How language shapes the way we think | Lera Boroditsky | TED

[@nprpodcasts]

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[@Neyobe]

I absolutely loved this talk! I find it interesting how Russians have a distinction between light vs dark blue, and English has the same situation with red and light red (pink)!

[@MdShofiqulIslam-kv4sm]

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[@MdShofiqulIslam-kv4sm]

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[@MdShofiqulIslam-kv4sm]

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[@moneyharry]

I really envy the people who so easily and calmly articulate their thoughts

[@rawvid9065]

Both of us autistic brother

[@nadiab.8869]

Don't!! It is just practice, practice, practice! You can do it too!

[@clsr8810]

It doesn‘t matter,you can do it too

[@IVAN-xe8rs]

I was like that too belive me. Meditating helped a ton you should try it

[@fugu_3467]

I hope this comment keeps that image because it's made my night

[@johnnydaller]

My mother tongue is Persian, and I speak English fluently. I learned driving on the right side of the road in Iran. When I moved to South Africa, I had to drive on the left side of the road. No problem so far. When I had passengers, and we spoke in English in the car, all went well. When some of my friends switch to speaking in Persian in the car, I subconsciously moved to the right side of the road scaring everyone in the car and on the road! Then I moved to Australia, and the same thing happens every now and then!

[@sergioguzman1982]

Sometimes when I don't use the english for nothing, I tend to forget it, even I can't speak it so I have to turn on my brain into the language to return it and that is really weird, I say that our minds works like this, it respond with differents behaviors to every languge because for learning any language you need to acquaint to the language that you are learning that's why we our reactions are difference in differents language.

[@minhajali4124]

Johnny Daller wow!

[@shinobitheyamasohei3141]

Waaaw!

[@Abeer_Al]

Johnny Daller I think that's called ”classical conditioning”.

[@Naveenkumar-of7cw]

Johnny Daller superb dude

[@nerobautistaii6139]

"To have a second language is to have a second soul." -Charlemagne, for someone who speaks three languages fluently, this is so true. As a trilingual, you watch movies from three different countries, read books from three different languages, learn cultures of three origins, and forge relationships with from diverse cultures. Indeed, when you learn a new language, you acquire a new reality of something different, or a soul. Knowing more than one or two languages also helps you understand the history of humanity and how some cultures and people act and think in different ways.

[@YanYanicantbelievethistakenffs]

Or do a pact with the devil. "Your soul belongs to me" "Ok, the english, spanish, german, arabic or the japanese one?"

[@angelagibalenko7577]

Oh, that’s true

[@jeremydoerksen5988]

Unfortunately, this has not been my experience. I learned English first, and later in life learned some French and German. I never reached the point of fluency in my secondary languages, mind you. My thoughts in French and German are simply as they can be translated into English thoughts. My mother, on the other hand(a German immigrant at age 9), can be spoken to in either English or German, and sometimes does not realize which language she is being spoken to her or which language she is speaking. She will hear some German occasionally and not realize it's not English. Very interesting, I find.

[@juliessignlanguageclass7739]

Do you confuse languages? I have learned sign language, some French, and am learning Spanish. Trying to dig up a Spanish word, I will often find myself signing the word that I need or saying the French word. My Spanish teacher laughs at me all the time.

[@jeremydoerksen5988]

@@juliessignlanguageclass7739 It makes sense to me that you would associate, and even confuse, the two languages as they're both latin-based, and there is a lot of shared nomenclature. But I'm the furthest thing from an expert in the field.

[@lucieciepka1031]

When I speak French especially in Paris I don’t mind someone nodding halfway in to my sentence just after I said the noun and verb, but when I started learning Japanese… it changed everything. Not only I became more patient while listening, but also as a speaker, because you don’t get the verb till the last word in Japanese.

[@JacobVahrSvenningsen]

Like German, interesting. And similarly patient nd categorical people..?

[@jaykim5080]

Very funny but very logical. It really makes sense!

[@chrisvazquez4291]

Fascinating! Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@lloydpopp13]

Interesting pov

[@soki5929]

That’s so interesting! I’m Japanese but I in an international relationship. I would never cut people off when I’m speaking Japanese but when I’m talking to my husband in English…😅😂

[@vineninja5882]

You've gotta respect the amount of research that has gone into this speech🙏

The amount of "research" you mean.

[@HarvestingThings]

@ wat? she is literally using a bunch of empirical data

[@SamuelRBrocks]

@edward quigley She's not saying that language completely changes one's worldview. She's merely stating that languages can have subtle influences or create biases on how speakers of different language think.

[@SamuelRBrocks]

Edith Yuan I believe its the other way around... Her colleagues and her did the studies, which were published in academic journals, which were then published in the new york times. Look up the citations she includes on every picture.

[@brianq2558]

Well I've heard about all these examples in my cultural psychology class lol I think they're very well-known among the scientific community, but I think she did an outstanding job at presenting them. That said the title is kind of clickbait and the premise is controversial if taken literally because most psychologist agree that language affects the way you think, but it doesn't force you to think in a specific way. I don't think she emphasized this enough (if at all).

[@tristanmoller9498]

If one culture couldn’t discover algebra because of their language missing number words, I wonder what our language misses and what we have yet to discover due to that.

[@tristanmoller9498]

Is it even possible to discover something without the necessary language tools or are we going to have to rely on other cultures to teach us?

[@alinaelenabanica]

Good questions, but it is not like that. Some word exist in some languages because they were needed. The number 0 was invented in India because they needed at that time, whyle other population din't and the arab useat after and spreadet to others. So, we have the word teleportation but noboby invented it yeat. I dont agree that a languages is shaping so much..... a languages is reflecting the culture, ideas, needs of a population /tribe. I find realy fascinating that humans are so capable of creating languages, speaked or by signing like for the def people.

[@antoniosarosi1161]

Tristan Möller It's not that they can't discover algebra because of their language, they just don't even have what's called mathematics because they don't need it at all for their activities. Basically when a group of humans has a new necesity and therefore begins to do certain activities that they did not even imagine before, they adapt their language to it. That's what happend with computer vocabulary for example, nobody knew the word "internet" back in the 70s for instance. That did not mean that we could not discover the internet because it was missing in our languages, we just discovered it and adapted the languages to it in a short period of time. Basically, there's nothing missing in our languages, it is missing in our minds and we have yet to discover those new posibilities, and then adapt the languages we speak to the new situation. It couldn't work vice versa, you just can't adapt the language to something that doesn't exist yet.

[@jessicaolson490]

I think this does happen. I have a severe language disability, and so I experience sometime the translation of my thoughts into words more slowly than the average person. But this leaves me mostly not translating my thoughts into language unless I have to (it's hard work), so I have had many ideas I would not be able to put to words, be cause the words do not exist. I think as discovery happens we create new words to share the new ideas (I love the other posters example of internet vocabulary). Deep thoughts!

[@LakiLeGarcon]

@@antoniosarosi1161 Beautiful.

[@Subutai2024]

100% true. I speak several languages and when you shift from one to another, your brain and your mind shift to another way of thinking. You start expressing in a complete different ways. I remember one time that I was in work g in Brazil. One of the local engineers wanted to practice his English with me, although we had been speaking in Portuguese since my arrival. As soon as I started speaking English to him, I saw the surprise in his face and he told me: You voice is completely different in English than in Portuguese which was very curious to me because I never noticed it. I have noticed though that Spanish language is a very descriptive language. You just don’t say a thing. You have to describe it. English is simpler in that way. It lacks the description of things but the pronunciation of words is more complex.

[@donnar4261]

I'm spaniard and I sense how my voice changes when I speak english

[@iamjust1normalgirlfromindi446]

Do you sound native in both Portuguese and English?

[@theritztotherubble]

this is so beautiful

[@Subutai2024]

@@iamjust1normalgirlfromindi446 My original language is Spanish, and Portuguese is somewhat similar, so I was able to adapt to the language easily. I also learned English since I was a child, so if I have an accent, it is almost not noticeable. Most people don’t realize.

[@zll4395]

True. My voice also becomes different when I switch from Chinese to English.

[@carinacorrea1976]

I absolutely loved her speech. So professionaly, accurately, meaningfully, interestingly and sweetly constructed and delivered. Simply brilliant!

[@hughmoore786]

Carina . . . But it also includes a lot of idiosyncrasies . . . if you want to be honest ! ! !

[@carinacorrea1976]

@@hughmoore786 Oh, Hugh Moore, what do you mean?

[@hughmoore786]

@@carinacorrea1976 . . . Everyone brings something of themselves . . . Their past . . . if you prefer . . . into every situation or understanding . . . You (and I) are no exception . . . Ergo . . . idiosyncrasies abound

[@hughmoore786]

I'm somewhat tempted to title this talk as . . . language shapes and distorts the way . . .

[@hughmoore786]

I found something on my computer I still consider very amusing . . . A box in the various language categories which states . . . User Defined and all this time I thought this was the purpose of a computer . . . to bring clarity or definition to language ! ! ! Well I know what its like to be wrong sometimes . . . but I don't believe this is one of those times!

