Language and Worldview

English 11th Century Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum; Si þin nama gehalgod

English c. 1400 CE Oure fader that art in heuenis halowid be thi name ...

English 1611 (King James) Our father which art in heauen, hallowed be thy name.

English 1963 (Phillips) Our Heavenly Father, may your name be honored;

English 1970 (Condon) Our Father in Heaven,let your holy name be known

The Details• 4,000 unique human sounds• 400 of these appears in the world’s languages• Usually around 50 per language• http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/

• Phonemes = smallest units of sound that make a difference in meaning• C-A-T

• Morphemes = the smallest units of sound that have a meaning• Dog –s (plural)• Kiss –ed (past tense)

The Details• Phonology = Analyzing the language sounds• Morphology = The study of the patterns or rules of words

formation in a language (Example: tenses, grammatical structure, pluralization)

• Syntax = The order you put the words in phrases or sentences

“I ran to the store” – English





subject





subject verb





subject verb Direct object






“Ich bin zum Geschäft gelaufen“ - German







subject







subject verb







subject verbDirect object

Other Communication• How do two people from different cultures communicate

without verbal or written language?• Body language• Over 10,000 facial expressions alone!

• Most body language is universal

Other Communication• However, some is not universal• Head non v. shake

• Proxemics = the cross-cultural study of humankind’s perception and use of spaces

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeNGSZK01Hs

The Role of Language• Why have humans evolved to be able to use language?• Benefit?• Disadvantages?

• Language shapes identity• Wouldn’t it be great if everybody spoke…• Who is ready to start speaking ESPERANTO?!?

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis• Basically, language shapes thought and action• But how much is the question

• Eskimos have more words for snow than people in the tropics• But not too many more

The Power of Words• Do we mean what we say?• We speak of love in many ways: as a fluid (filled) as a natural

force (swept off her feet) etc.• Perhaps we ought to rethink metaphors like, "I'm falling in

love," or "I'm falling out of love," and create love instead.• Falling in love implies that we have no control over our situation.

http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/lexicon/MetaphorsInEnglish/WhatIsAMetaphorForLove.htm

The Power of Words• Metaphors of love. • What is it? • How do we perceive it? • If we go through life hoping to "fall in love", what does that mean

for us? • Could we "Create" love? • What if we created love everyday instead of hoped that love

would stay?• What about ourselves? Do we create ourselves?

Find Yourself

“I need to find myself”“I need to get away for a while”

“I feel like I am lost” “Where do I go from here?”

“What do I do now?”

Lose Yourself

“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” ~Henry David Thoreau

“If you don't get lost, there's a chance you may never be found.” ~Proverb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgg04EekxIc

Create Yourself

People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something

one finds, it is something one creates. ~Thomas Szasz, "Personal Conduct," The Second Sin, 1973

Notecard O’ the Day• How much do you feel the language you use shapes who you

are as a human being?

Language and Worldview

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