Monday, June 29, 2009
"There's An Ant On Your Southeast Leg."
While we're on the subject of neuroscience, here's some information on research involving the role of language in shaping thought. The Lera Boroditsky link takes you to the full, and lengthy, report, but it makes great reading if you enjoy exploring frontiers in biology.
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It certainly makes interesting reading. Speaking Gaelic as my first language while also being fluent in English from the earliest age gave me a certain awareness of the intrinsic differences between languages.
Little things like differences in how the colour spectrum is percieved, relationships between individuals and attributes/occupations as well as the far greater flexibility in Gaelic with regard to distinguishing between nationality and ethnicity/linguistic grouping compared to English which is really very vague and awkward on this front.
I read a fascinating reference a few years ago about an Amerindian language spoken by a tribe in the Amazon (i think it was) in which it was impossible to make any kind of statement or assertion without providing evidence for it's veracity. One can only imagine how aspiring politicians would get by in this society!
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