[@natashatarasova7704]

Absolutely agree. I studied Japanese for 5 years and I was noticing interesting things happening to my mind. The way I was perceiving reality shifted. It smelled different, it was differently colored, different air, different taste, different assumptions and expectations. Japanese language is so "block-like" and the verb always comes in the end. It's very schematic, very logical, very square. It gave me more clarity in the way I was thinking and the way I was formulating my sentences. It's a shame we are losing so many different languages. They ARE other universes. I wish there would be a way to save and preserve them. I feel the same about religions - so so many beautiful philosophies are pushed to the corner and lost.

[@misAmerica]

Yesss! I am personally experiencing a lot of healing as I pursue Spanish. It is my safe, happy place, untouched by sorrows of the past (because I choose to allow it to be that way), and I'm literally relearning how to live my life much more fully. I can credit language learning, conversing, and being welcomed and treated as a valuable person by others all over the world (especially through language exchanges) with successfully reversing a future with little hope for the better. I feel younger!

[@KRYPTOS_K5]

About the essence of this video. There is too much epistemological non sense in some presupposition about how deep a linguist could explain sociology based on the facts of some specific grammar use versus another use in other grammar . For instance, in Portuguese, bridge is feminine and we have a big bridge here in my town. My wife (who is a female) says it is a beautiful bridge. I am a male and I call it a strong bridge. Are we considering the same bridge under different gender point of views because the bridge is feminine? Or just because the speakers using the same grammar are male and female? There is also a worse case against this video central thesis: if we (male and female native speakers) talk about that bridge, we can conclude that it is indeed beautiful and strong without any problems if it is indeed a really beautiful and strong bridge *to our perceptions* not to our common tongue and grammar. Apparently lady Boroditsky is implying that people do think someway differently because they speak differently. I disagree. They do speak differently because they think differently. Language is just only an innate competence. So if she implies that any specific grammar as performance is capable to establish specific concepts (like race or gender) I should say that she is only defending an ideology not science. Brazil

[@matthewbittenbender9191]

I'm not so sure you need language to change your thinking process. Understand the culture is also effective. My karate style was taught in the traditional Japanese way using Japanese reasons and concepts like sho shin, ren ma, juku and Bushido as well as the tradition such as proper bowing and the use of Osu. But while we used varied terms for punching, kicking and blocking (tsuki, geri, uke) I never studied Japanese itself, so they sounded completely different when I got to take a class is a Japanese dojo of the same style. And while I struggled a bit at first in that regard, I took to the Japanese dojo culture near perfect because of the 15 years of traditional cultural teaching.

[@misAmerica]

@@KRYPTOS_K5 How many languages do you speak?

[@misAmerica]

@@matthewbittenbender9191 So, you've never had a conversation with anyone in the Japanese language then?

[@David-xf7gb]

I am a native Japanese speaker, I truly agree with this idea!! When I think in English, I feel more reasonable and more computational. And in the case of French, more accurate and more abstract than them. I think it is very difficult to guarantee the equality of all language speakers at the same time as preserving the language. English has gained status as a global language as an established fact. The use of my poor english is one example.

[@BLLJone]

Your english is not poor haha. I am learning Japanese and live in Japan. I also feel that. When I am speaking japanese (very poor), my mind changes a bit. I think Japanese and English is one of the best examples since they are so different.

[@bobbymidha3901]

daiki you are looking for compliments. Japanese is very hard

[@joshuasjourney3810]

I totally agree with you. I speak both Japanese and English and the things I say and think changes a lot between the two languages.

[@GOLDENEYEAL]

I think english has become the main language because its the language of business. Its perfectly suited for that purpose. If you wanna make money, learn english

[@yukonishihara9822]

自卑的日本人

[@samoy7795]

This is why learning more languages is such a benefit. Not only I find better ways to communicate, it opened my whole brain to think in different ways. One language simply doesn't allow that. But as soon as I learned the 2nd language, I knew there are 3, 4, and even million different ways of everything.

[@gustavo2113]

She is so gloriously smart and intelligent... She's beautiful.

[@99bits46]

and you are wet

[@isabelacavassin3062]

Oi

[@ahmedmoataz11]

@@Mohammed-yd4uc Hmm lemme guess, you meant NERD women in general are not attractive right? Cause if you're generally talking about intelligent women or the woman in the video specifically, you might just be the stupidest person to ever walk this earth. Just saying!

[@TheLofiDragon]

Cool

[@MEGAlozer100]

@Chetri Saw @sten Hoffman Your debate helped me tremendously with my essay hahaha, thanks!

[@heydeb9730]

It´s even more clear if you think about how the verb "to be" is divided in two verbs in languages like Spanish and Portuguese: one verb based on essence ("ser") and one based on status ("estar"). They change totally the sense of what you're saying, but in English they are just the same so you aren't able to express your idea totally. I think that's so interesting!

[@jameshoyle8950]

Russian one ups Spanish on that note! Maybe you know already but ser and estar is essentially a distinction on verbal aspect. Many other things aside, every verb in Russian is a pair.

[@neetfreek9921]

You say that it limits expression but not rigidly defining it can also add more depth to the word. Allowing a single word to create context that is beyond a solid definition.

[@joangg]

I guess English can make the same differences, they just use a different resource. For example "es aburrido (he's boring)" vs. "está aburrido /he's bored)". In this case Spanish uses ser/estar to make the difference, whereas English uses -ing/-ed.

[@diogodearaujosgrillo8807]

@@joangg If I say "She's beautiful!", does it means "es" or "esta"?

[@joangg]

@@diogodearaujosgrillo8807 Without any more context, I understand "És bella/guapa". However in the following context: "She's not a pretty girl, but today, with such an ellegant dress and hairdo, she's beautiful" it would be "esta noche, con ese vestido y peinado tan elegante, ESTÀ bella/guapa". In this case we use ser vs. estar to express if the adjective is a normal vs. temporary situation.

[@bohangsong5421]

Which is also indicate that, if you want to fully experience another culture, go study their languages, and just traveling is not enough, cause you are still experiencing it by your own way ( thinking method).

[@MaruskaStarshaya]

yeah, so true. I started understand Korean culture closer by their language. And also culture can help to understand some points in language, they are bonded.

[@karimsonglin8841]

also indicates you need to get exposure to another culture in order to learn that language

[@natsukitatsumakiniji]

True point! One of the most respected multilinguals in my life said "You don't learn a language in a classroom: classes prepare you to learn it. You learn the language in the community of native speakers." He also had the philosophy of you haven't really experienced a country until you've been there for at least two weeks and one of those was a day sitting and listening to people in a cafe or restaurant.

[@llexkosz2476]

​@@karimsonglin8841 I think it is just a popular misconception. The world doesn't stand still and the most widely spoken languages are no longer belong to native speakers. 'One language one culture' is no longer in. You can successfully learn a language without even bothering to learn about its culture. There are a lot of people out there who learn dead and made-up languages which don’t really have cultures.

[@quynhtrangnguyen3206]

So amazing! I'm living in Viet Nam and in my language there are different ways to call another in a conversation, it's not just "I-You" like in English. We call people who are older, much older, younger, male, female, ect. by separate subjects (anh, chị, cô, chú, bác, ông, bà,...) At first I thought it was so complicated, but after your talk, I realize that the way we call each other create more close-knit relationships among people. That's the reason why Vietnamese people are so friendly and warmhearted.

[@rubiks6]

In your language, the same word is used for blue and for green - "màu xanh." When my Vietnamese wife took her citizenship interview, she was asked what colors are the American flag. She said, "red, white and green." I explained to the interviewer how color names work in Vietnamese.

[@ngocanhao3597]

@@rubiks6 no, in Vietnamese, green is "màu xanh lá" or "màu xanh lá cây", which means the color of the leaves, while blue is "màu xanh nước biển" or "màu xanh da trời", which means the color of the sea or the sky respectively. We have so very diverse words for colors.

[@rubiks6]

@@ngocanhao3597 - That doesn't explain why my Vietnamese wife, who was born in and grew up in Trà Vinh, got "red, white, and blue" confused with "red, white, and green." Perhaps in everyday speech, "blue" and "green" both get shortened to "màu xanh" and "màu xanh." Perhaps it matters what part of the country you are from. Thanks for the lesson on the longer names of these colors.

[@nhuthaonguyen1610]

⁠@@rubiks6 ​​⁠ Your wife probably didn’t answer the question correctly because of either her English or knowledge about the flag. It’s not Vietnamese that makes it hard to distinguish green or blue. Besides, when Vietnamese hear ‘màu xanh’, we’re more likely to get it blue, at least for me. For accuracy, we’ll make it clear which one it is.

[@rubiks6]

@@nhuthaonguyen1610 - When my wife got her citizenship, she had already been in this country for 25 years. She knows the colors of the flag. She explained to me exactly what she was thinking when she said "red, white, and green." She was nervous and mixed up "màu xanh" with "màu xanh."

[@veroniquecastel9582]

I’m an interpreter (and multilingual anyway) and the content from this video blew my mind and made my day. You speak well and I want to research this topic more. Thank you 😊

[@silverscreenproductions]

mV Castel nice. Being multilingual is a big talent. I wish you all the best with your research! #LifePodcast

[@samlil5239]

I wish you all the best. Being multilingual is a bless. If I may ask which lancuages do you speak??

[@elkhanhuseynov2119]

Hi.Can we chatting? I want improve my english?😊

[@manjunathakpmanjunathakp423]

Hello I want to be a interpreter, please help me

[@daniellabonnin4268]

Heey can you share to us what research have you done from this topic!

