pirahã tribe insist that Everett teach them how to count?

In 1980, the Pirahã became concerned about being cheated in trade with outsiders and insisted that Everett and his wife teach them to count.

What was the result of Everett’s attempt to teach the Pirahã to count?

Despite enthusiasm from the Pirahã tribe, they were ultimately unable to learn how to count, and none of them could count to ten or perform basic arithmetic.

How does the inability to count in the Pirahã language relate to their cognitive abilities?

While the Pirahã do have a concept of quantity, they lack the abstract system necessary for counting or numeracy, which indicates a gap in expressive capabilities rather than cognitive abilities.

What theory does Benjamin Lee Whorf propose regarding language and thought?

Whorf proposed the theory of linguistic relativity, suggesting that the way individuals experience the world is shaped by the language they speak.

How did Ekkehart Malotki’s work challenge Whorf’s theory about the Hopi language?

Malotki’s book 'Hopi Time' disproved Whorf’s claim that the Hopi had no concept of time, showing instead that Hopi language has elaborate systems for expressing temporal relations.

What was Everett’s view on linguistic relativity, and how did it differ from Whorf’s?

Everett supported linguistic relativity but focused more on the expressive capabilities of language rather than claiming it alters fundamental cognition, as Whorf suggested with the Hopi and time.

How has Everett’s work on the Pirahã language been criticized?

Everett’s work has been criticized for possibly reflecting a Eurocentric misunderstanding of the Pirahã’s ways of expressing quantities, although his careful approach and desire for more studies support his findings.