[14:40] Dr. Boroditsky asks the audience to point southeast, and everyone points in different directions. This moment resonated with me because I’ve experienced the same frustration when my parents give me directions. Growing up, I never had to rely on cardinal directions as digital maps told me when to turn left or right. My parents, on the other hand, memorized routes and oriented themselves naturally in space. This shift highlights how language related to spatial awareness is used less casually now because technology does the work for us. In Boroditsky’s research, she notes that in Kuuk Thaayorre, speakers must always stay oriented to speak correctly, which trains them to be remarkably good at navigation compared to English speakers (Boroditsky, 2011). In a way, map literacy has evolved into app literacy, where instead of learning the language of direction, we learn the language of GPS prompts.
[29:40] Dr. Boroditsky discusses how some languages differentiate whether an action was accidental or intentional. As someone with a background in linguistics, I was surprised to learn that grammar encodes this nuance. In English, when my nephews and nieces are playing and one hits the other, my first response is always “Why?” They often say, “It was an accident,” leading to a whole back-and-forth. Boroditsky’s research found that English speakers tend to describe even accidental events agentively, while Spanish speakers are more likely to use non-agentive phrasing (Boroditsky, 2011). This suggests that English requires more conversational clarification, while other languages may shortcut the process by grammatically encoding the intent.
[35:15] Dr. Boroditsky introduces Papua New Guinea’s body-based counting system, where numbers map directly onto body parts. I found this fascinating because it makes counting a physical experience rather than an abstract one. This shows that language, math, and the body are connected and that thinking can be based on physical experiences. Postman (1992/2011) mentions that technologies, including language, shape the way we think, and here we see how “counting technology” integrates the body itself as a tool. Even math is culturally situated.
[21:30] Dr. Boroditsky mentions that prunes were rebranded as dried plums to appeal to younger buyers, which shocked me because I embarrassingly never knew they were the same. This shows how word choice can provoke emotional reactions, consciously or subconsciously. As a French speaker, I often notice how language shapes our associations. For example, in English we perceive butterflies as beautiful insects while moths are considered creepy. In French however, they use papillon and papillon de nuit (butterflies of the night). The language itself softens the negative perception and French people are less likely to be scared of moths. Boroditsky (2011) emphasizes that language is not just descriptive but constitutive.
[46:00] Dr. Boroditsky discusses the replacement of French and German words in the U.S. as a political boycott. This illustrates how language can be wielded as a tool for shaping cultural identity and expressing values. Scholes (1992) explains that text and language have historically been used to protect certain ideas as privileged by excluding or reshaping how entire groups are understood. This example reminds me that words are never neutral, they carry cultural weight.
For my 6th entry, I wanted to instead share another video which connects with Dr.Boroditsky’s ideas. I feel this video continues on this idea of how language can affect our perception of the world specifically from a decolonial view. April Charlo works in Indigenous language revitalization and came across a concept which she didn’t understand. In her example, she explains that in one of the languages, an elder had told her that you can not say ‘pass me my water’ because you can not possess water. Moreover, April realized that in this language you actually can’t possess anything in the natural world. She was trying to force a colonial concept in a non-colonial language. This is one of those videos that has stuck with me ever since I watched it as it really opened my eyes to how my languages, both English and French, limit how I understand my connection to place.
References:
Boroditsky, L. (2011). How language shapes thought. Scientific American, 304(2), 62-65.
Postman, N. (2011). Technopoly: The surrender of culture to technology. Knopf Doubleday Publishing. (Original work published 1992)
Scholes, R. (1992). Canonicity and textuality. In J. Gibaldi (Ed), Introduction to scholarship in modern languages and literatures (2nd ed., pp. 138-158). Modern Languages Association of America.