[@monp.4903]

When I speak my tone of voice changes in different languages. When I speak English, I'm more high pitched, Spanish is my mother language so that'd be neutral and French my voice lowers. I studied Japanese in college and my way of thinking had to "assume" too much from the abstract way Japanese is constructed. English is "red car", Spanish is "carro rojo" (car red), so even with basic grammar, you have to think differently.

[@luisdinarte5008]

Mon P. Ese es un buen ejemplo, of how langueges shapes the way we think..

[@Olne76]

almost everybody speak in more high pitched voice, when they speak foreign language, because our vocal cord and brain get more "stressed" and we try to pronounce right and speak grammatically correct, we are more tense when we have to speak, read or listen foreign language.

[@Thytos]

+Olne76 So, then why did his voice get lower when he spoke French which is also a foreign language for him.

[@Olne76]

Thytos , I will assume because French is from the same group of Roman languages. French and Spanish are like cousins, but English is from German group, like a estranged neighbor and you need to concentrate more.

[@alinaelenabanica]

Mon P. The same is happening to me. When I speak french my voice changes, but interesting is that I haven't realised until a colleague told me.

[@dr.irfananwararnab1925]

This is one of the best TED talks I have listened to, being able to speak more than one language- I can definitely relate to this, I was actually thinking about this before & she presented the facts, Thanks a lot. I think people would also relate to the fact that speaking different dialects of the same language can very much influence the way you think & behave. I feel there are more 'aggressive' dialects and 'kinder' dialects of the same language.

[@omarmartinezolvera8405]

yeah, European Spanish is very different than all the Latin American countries, and even within a same country there's regional variations and accents that give a completely different meaning to words / phrases, etc

[@sonjagatto9981]

I agree! 👌🤍

[@P99toq0.99]

@@hristinastoiliva8995 I hardly understand what you mean. please learn the english grammer more

[@muhammadgulma4628]

@@hristinastoiliva8995 Totally understand what you mean) 💯

[@himaparadava5161]

O0

[@isadoragomes2332]

Essa mulher fala impecavelmente bem, não percebo vícios de linguagem ou aqueles tempos para pensar, tipo: "eéehhh" - A fala é fluída e clara, o tom de voz é totalmente agradável, não me dá sono, não me irrita, não desperta ansiedade. Ela desenvolveu muito bem sua oratória.

[@LiveRussian]

My husband says that even my voice becomes different when I speak another language))) When I speak French, he calls it "Sweet Katyusha", when I speak Russian - "Tough Katyusha"))

[@Pabloparsil]

My gf says that I speak with a deeper voice in English than in Spanish!

[@andreeateodor8118]

i personally notice that about myself as well. I speak 3 languages aside my mother tongue. Even thought my voice is the same in each of them, my pitch and intonation changes subconsciously.

[@stephena1196]

@@andreeateodor8118 Yes, I was chatting with a Russian once (I just know a few words) and he asked who I'd learnt it from. He said I speak English like I'm gay and Russian like a complete thug.

[@jesussanchezherrero5659]

@@Pabloparsil i've found that myself too (i'm Spanish). I've been actually wondering if English speakers use a deeper tone of voice

[@enigmatoons3622]

My wife says that my voice is different in English and Spanish.

[@louvie1066]

English is a very straight language, very direct. I know it's easier for me to express in english than it is in my native language, and I really appreciate that. I also appreciate the complexity and the beauty of my language, especially in poetry and medieval fictions. It's amazing how perception change from one language to another, and I've bearly scratched the surface.

[@nicholasjh1]

I'd say there are important nuances in english but in the US at least they are very dialect based. I've noticed this because in Detroit where I grew up certain dialect differences are much different than most of the US... Not in "slang" terms but in the way they language itself is used. Like how sarcasm is expressed. Metaphorical use... Negging language.. self negging etc. Other things like hypobole.... Are very common in Detroit... Though I had to make up that word to describe it... (As opposed to hyperbole which is also common in Detroit).

[@estantaya]

El inglés es un idioma directo, muy directo. Sé que es más fácil para mí expresarme en inglés que en mi idioma nativo, y realmente lo aprecio. También aprecio la complejidad y la belleza de mi lenguaje, especialmente en poesía y ficciones medievales. Es sorprendente cómo cambia la percepción de un idioma a otro, y solo he rasguñado la superficie.

[@jensentao4664]

Could i learning English from you? My native language is Mandarin.

[@brianaschmidt910]

I've been learning Swedish and the best example is the words for grandparents. My grandma's and grandpa's. So I'm talking to my grandma about my other grandma. In Swedish I would be speaking to my mormor (or my mom's mom) about my farmor (or my dad's mom)

[@LauM]

I totally agree with you. Sometimes when writing in English I find myself being way too redundant and I've come to the conclusion that it is due to how I'm used to expressing myself in my native language, which is Spanish, and since I'm Mexican, I tend to be not straight forward at all. In fact, we use a lot of periphrases and try to soft our expressions to avoid as many problems as we can.

[@faiza7533]

This is very interesting. As someone who speaks a few languages I've become aware of my personality differences every time I switch, it's incredibly amusing really. Great talk!

[@SatanicBunny666]

Indeed. As bilingual I kept telling myself for a long time that there's no difference between the way I present myself in English and in Finnish but it's not true. As my English has improved over the years due to daily use the differences have become smaller and smaller, but they're there. And then there are those moments when you realise that the exact expression you're looking for only exists in one of the languages and you feel weird because you can't convey it effectively to the other party. As an example of the kind of thing this video is about: to this day I occasionally mix up 'he' and 'she' when talking in English because Finnish doesn't use gendered pronouns so when I'm talking/thinking fast (and/or drunk) it's easy to slip as the usage of those classes is not part of my original programming.

[@jward4288]

SatanicBunny I have to know now if you don’t use he or she in Finnish what is used. Example She picked up her bag and walked to his car How would that sentence work. Keep in mind I do only speak English

[@TheNotoriousDUDE]

My guess is that the Finnish personal pronoun is the equivalent of "they" as a singular form in English, in cases where gender is unknown or irrelevant.

[@jward4288]

Kansasforlife I think that’s a good guess

[@faiza7533]

SatanicBunny I know exactly what you're talking about! It happens to me too; sometimes there are sayings and metaphors that perfectly describe a situation I'm in, in one language but just don't exist in other languages and it irks me that I can't use it because no one else speaks that language. Also your slip ups make sense! We revert to the language we're most comfortable in when we're quick thinking, drunk, or emotional. I know I bring out my mother tongue with dialect and all when I'm mad. It's very interesting.

[@yacchan1210]

That was interesting. It made me remember this thoughts: I’m Japanese, born and raised in Japan and when I went to the US, I got a bit surprised how addition, subtraction and so on are described in a complex way in English (it also requires more syllables in English). People might think asian people are good at calculation and if that tendency is true, I think one of the reasons is language differences.

[@michelletse8995]

So true! I was raised in Hong Kong and I moved to the UK too. When I was doing math, I was always doing the calculations in my mother tongue, Cantonese because I thought English words were too long and they took much more time for me to “say” them in my mind.

[@Na_oon]

true, I have always thought so too that asians are smart because of the structure of their language and writing. I am not an expert to detail and explain why but I have always believed that.

[@garricknehls8781]

As a linguist, I have so many more questions! Like: 1. Does language affect intellect and intelligence? Are multi-lingual societies smarter than those who only speak one language? Is a person’s cognitive ability more developed if his/her language contains a richer selection of vocabulary? 2. Does language affect feelings and emotions? If a language doesn’t have words for “love”, can a person still feel it? Or if “I like you” is more acceptable than “I love you” because of their linguistic connotations, how does this affect relationships?

[@subrosian1234]

For the love part, I just felt like pointing out that the feeling of attachment that we call love is not dependent in any way upon the word itself. The feeling must have come first, otherwise what would the word "love" describe if not something that already existed (the feeling that we felt)? And the same with any other words, really. They are merely a means to describe reality/our perceptions, so reality must come first, then words afterwards that describe it.

[@kiuvas]

I can add that in Spanish we dont go from I like you to I love you there is the " te quiero" i want you which is a step below love. The overuse use of the word love in English makes it lose its value for me as a native Spanishspeaker

[@RostovII]

I believe the answer to both questions is yes, although a basic feeling of love isn't necessarily correlated to language itself, still may be to some degree.

[@anitaxyz9767]

When it comes to the word love, in my native language (Polish) we use it much less than the English speakers. Mainly we never say we love chicken soup/comedies/some actor or actress etc. This word can only relate to other people and only those very dear to us at that. For example, we even rarely say we love our friends, I don't think I've heard anyone say that in over a decade. And that opens up another big topic, becouse we do not use the word friend as much too. We keep it only for a very few selected people we've known and trusted for ages. Having two of them is already a lot and to the rest of people we refer as mates/collegues whatever. I guess our word for a friend is much closer in perception to what most English speakers would call the very best friend. Wild. And it makes speaking English so much weirder too, becouse suddenly you are supposed to refer to a person you've known for like a year as a friend while internally it feels so wrong!

[@pbice]

Interesting questions, which I think they may be true. However, it's really hard to "prove" them. Bilingual speakers can thinking things more differently, and also able to accept different cultures. As for intelligence, it is still unknown. Education knowledge seems to play a more important role.

