Theories of language and cognition | Processing the Environment | MCAT | Khan Academy

Summary

This video script explores the relationship between language and thought, examining theories like universalism, cognitive development, and linguistic determinism. It discusses how different languages, such as one from New Guinea with just two words for color, can shape the way people think. The script introduces prominent figures like Piaget, who believed cognitive development influences language, and Vygotsky, who saw language and thought as independent yet converging. It also touches on weak and strong linguistic determinism, illustrating how language can influence thought, with examples such as the Hopi tribe's lack of tense in their language.

Takeaways

• 😀 Language can influence thought, but the extent of its impact is debated.
• 😀 In some languages, like a language in New Guinea, there are only two words for color: 'mola' (bright) and 'mili' (dark).
• 😀 English has a broader color vocabulary (e.g., blue, green, teal, mauve), but having more words for color doesn't necessarily mean we think about color differently.
• 😀 Universalism is the idea that thought comes before language, and language develops to express thoughts that already exist.
• 😀 Piaget believed that children's cognitive development influences their language development, with new thoughts leading to new words (e.g., 'gone', 'missing').
• 😀 Vygotsky suggested that language and thought are independent but converge over time through social interaction, especially with adults who already know the language.
• 😀 The spectrum of theories about the relationship between language and thought ranges from language influencing thought to thought influencing language.
• 😀 Weak linguistic determinism suggests that language influences the way we think, making it easier to think in certain ways depending on how the language is structured.
• 😀 An example of weak linguistic determinism is how people might visualize actions based on the directionality of their language (e.g., English readers imagining a left-to-right action).
• 😀 Strong linguistic determinism, or the Whorfian hypothesis, claims that language determines thought completely, with examples like the Hopi tribe not having grammatical tense in their language.
• 😀 The relationship between language and thought is still being researched, and there's no conclusive answer yet regarding which perspective is most accurate.

Q & A

What does the New Guinean language example about 'mola' and 'mili' demonstrate?

It demonstrates that some languages have limited words for color, with 'mola' meaning 'bright' and 'mili' meaning 'dark.' This reflects the idea that languages shape the way people think about the world, particularly in how they categorize concepts like color.

What is the main idea behind the universalism theory of language and thought?

Universalism suggests that thought precedes language. According to this theory, people develop thoughts first, and language evolves to express these thoughts. If a culture has limited words for certain concepts, it is because their thoughts or understanding of those concepts are also limited.

How did Piaget’s theory of cognitive development influence the idea that thought shapes language?

Piaget believed that cognitive development in children dictates their language acquisition. He observed that as children develop new cognitive abilities (like understanding object permanence), they begin to use language to express those newly formed thoughts, such as using words like 'gone' or 'missing.'

What does Vygotsky’s theory suggest about the relationship between language and thought?

Vygotsky proposed that language and thought are independent but eventually converge. Through social interaction, children learn language from adults, and over time, their thoughts and language become interconnected, influencing one another.

How does weak linguistic determinism view the relationship between language and thought?

Weak linguistic determinism suggests that language influences thought, making certain ways of thinking easier or more common based on how a language is structured. For example, the direction in which a language is written (left-to-right or right-to-left) can influence how speakers think about the direction of actions.

What is the main idea of strong linguistic determinism, also known as the Whorfian hypothesis?

Strong linguistic determinism argues that language completely determines thought. This view suggests that the structure of a language dictates the way its speakers perceive and think about the world, limiting or shaping their cognitive processes entirely.

What was Benjamin Lee Whorf’s observation about the Hopi language and how did it relate to the Whorfian hypothesis?

Whorf observed that the Hopi language lacks grammatical tenses, which led him to believe that the Hopi could not think about time in the same way that speakers of languages with tenses could. However, later research showed that the Hopi have a different way of expressing time, indicating that language doesn't rigidly determine how they think about time.

What example does the speaker give to explain how language structure influences thought in a practical way?

The speaker uses the example of a sentence: 'The girl pushes the boy.' Depending on the reader’s native language (e.g., left-to-right or right-to-left writing), they are more likely to visualize the action in that direction. This illustrates how language structure can influence how we think about and visualize actions.

How do the different theories of language and thought—universalism, Piaget, Vygotsky, and linguistic determinism—differ in their views?

Universalism claims thought precedes language, while Piaget believes that cognitive development influences language. Vygotsky sees language and thought as independent but converging through social interaction. Linguistic determinism, in its weak form, suggests language influences thought, while the strong form claims that language entirely determines how we think.

What is the significance of understanding how language influences thought when learning a foreign language?

Understanding the influence of language on thought helps learners recognize how their native language might shape their perception and interpretation of a foreign language. It also sheds light on how the language they are learning could alter or expand their thought processes.