[@Mido-gi1gw]

Arabic is my mother language, and I speak English and german fluently. I think every language has its own taste of something. For example Arabic is a very poetic and logical language. Every time I write an essay in Arabic, I automatically and unconsciously find myself shifting to using words which rhymes with each other. At the same time almost in every conversation between two arabs you will find a lot of general statements and sayings. We use sayings almost in every situation in our daily life. Also from an educational viewpoint you will find the students always trying to extract rules from inductive experiences. I understand this might be also an act of nonarabic students , but believe me in arabic we are sunk into generalizing anything. Not to mention the really logical grammer of arabic. Its complex, no doubt about it , but I believe it plays a huge role to lead arabs to thinking that way. On the other hand, I find English simpler than german. Maybe because I have much more experience with English than german. Still English is a really statical language. Its enormously easier to comprehend English text than german I think. I find german a more of a descriptive language than a logical one.

[@rimita16]

Hi ! I speak arabic , English and French plus a dialect . I’m trying to learn german and I’m finding really difficult , can you offer me any advice?

[@icebergslim8926]

Rima Ry get the Rosetta Stone computer program lol

[@mohammedhamad5820]

وحش

[@sophiebell4758]

German is much more difficult than english if it isnt your Mothertoung. We have much more articles and so on. Our language has more grammar than the english do and we have mor vokabulary ^^ but i always find it interesting if someone lerns my language ^^ Greetings from germany

[@annajones2232]

what do you mean by german as a descriptive language and what is a logical one?

[@marcusvachon845]

I love intelligent people. This intelligent woman exuded an inner and outer beauty.

[@الدبلوماسيرقم8]

High

[@alfredhitchcock45]

Very rare combination of beauty and brains. It usually has to be a "dumb blonde"

[@aini9528]

beauty of a dinner kind is a most important one...

[@nikamitkina7962]

That is one of the most interesting TED talks I’ve ever watched! It’s shocking how vast is the diversity of ways of thinking and you never find the most distinguished one because they all are extraordinary. I speak 3 languages and can say that it's so true that your personality changes as soon as you speak another language and I can see how weird it can sound for someone who does have the same experience.

[@rasmussonderriis]

But it's all wrong. Check out John McWhorter's talk "Why the world looks the same in any language".

[@men_43vol]

Speak a new language so that the world will be a new world. - Beloved Rumi

[@iadoreapplehead]

@Chetri Saw maybe it depends on which languages you speak. My native language is Dutch which is way too similar to English to notice any big differences. However, with French I feel that I do think slightly differently. And I've just started Mandarin Chinese which is just mind-blowing. So yeah, maybe if the languages are too closely related your way of thinking doesn't change. Or, your level is not high enough yet. It took me a very long time to actually be able to think in French..

[@xuenan53]

I agree this, because I speak 4 languages, if I want to find some information, I can use 4 languages to search that.maybe that information is same but perhaps different culture will answer you different answer.

[@caroladdison9848]

Learning a new language also helps keep your brain synapses healthy and fighting off diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

[@Ali-ki5ex]

I'm Iranian, he phrases this even more dramatically actually. he says: "quick! say something fresh and new, so that both of the worlds (material & spiritual) become fresh and new.. and even (both worlds) transcend greater than the limits of the world, and become sizeless and limitless .. "

[@men_43vol]

@@Ali-ki5ex great! I like that

[@no-xh4ir]

Great speech. Love her composure and how she explained everything in simple yet great detail. "Why do I think the way I do?" what a thought-provoking question. I love it.

[@Syedqulbeabbas2]

Can you please answer this question

[@hannguyen5637]

One of my favorite talk so far! I love The way she conveys her messages, how she speaks slowly but shaped. What an immersive speak!

[@KRYPTOS_K5]

About the essence of this video. There is too much epistemological non sense in some presupposition about how deep a linguist could explain sociology based on the facts of some specific grammar use versus another use in other grammar . For instance, in Portuguese, bridge is feminine and we have a big bridge here in my town. My wife (who is a female) says it is a beautiful bridge. I am a male and I call it a strong bridge. Are we considering the same bridge under different gender point of views because the bridge is feminine? Or just because the speakers using the same grammar are male and female? There is also a worse case against this video central thesis: if we (male and female native speakers) talk about that bridge, we can conclude that it is indeed beautiful and strong without any problems if it is indeed a really beautiful and strong bridge *to our perceptions* not to our common tongue and grammar. Apparently lady Boroditsky is implying that people do think someway differently because they speak differently. I disagree. They do speak differently because they think differently. Language is just only an innate competence. So if she implies that any specific grammar as performance is capable to establish specific concepts (like race or gender) I should say that she is only defending an ideology not science. Brazil

[@TheBelrick]

I just see an Elf slipping in subversive thoughts. Bashing Americans for actually having developed science.

[@rubytian2809]

aa

[@Leo-nf9ti]

Where are you from

[@angelusbritos]

Such a nice talk. Congrats to Lera on how she approached a so complex topic and made it easy for understanding. I would like to bring a reflection from myself to the table. I am Portuguese native speaker but I also speak English and a little bit of French and German. I could feel this difference on the way we think frequently based upon the context/culture in which we are trying to communicate with. I some times can only express a feeling or idea in Portuguese or English and many times I get misunderstood in German or French due to lack of "proficiency" which I say that the problem is not thinking in the proper way as that language requires. It is common to sound rude, invasive or completely misunderstood if we mix all these culture + languages rules to the equation but it also impact the message content and how easily people will get your message. That example of languages that can and can't count was a perfect example for this but even close related languages can differ so much. I can't imagine how I would do to communicate with that Australian Tribe. I am clueless about orientation without my GPS. HAHA

[@Mhurilo10]

This is a very underrated comment haha

[@jinnalee5068]

Yes the same with me as I speak a few languages growing in KL/Malaysia as a Chinese, a few dialects spoken at home way before going to school to learn 3 proper languages at the age of 7. Moved to USA and gotten the opportunity to learn Spanish and French offered by the company. My mind was working and jumping in a few directions to get what I wanted to convey to a colleague for simple task or direction. I was misunderstood for as long as 19 years working in that company but I am now working for myself as an artist and setting and creating a language from a brand new start. LOL Zen Jinnacrazyart

[@lancewalker2595]

For the love of God, to anyone who finds this nonsense credible I would highly recommend: Plato's Cratylus dialogue or the linguist John McWhorter's highly competent invalidation of this unfortunately quite pervasive Sapir-Whorf sophistry.

[@moxieinaboxie]

THIS is why I love Linguistics!! :) so true language has such power over our perception of the world we live in

[@mea2429]

i was gonna be a linguistics major, and in my first linguistics class i was told about this theory, but also told that it was most likely untrue. although i dont remember the professor's counterpoints anymore :/

[@scotch-wm6rr]

@@mea2429 It was pretty much every single intro to linguistics class. Safir-Whorf hypothesis. Strong and weak versions.

[@mea2429]

@@scotch-wm6rr im aware

[@SilentPolyglot]

Yes, I agree! ❤️

[@mariakudasheva2989]

Yes

[@luiscantero7893]

"The limits of my language mean the limits of my world" - Ludwig Wittgenstein.

[@brunohill3229]

It's how you perceive what you see verstehen.

[@fedexz1209]

you do not think only with the language...

[@minhajali4124]

Luis Cantero Wow!

[@keithhoward4059]

30 million words theory between rich and poor . More words more laughs

[@tazriddle7201]

Luis Cantero

[@ThanhTâmĐinhVũ-p8r]

I really love the part where she tried to explain how languages can change our perception of the world. The examples which were given out helps me understand her ideas better

[@갱미몬]

Her speech is so interesting. I love her confidence :)

[@kurplop357]

You'd need a lot of confidence to wear a dress like that.

[@歐阿-b2m]

갱미몬 I like the story she said. By the way your travel video it's so cool keep it!

[@E-plunksna]

i love her calmness :)

[@damikuteyi]

I agree!

[@WitoldBanasik]

She looks equally interesting... Half of what she speaks would have been meaningless without her good look... I'm afraid. C'est la vie... That's how the world works.

[@fmdxua]

Hi! My native language is Ukrainian. I liked this speech of Lera Boroditsky. It's very interesting topic. But in my opinion this phenomenon was described not enough deep. It was said nothing about feeling yourself when you speak in non-native language. The reason is in your native language you think using templates and associations which you have got since your childhood. But when you teach some foreign language being an adult you are free and you can get absolutely another exepience using this new language. Even your temperament could be changed when you are thinking and speaking in some non-native language.

[@M_Koffee]

fmdxua True, I was waiting for her to speak more on this subject, too. Cause I really do feel this like “another soul” (sounds too romantic for me, lol), this another structure of my thoughts when I speak English.

[@rusapenp5232]

@@M_Koffee Well, I would not say another soul, another personality I would say. Because when we learn, let's say italian, we travel to Italy, we watch movies etc.. so when we speak Italian our persona changes a little, we reflect people we saw in Italy or characters in the movies we saw , we repeat words, sentences even emotions, so our personality makes a shift.

[@sharonolsen6579]

she only had 14 minutes .......

[@alexrublev5383]

It's a bit too cocky to say that you "speak in non-native language" when you can just translate words without using proper structure of the sentences and correct prepositions to glue the words. "speech BY Lera Boroditsky", "It was said nothing" -> "nothing was said", etc. Так що вчи мову, а потім випендрюйся.

[@campingsaintnectaire]

@@alexrublev5383 I think you jumped to conclusions here. English might be his third or fourth language, to which he is now not referring to. I feel I have experienced the same thing that fmdxua describes, (also not English) but in my experience, in order to feel these differences, it demands a close to perfect ability to speak the language, meaning you probably need to live there. It makes it hard to distinguish what language changed or what culture changed. I am convinced that when I learnt my second language, it changed my way of reasoning and reacting to different circumstances. It gave me expressions and words that did not exactly exist in my native language.

[@Katoph]

Language, in my opinion, is a really strong phenomenon, and it is one of the key reasons why we humans evolved to be the way we are today in comparison to other species. It provided people with a sense of identification and trust in others because they now shared a common something. It all starts with developing a small group, then a community, then a society, and finally a nation. It's pretty amazing how a simple way of talking can have such a big impact on society.

[@rubiks6]

We did not evolve. God created us in His image and gave us language. At the tower of Babel, God confused the people by giving them all different languages so they would spread out and populate the Earth as He had previously commanded. If evolution had occurred, it would have driven us all to one single language a long time ago, as we are moving toward one language today.

[@naalge1]

So true! I believe she stated over half of the world's languages will be extinct in 100 years. Also, John MacArthur states that there will be 10 main languages, with English being the primary language spoken by the majority of the world.@@rubiks6

[@muamarkhadafi8348]

​@@rubiks6 what are you talking about? Haha

[@rubiks6]

@@muamarkhadafi8348 - Which word(s) did you not understand?

[@mahmudabrori9116]

Maybe it is one of the best TED video i ever watched. I am not a linguist, but I am so enthusiast with language, and every words she said, is like a magic to my brain. Thank You very much.

[@nadiab.8869]

I dont know what language she was thinking in when she picked her dress, but clearly she nailed it! Great presentation and stunning dress!

[@noemi2diaz]

Nadia B. I see her dress matches the stage. Good choose.

[@eu9234]

Not only was she thinking in English, but she thought about it with a British accent. Great speech! Very interesting. My mother tongue is Portuguese, I speak English and I'm learning Spanish and German. Next I want to learn a more difficult language like Arabic. I'd like to speak at least 6 languages. Spanish is pretty easy for native Portuguese speakers. German has its challenges but it is more accessible than I thought. I find English the simplest language of all, of course. I think Portuguese can be harder than German depending on your linguistic background. I think Arabic will be a whole other challenge.

[@uriflegler9592]

@@eu9234 I'm learning Hebrew, which belongs to the same language family of Arabic, and it's not really difficult. Once you learn the alphabet you can pick up easily its sounds. The biggest challenge for me is the language's completely different vocabulary from other languages I know

[@UlanKG]

Russian!

[@ArzuSky]

I guess she was thinking in Russian that moment. As she said Russian people more sensitive to colors, so i think she was imagining how her dress would look on the stage, would it suit or not😁. And also there is another feature of Russian women to pay the great attention to the appearance. Idk what it is related to, maybe history and culture but everyone knows that Russian women like to dress up and stand by the crowd with style ☺️

[@04steen]

In Spanish we could also say "él rompió el jarrón" ("he broke the vase"). We would only say "El jarrón se rompió" ("the vase broke") when we don't want to blame ourselves or others for that. There is a pragmatic intention in whether we use the first or the second structure. That is why Spanish speaking kids would always use the second structure, because it sounds as if it happened just like that 🙂. We even say things like "se me perdieron las llaves" (the keys went lost to me") instead of "perdí las llaves" (I lost the keys).

[@pml8256]

A mi que se pierden siempre digo, 'otra vez se me han perdido las llaves'

[@rodrigodiaz7167]

Correcto, o mejor aún "se le rompió el jarrón". Describe tanto quién fue culpable como el hecho de que fue un accidente. Esto hace al español un idioma superior y no inferior al ingles como lo retrató la señora...

[@ftwan5277]

El español lo siento muy agresivo comparándolo con el inglés, y sobretodo con idiomas asiáticos como el japonés o coreano. Soy española.

[@rodrigodiaz7167]

@@ftwan5277 por que agresivo?? cualquiera. me da bronca como los hispanohablantes odian su idioma siendo que es de los mejores que existen (y no lo digo por hablarlo). el ingles de los mas pobres

[@lunainezdelamancha3368]

​@@ftwan5277 Yo hablo 3 idiomas, English, Spanish, e Italiano. Me fascina hablar Italiano y Espanol. Son idiomas suaves, alegres, amistosos..... Yo pienso que Inglés es muy duro, tiránico, y agresivo.... 🤔...lo que son las cosas...será porque lo asocio con guerras y mass shootings...😢. Es una cosa cultural...así lo siento.

[@AwesomeCrackDealer]

She's so smart. This is a great talk. The dress is very cool

[@kacperwoch4368]

Why everytime I watch some woman speaking to the people in TED or sth, there is always this type of comment: ''she is smart''. I don't get it, you make it feel like it's rare among women to be smart, or that a woman has to be smart in order to even speak out loud, which is not true, obviously.

[@AwesomeCrackDealer]

I don't know, man. Maybe you are reading too much into it? Take a look at this screenshot that proves you wrong. imgur.com/WwOWfth

[@JCosio-bs9xr]

Actually, she is presenting other men's ideas of linguistic relativism and categorical perception (almost to a degree of presenting these ideas as if they were here own). But for what specific proposition?

[@mattd1496]

Interestingly she's a SLAV.

[@sergiikru24]

Matt D that's why she knows about two blue colors in Russian

[@Ayatal-Kursi]

I have listened to many professors from top universities like UC Berkeley and Oxford University discuss the connection between language and thought, but I’ve never fully grasped the way they explained certain topics. However, Lera’s discussion about how language shapes the way we think, combined with her strong yet pleasant communication style, makes her explanations far more understandable and relatable for both online and in-person audiences.

[@trash1518]

that made me realize how powerful language can be

[@jamesshunt5123]

Which also means that those who only speak one language are powerless.

[@elkhanhuseynov2119]

Hi.Can we chatting? I want improve my english?😊

[@zeldris478]

@@elkhanhuseynov2119 Hi! Can we chat? I want to improve my English?* (sorry for my prescriptivism brother)

[@MaruskaStarshaya]

Da, cyka!

[@t.o.g.sakafay2868]

But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. (Matt 5: 37( KJV)

[@Mo-rf9ev]

I speak 3 languages everyday, i lived in Jombang, East Java for like 5 years.. i use Sundanese to talk to my family in home, Javanese to talk to my Javanese friends and people in the same age, and Indonesian language to talk to javanese people who older than me (in order to make the conversation goes politely).. I can say that the Sapir-Whorf theory is the most related theory in my own "lingustics struggle", because i thought the same thing, that there's not only in linguistics scope, but also how a culture affects someone's mind/reasoning.. i sometimes get confused to explain what i think in Sundanese language, then explain it to my Javanese friends/people.. or vice versa, what Javanese thing is in my mind then I explain to my Sundanese friends.. my friends always gets confused by me lol

[@PoetDoc8]

and don't forget your English you are speaking here with us :)

[@hannanatalisa3282]

And you can speak and write English too 😁👍

[@yiliao9808]

wow, you are vere good, Can you teach me English, thank you.

[@coolpctech826]

I believe language also has a great impact on emotions of a person .

[@renatovarnariano2233]

not language......words only

[@ramsesrameez5430]

Yes because it's directly linked to human senses..

[@musicalcarolina4871]

That is true.. Just read poems from great poets and you will understand... Whitman, Nervo, Cesar Vallejos, José Santos Chocano, Moliere...

[@jamgirlomsk]

Thanks a lot for this video, I found new examples and new perspectives on the statement "we are how we think and speak". And when you listen to a person who speaks another language dramatically different from yours, you can see the differences in culture, sometimes misundersandings, just only because you think differently. Perfect! This is one of my favourite things to think about and observe. I also can't disagree that the more languages you speak, the wider your mind is (or the bigger your soul is). But I have never thought about future: a bit terrifying prospect to realize that some of the languages will die, or some of them will transform influenced by another more popular language.

[@marcuspi999]

She found a dress to match the "TED"

[@earthmasterburks]

Yes and it would look better on my bedpost! lol

[@marcuspi999]

@@earthmasterburks Fantasizing about the pretty teacher again, Aric?

[@ahmedmoataz11]

@@marcuspi999 who wouldn't fantasize about her anyway? she's incredibly hot and gorgeous and above all of that, she's so intelligent and smart.

[@edward0535]

Agree, haha

[@MatheusHenrique-li7cv]

@@ahmedmoataz11 I wouldn't, I'm gay

[@m01uq13]

"what thoughts do you wish to create",this sentence made me to think again about learning language .

[@LinkChenTW]

Since I am a Chinese, Japanese and English speaker, I understand what Professor Boroditsky said. Even my Chinese is kind of the Japanese style now. Language really can change the way you think.

[@josephjones4351]

Yes it does. But that is because the whole purpose of language is for expressing the way you think. It is the mind that makes language to express how it thinks. That is why it seems to have the effect of shaping the way we think. It is a perception but not necessarily 'true' in the final. We can encounter 'limits' of 'discernment' or 'expression' in our native tongue at times and from all the evidence here we can also experience 'enhancement' to our 'discernment' or 'expression' from immersion in another language. Our minds are simply assimilating new ways of thinking from others. BTW I've enjoyed reading this post. I've read every thing. I've become personally interested in this subject lately as I have begun to realise that indeed thoughts ARE constrained by language's ability to express them. But languages are created by thoughts, otherwise we could not have these experiences described in these posts. Thanks

[@MaruskaStarshaya]

​@@JenKumar in Korean Hello literally means "how are you?". And in Russian Hello has meaning of "Be healthy"

[@En8el]

@@josephjones4351 Yes, I enjoy an experience more directly now, before I "translate" it into words that will tend to limit how I focus and define what happened to me.

[@llexkosz2476]

@@JenKumar The key difference between amateurs and professionals is that amateurs tend to focus on words while professionals focus on their intended meanings. There are a lot of people out there who claim to be scientists. They have been honing their persuasive skills for years and even got it down to a fine art. And yet they demonstrate a remarkably poor grasp of what language is. To a professional, language is a mere tool consisting of a set of words while their meanings are created through the process of thought. Language is contantly changing and adapting to a changing environment and ever-expanding knowledge. Nowadays it may be difficult to imagine Malayalam speakers saying 'How are you?' rather than 'Have you eaten?' but that has not always been the case. Originating in China the phrase rapidly made its way across Asia. Although it may sound odd, the phrase is equivalent to the English 'How are you?'. Both have lost their original meainings and assumed a phatic function.

[@llexkosz2476]

@@MaruskaStarshaya Contrary to popular belief, the original meaning of the word 'Zdravstvuyte' used to be 'I wish you good health' and not 'be healthy' .

[@KlimovArtem1]

Yep, totally agree. I can also add that when you learn a new language, it’s like you develop a new part of your brain and personality with it.

[@neonnick2792]

Lera is currently one of my professors, crazy to see all of the stuff she does outside of the classroom..

[@tanya_brut]

Lera? Is she russian?

[@abbbb5625]

Since my childhood, I always have felt that the language I was taught and after the languages I learned are 'wrong' in their own foundation in the sense that they are indeed biased in the sense the way we think biased the language and is the reflection of our mentality and not vice versa

[@Soulenergy31]

1:44 Does the language we speak shapes the way we think? 2:33 Aboriginal community from Australia 4:00 Example of location, point southeast 8:00 German and Spanish 13:38 final thought

[@pranavprasad1626]

thanks for these, really helped me with researching the topic. you saved me a lot of time :)

[@joyderose2862]

thank you

[@nuredin537]

Amazing technical skill. Can u share how do you do that? Thank you!

[@Soulenergy31]

@@nuredin537 sure!, just type the time where u want the reminder and its comment next to it. Easy peasy 👌😎

[@nuredin537]

@@Soulenergy31 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@meyiengi]

I like how humble she is, knowing there are a lot she doesn’t know about languages, despite her ability to see through any languages’ structures..

[@dela2612]

I got shivers when she explained how time perception changed with language

[@senecakoos5563]

Watch “Arrival” if you already haven’t :3

[@wazu7322]

@@senecakoos5563 heptopod

[@beingsshepherd]

I'm not sure that that's the case. What I gathered was more a culture that orients at least its visual expression of chronology, relative to the Earth's polar bearings.

[@natsukitatsumakiniji]

ME TOO!!!!!! I loved the east-west arrangement.

[@juliessignlanguageclass7739]

I love this talk. As a speech therapist and as a learner of other languages, I revel in the bazillion aspects of language. I worked with hearing impaired kids in an area with vary little parental involvement. It was not unusual to sadly have deaf kids start school at 3 or 4 or 5 with absolutely no language...and because of their situations, you had to accept that they would never catch up. At the same time, I worked with a 4-year-old who had started on his own reading a 4th or 5th grade level book about animals. Then I have aging parent with dementia, so I see the loss of language and cognition. (Although my mom asked to have speech therapy, and is making great progress hanging on to a retrieving lost skills. Yeah, Mom!) Thanks for researching and sharing your research on a subject that is so close to my heart.

[@aliaborez3987]

Im a native Venezuelan who learned arabic in Syria and had to migrate to T&T where i improved my horrible english skills. When i talk in spanish i tend to be open minded or atleast thats the most noticeable thing for me? When i talk arabic i feel like im being too specific but thats actually helpfull sometimes when i want to think and concentrate at specific things. Now the english language is not that bad, it cuts corners and takes the most shortcuts of them all to get to an idea. Simple yet so many details are lost but it really does it job when you have a long and complex idea that you want to explain to someone in the least amount of time while keeping the point intact. You can actually see it on street signs if you google the ones with long messages you will find that english ones have the least amount of words. I want more people to learn multiple languages because it really makes you look at your self in a thirdperson kinda way. Now let me go back and try getting better at english because i know im still horrible at it...(sry 4 mi bad english joke 2018!!!)

[@slugakristov8343]

Why did you moved to syria, i mean why arabic.cant you learn it in venezuela?

[@xabi2025]

Maybe he's from sueida. This Syrian city is full of venezuelian people.

[@slugakristov8343]

@@xabi2025 That is crazy

[@kennethrjurekjr]

You call it "cutting corners" we call it being efficient. But not even as efficient as German. Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsauf gabenübertragungsgesetz That is one word.

[@Doug4Doug]

Kenneth R Jurek Jr, I don't speak German, so my mind isn't trained how to break it into its parts. I find some sort of spaces or punctuation helpful. For example, I can more easily recognize 2,591,079 than 2591079. That's interesting.

[@Adiblee]

love the way she present the talk and the examples she gave to explain the topic, made me understood properly.

[@chevyboy9525]

This talk is immensely informative. It guides people to examine the limitation imposed by one language alone. She illustrates the possibilities of a higher dimension of cognitive power to reality by exploring other languages. It is all about fine-tuning the human cognitive tool (the brain) to give life a broader scope and keener perception about time and space, or how we experience that which we called Life on Earth. More importantly, this cognitive power differentiates between machine (technological device) and sentient being (human). Thank you for this wonderful talk.

[@satellite964]

Wow that dress is really good looking! BTW as a multilingual I have to say that learning multiple languages adds another dimension to one's thinking and reasoning ability.

[@lizmarkwart5327]

I applaud this TED presentation for digging into what is reality and truth based on language. It opens up a whole realm of social studies and their interpretations. Ontology, is a philosophical position that specifies for that individual what is real and informs the theoretical perspectives (Atkinson). Add to that, the layer within that frame of thought that not only where we live, who we live with, but the actual language that is used can shape the way we shape our reality, and in the scientific realm, also guide how research is conducted. This has massive implications for science, because the language used to ask the question, could ultimately change the outcome of the project. For example, if the question revolved around the inequality of women, and the study is done where the language revolves around gendering the environment where all ‘feminine’ objects were deemed to be elegant, quiet, appealing but secondary, it would be easy to assume that gender inequality persists deeply in that culture, even before the study begins. However, without language for binary gender norms, is it possible to assume more acceptance of various gender presentations, and therefore more equal standing within the population? As Ms Borodetski so eloquently pointed out, we know what is real around us, based on our language. We are so focussed on our own ‘truths’ that other expressions of ‘reality’ are confusing or dismissed as inaccurate. Are there even ‘truths’ in research when seemingly simple concepts like colours, genders and events are up for language interpretation? If we can divide empirical data from interpretivist data, we as citizens, should be able to use the new knowledge as intended, and know that we are colouring the findings with our own knowledge compass. I do wonder if language is created around a community’s existential feelings of ‘being’ or are the pre-conceived notions of personhood strictly dictated by the language. Chicken-or-the-egg, or simultaneous? What is the mechanism or moderator for change - the does the language change based on new knowledge, or does a change in the knowledge inform new language? When I think about derogatory words used in the English language, the “n-word’ holds so much power, that the single word can cause deep feelings of oppression and even cause revolutions, while taking that word out of normal lexicon, creates power within a historically marginalized population. That single word is a touchstone for change in our English speaking society - change of language changes our knowledge and vice versa. Another example is ‘Global Warming’ vs ‘Climate Change’. Belief in the science-based discovery was not as widely accepted when the language was different.

[@HonestmaphosaMutatariki]

I am glade that sometimes you imagine something with your mind and when you here someone say exactly what you imagined it gets so difficult to stop imagining staff. This is one of my favourite speeches and people need to understand the deeper and higher meaning of this expression

[@Mmm.5255]

Skillful communicator with obvious linguistic abilities. Despite my admiration for her talent, I am inclined to consider her theory wrong. Language does shape our perception, but it is limited by our capacity to describe feelings and most of us just lack the immediate vocabulary. The way we see the world is far from being tied up to just words and that's why we find it so difficult to choose the right terms to describe anything. There is a huge gap between our sensorial reading of the environment and its verbal translation. We are poor translators of our own perceptions. That's why we admire great writers for their translational excellence.

[@Riververchi]

I've been living in another country struggling to learn the local language for many years. I ended up so, that whenever I have to be around the native speakers, the shame of knowing the language poorly even after being in the country for so long, resulted in me turning into a completely different person. In English I was fun, talky, joking a lot, really funny, happy person. In the language of the country I've been living in, I was silent, shy and awkward, and weird and a person you would stay away from as you would get impression of me being "creepy". I'm not kidding. This is how horribly it impacted me. People would get shocked if they see me switch from local language to English. This is what things like this can do to you.

[@CharlieGV]

Same here!

[@mia-om7dt]

Germany?

[@beingsshepherd]

Hmm but that not about language shaping thinking; it's more ... knowledge influencing social confidence.

[@alexllongui]

I felt that too while living in England, I limited myself and avoided people, it was really frustrating, then cartoons saved my life😁

[@jdeb0016]

I was thinking that languages effect the way the speaker thinks for many years, they act like filters between the world around us and our minds, but I never heard someone explain it so well as this beautiful and sweet lady. Thank you dear lady and thank you "TED talks" in general :)

[@FairyMoondoll]

Just read a text for my psychology bachelor, that discuss a lot of the point she's making, but takes a more critical approach to these studies. For anyone interested in language it's Pinker (2007), The stuff of thought: language as a window into human nature, page 124-151. It discusses exactly why language doesn't SHAPE our thoughts, but merely affects our thoughts. An interesting read after this TEDtalk, as both people make interesting points :))

[@nostalgia9338]

Psychology is bull.

[@nashs.4206]

Now THIS is a TED talk! Very interesting!

[@JenKumar]

Right? So many of the more current TED talks do not live up to this standard.

[@sailormoon71]

Если всё в жизни имеет смысл, то эта лекция вдохновила меня ещё больше любить и изучать свой язык . А так же уважать другие языки... 🙌

[@northwesternroots2054]

Согласен, очень глубокие мысли в этой лекции

[@yuricanal3047]

I agree. One language pattern when studying thinking? Double alarm: the diversification of thinking disappears and cannot be compensated by its partial fixation with insignificant efforts of English-speaking undergraduates. {А также уважать другие языки.... также - союз} Было бы лучше дописать фразу, включив другие языки. Например: И так же как свой язык, уважать и изучать другие языки не только можно, но и очень важно. (так - наречие} Один язык для изучения мышления? Двойная тревожная нота: исчезновение диверсификации мышления, не компенсируемое частичной ее фиксацией незначительными усилиями англоговорящих студентов.

[@jonobbas20]

Mind-blowing, profound thoughts communicated precisely and systematically and it really made me to think differently in just 15 minutes. My native language is TAMIL and at time I have though that my mother tongue is less capable while comparing with English, but it is insane. It is the diverse capability of the languages and as you told even in TAMIL we tell "the hand is broken" to emphasize more on the incident and not on the perpetrator. And recently, for the past two years, I am preparing for a English exam and amazed to learn new ways and means to learn the nuances of another language . One simple example is to find the exact matching word in native language, so that it is easy to understand the meaning of that word more precisely, how a set of other words form the same language could describe the meaning utterly. If a matching word is not available, as you told, it means that that language does not have not cognitive ability, and it bestows a real appreciation for that language. It is deeply bothering that the concept of global village discriminates and eats up lots of indigenous and ingenious languages.

[@JenKumar]

And, many in Tamil Nadu may greet you by saying "saapitiyaa?" (If I remember correctly, "Have you had your food?") This is a greeting we would not use in American English. And the US English greeting "How are you?" would feel odd in many parts of India!

[@mickymouse2445]

Yes, lets save all that many human languages in all countries!

[@mickymouse2445]

Yes, lets save all that many human languages in all countries!

[@identity1404]

Amazed by the different languages we speak and how we use them to express complex thoughts. Each individual that speaks a different language will pay attention to different things and greatly shape the way we think.

[@JuliesTales]

I think these findings have implications for language learning and assessment. So many students have to take English tests (TOEFL, IELTS) to get better opportunities in life and so many get lower scores not because they are difficult to understand when they speak English but because they don't sound 'natural enough'. Such a great point about the majority of studies conducted in English. We're losing so many discoveries and opportunities.

[@Ash-gk8jp]

@Arid Sohan natural being the way of speaking that a native speaker of that language would have. A native English speaker would sound weird speaking Hindi for the first time and vice versa. You can have objectively good pronunciation and still not be an efficient user of the language.

[@philodonoghue3062]

In China there are many universities where the medium of teaching of all subjects is English.

[@AngelLestat2]

The movie Arrival is all about this.. amazing movie and concept.. This girl remind me the main character, amazing presentation. Me hubiera gustado que haya aclarado mejor que para los aborígenes el tiempo pasaba de este a oeste porque así es como se mueve el sol.

[@Angie-et5gq]

Es lo mismo que yo pensé. Era tan obvio que se trataba del sol, no se porque no lo menciono.

[@khyentsephuntsok1858]

Movie name

[@femaleswolf]

Gracias for your translation of your comment into Español

[@JackieMel]

Learning a different language is changing your perspective. It’s very fun! I feel like I’m more open to things I’ve never been open to in the past. My knowledge of the world has become expansive.

[@SilentPolyglot]

Yes, the same here! ❤️

[@dotconnector1746]

Fascinating topic delivered with beautiful examples, profound insights and a touch of humour. Thank you Ms Boroditsky, you are a pleasure to listen to! Thank you TED for sharing this. That final question "What thoughts do I wish to create?" hit me unexpectedly. Speaking several languages also expands your thinking it seems...

[@emdiar6588]

Fascinating, as I have said exactly the same thing when comparing English (my mother tongue) and Dutch (in which I am fluent and speak every day). In English we might say "I drop" (litter for example). In Dutch we say "Ik laat vallen" which means 'I let fall'. In English we take responsibility for the action. "I drop" implies that dropping is something I actively participated in. In Dutch we pass the buck. "I let litter fall" is like saying "The litter was going to fall anyway, I just did nothing to stop it." No offence to you if you are Dutch, but this attitude shows up in daily life. Typically I notice that if I accidentally step on someone's foot in England, I will apologise immediately, but crucially, the other person will also apologise, presumably for putting their foot in my way. Neither party wishes to appear rude and rushes to be the first to take the blame. When exactly the same happens in Amsterdam, both parties seem to want to absolve themselves of blame before the other gets the chance, and tutting occurs on both sides.

[@giotheproducer2476]

let's say the Dutch are more "Italian"....

[@sylviabledow7070]

So do the Germans, Spanish speakers, Irish speakers, etc. So English is actually unusual there.

[@emdiar6588]

A Dutch friend of mine sneered at English, saying we don't have a word for 'varen' (to travel by water on a boat/ship). I pointed out that we 'sail' if wind is the propulsion, 'row' if using oars, and still use the word 'fare' (English for varen) in phrases like 'sea faring' and 'fare well'. I then asked him what the blue stuff was above our heads. He said 'lucht' which means 'air', but air is not the same as sky. A hole in the ground can be full of air. It can't be full of sky. Sometimes they use 'de hemel' which means heaven. In English we also use this euphemism (as in 'the heavens opened' meaning it rained hard) but that is just a metaphor. We still have an actual name for it. It fascinates me that a language can not have a specific word for something so defined in English. We have the Vikings to thank for that. They knew what was up, in both senses of the phrase.

[@rongdong3244]

@@emdiar6588 I've never seen people not apologise when stepping on somebody's shoe/foot. I've only encountered it with people accidentally stepping on the back of my shoe and vice versa, but people always apologise (if you turn around of course, which is a reflex).

[@evgeniagoncharova3096]

How did you learn dutch. I am planning to move to Amsterdam this fall, dont have a clue about dutch.

[@TheLeaDersTeaCher]

I am from East Africa Now I know why I thought All Americas are crazy. Knowledge is a power. Thank You very much

[@JCs-Music]

some/most of us are :-) But we love it

[@nolimitsuk]

When a famous Japanese writer from the Meiji era saw his students literally translate the English words “I love you,” he famously said “we Japanese don’t use such words. Just write ‘oh how blue the moon is.’” Just something I remembered when she mentioned the gender of sun and moon.

[@lovestarlightgiver2402]

In Japanese, it's not common to say "I love you" (愛してる / Aishiteru). It sounds really intense. "I really like you" (大好き/Daisuki) sounds less intense.

[@syanzyenriquez]

Or how yellow the moon is.

[@aldozilli1293]

@@lovestarlightgiver2402 same as French, more common to say I like you (je t'aime) despite general perception the French are more open/intense than English speakers on the subject of love!

[@ladykosovarta]

@@aldozilli1293 just to readjust what you said, in french when you want to say " I like you", it's more often said as " Je t'apprécie" or " Tu me plais" :)

[@aldozilli1293]

@@ladykosovarta True you might normally say tu me plais for a person to differentiate but the direct translation for aimer is to like, if it is an object like a car you would say je l'aime which is I like it in English.

[@thrillerz2505]

This is one of the most amazing lectures I've listened to all my life. Thank you for sharing this in the most creative and engaging way.

[@ATunners]

What an absolute gem of a video. I have learned a couple of extra languages through the years, and it's always amazed me how language can make me see something differently.

[@kibawhitefang7176]

What a beautiful thing Spanish was gifted to me, what a gift that I learned English, what a blessing I am learning German. :)

[@veteran1960]

wuooo same here! and i can also speak some Italian. Languages are an amazing way to know the world.

[@kibawhitefang7176]

@A What, you're stuck in one language?

[@kibawhitefang7176]

@A Isn't that great? 😬👍🏻

[@manjunathakpmanjunathakp423]

I want to learn Espanol, help me

[@paulkan6387]

when you're going to learn Chinese,make sure you learn from well educated Taiwanese and learn the traditional mandarin and start from the phonetic symbols ㄅㄆㄇㄈ etc.

[@leopoldoserraglio2894]

"To have a second language is to have a second soul" -Charlemagne.

[@boriswilliams6217]

Leopoldo Serraglio and second wife

[@katsura2605]

No..human got limits..you can only have 1 soul..to add another kind of soul of different understanding, you'll have to sacrifice a part of your original soul subconciously..for example What is the endgame of a 10 years old russian boy who move to the US and live there for the rest of his life..he will look russian but will you feel like talking to a russian when you talk to him? I hope that my example make my point..if not too bad

[@sutats]

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" Juliet

[@fjorgenews]

I believe this!

[@enkibumbu]

Get it on. Get it on Kid Charlemagne.

[@Neyobe]

I love this video! I am super fascinated with linguistics and it’s so fascinating how languages affect people

[@paulthompson9668]

10:50 "The language guides our reasoning about events." I'd love to see her moderate the 2020 U.S. presidential debates.

[@محمدشاهين-ي9ش]

اكثر ما اعجبني هاتين الجملتين: *كل ما نعرفه عن العقل البشري تمت دراسته من قبل متحدثين باللغة الانجليزية(وهذه مشكلة نحن السبب فيها) *اللغة التي تتحدث بها تحدد طريقة تفكيرك

[@malingpalsu]

I'm a native Indonesian speaker. When I speak in english in an argument I usually win, because maybe I know how to shift the blame from myself. When I speak in Bahasa, I usually forget what am I trying to defend and lose focus on the topic. When I get mad I am more calm when speaking english. Yet when I am speaking my own language I am more tend to use curse words and abandon logic.

[@youngsavag666]

You people are nasty 🤢

[@JorgeMP53]

I tend to be more expressive and calm when i speak Spanish (native language). When I switch to English, i become a little bit more aggressive, however when i speak Italian, it's as if I'm giving a talk. Finally, when i speak Japanese, I feel I am a completely different person. It's incredible how languages can often affect your personality

[@MadinaRakhimberganova]

Exploring the diversity of languages reveals how linguistic structures shape individual perspectives. Learning English, in particular, has broadened my worldview, prompting me to seek information globally and fostering an open-minded outlook. Each language unveils a unique cognitive landscape, influencing how we perceive and engage with the world.

[@felixccaa]

5:50 to tie time to landscape makes perfectly sense since time is (also) mesured by the turns of our globe - I like these ppl

[@llexkosz2476]

You got it right. The speaker might have cut to the chase and told the audience why she did not pay much attention in history class. If it had not been the case, she would know that this particular time concept is not unique to Australian Aborigines. That is exactly how our caveman ancestors perceived time before someone drove a stick into the ground to make the first sundial - time always flows westward following the sun.

[@JiwonAstrid]

this is one of my most favorite lectures on TED. I love learning languages and learning about linguistics!

[@serenalizinnqui8474]

One of my favorite TEDtalks - interesting and very applicable topic, articulate and engaging speaker, balanced humor. Thank you, Lera!

[@jenniehughes4033]

Well done! The impact of this TALK could change the world. It goes so far beyond language. It is an important message about the kinship of human beings and all other living things. It must be SHARED. Bravo! Thank you.

[@sdrice2007]

I've always said, "the more languages you speak the more human you are." - Steven Rice 😁😎

[@awsomeman93]

Gay

[@katsura2605]

No..the more language you speak the more human is in you..

[@jonathandelagarza9463]

Language and Programming Channel Yeah, me haha

[@YanYanicantbelievethistakenffs]

So if i speak C++ and C# i am more machine? NEAT

[@lilyoh5780]

This is such an amazing talk.catchy, easy to understand yet very well researched. i've watched it a couple of times and told my friends about it.

[@KRYPTOS_K5]

About the essence of this video. There is too much epistemological non sense in some presupposition about how deep a linguist could explain sociology based on the facts of some specific grammar use versus another use in other grammar . For instance, in Portuguese, bridge is feminine and we have a big bridge here in my town. My wife (who is a female) says it is a beautiful bridge. I am a male and I call it a strong bridge. Are we considering the same bridge under different gender point of views because the bridge is feminine? Or just because the speakers using the same grammar are male and female? There is also a worse case against this video central thesis: if we (male and female native speakers) talk about that bridge, we can conclude that it is indeed beautiful and strong without any problems if it is indeed a really beautiful and strong bridge *to our perceptions* not to our common tongue and grammar. Apparently lady Boroditsky is implying that people do think someway differently because they speak differently. I disagree. They do speak differently because they think differently. Language is just only an innate competence. So if she implies that any specific grammar as performance is capable to establish specific concepts (like race or gender) I should say that she is only defending an ideology not science. Brazil

[@حسینعلیالجراح-ط6د]

Can you make me understand sapair worhf hypothesis…

[@paulaalejandra1678]

Thats why language interpreters are amazing!!! W have to think really fast and use the correct words in orden to deliver a right and accurate message from one to another!!!

[@michellehu8264]

Your presentation raises an important issue: it's critical for different people to find the way for the mutual understanding each other for harmony

[@williamforsythe9180]

Wrong

[@wolfie8012]

I’ve learned 2 languages in addition to my mother tongue and the day I had the first dream in the language I was trying to learn was the day I knew I was beginning to really get it. I remember waking up like, “Woah! That just happened.” Different languages really do represent different ways of thinking. To me, one of the biggest challenges was saying things in the correct order-I’d say things backwards all the time 😂

[@hafezshirazi3945]

interesting.... what languages did you learn ?

[@braindead4773]

@@hafezshirazi3945 arabic I guess

[@braindead4773]

@@hafezshirazi3945 arabic I guess

[@feliscorax]

@@braindead4773 Why would you guess that? It could be German, which -- as Mark Twain famously opined -- 'abuses the verb.'

[@brendarua01]

This was very nice and informative! I wish she had talked more about how ancient cultures did not see blue or have a name for it, then address how the change took place. The "Wine dark sea" has always fascinated me.

[@leathorns1751]

Brenda Rua wasn't it that yes physically they COULD see blue, but language wise it was as dark as wine, same as the sunny sky was bright like metal? Not that the sea happened to be purple/red and the sky actually bronze coloured. It was shades rather than colours?

[@brendarua01]

Léa Isn't that a fascinating question?! I don't know what to think. We're talking about perception and that can lead to some amazing things.

[@leathorns1751]

Brenda Rua Tdlr lot of writing XD Used to be in irish the word we now use for blue "gorm" actually meant dark, dusky, (&also blue) so funny enough a black guy would be literally called a blue man! In modern irish we also have "glas" for green - plants, trees, grass, but it can also mean grey back in the day like the sea, eye colour, horse or sheep colour, and then we have "uaine" which also means green but it's more for brighter or lighter green colours. The word we now use "liath" for grey, used to also mean light blue, or was used for hair (you wouldn't use glas for hair). I read some linguist colour theory that most languages start dark/light first. So in the Iliad colours might not have a specific name (dark blue sea colour) and instead were referred to by what it resembled in similar darkness or lightness, so a wine dark sea... Or a bronze sky (because bright daytime skies?). Of course it could also be the author using very embellished imagery as poetic licence? :P But I'm not a greek scholar, i just happened to come across this reasoning, since the whole oh ancient Greeks didn't see blue didn't make much sense as evolutionary wise physically we are similar, how could the rods & cones in the eyes be so drastically different? XD

[@brendarua01]

Léa Thank you for the fascinating breakdown! It makes me wonder about the other Gaelic usages now. I like the poetic usage idea for the expression. And for the same reason as you seem to. The physics and biophysics are the same for our times and the classical Greeks. But we may be missing something with this simplification because of major perception influences. TED has several really nice presentations on how seemingly built in presuppositions and anticipations can affect what we see and when. Slan!

[@Jan96106]

Lea: Yes. That's what I've always thought it meant. It is as dark and impenetrable as red wine. Therefore, there are dangers lurking beneath. And one can drown oneself in both.

[@qt9716]

My thought is that the more exact and accurate the words and language one uses, the less chance of misinterpretation. Using precise words leads to better communication, one can express the exact thought we are trying to impart and have it understood. A lot of problems come about due to poor communication. I want to say something and have it understood, and to understand what someone says to me. Studying language construction is interesting, but we need to define the goal here. She seems kind of ambiguous. Don't forget non-verbal language too, in her video she makes a statement with her clothing, postures, and integrated color scheme of the presentation.

[@michellelekas211]

The more detail offered and the more specificity, the more words used, the more interesting, but the more room for question, doubt, and misinterpretation: ask any criminal investigator.

[@rushikeshmeshram7339]

One of the best lectures I have heard on the topic of the language

[@afud1015]

language is the key to open the door to the vast knowledge, I'm glad that I can understand the English language because I can read pretty much everything, much-renowned works of literature and academic books most of them are translated into the English language. In my country, I find it quite difficult to find the book that I desire which has been translated to my native language.