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Do you think language affects thought ?

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Question added by Alee Iftikhar , Administration & Marketing Officer , Sunrise Marketing (Pvt) Ltd
Date Posted: 2015/11/24
Mohammad Araidhah
by Mohammad Araidhah , Senior Technical Translator , Manens Tifs

Linguists like Noam Chomsky, professor of linguistics at MIT, in his theory of language development; "universal grammar" proposes that the human brain contains a predefined mechanism (universal grammar) that is the basis for the acquisition of all languages.

 In another word, if the differences are very few between all languages, it is not fair to say that any language will affect the way of life or thinking. “As per Chomsky”.  

On the other hand, Lera Boroditsky an Associate Professor of Cognitive Science, sees that Languages shapes thoughts, and the way we speak affect our perceptions of the world.

Of course, I cannot object to Noam theory but, I believe that this is a kind of - Chicken and egg question! Are you unable to think about things you don't have words for, or do you lack words for them because you don't think about them?

 

Most likely, the culture, the thought, the habits, and the language have all grown up together.

Rashid Aslam
by Rashid Aslam , Android Application Developer , Gourmet Foods (FMCG)

yes... depends on the native country...and company...

Adeeb Haddad
by Adeeb Haddad , Independent Freelance Translator , Independent

I will start by agreeing with  Mohammad Araidhah! It's not a yes or no question. But if we are to ask a more defined question, a question which each one of us can answer on his own, we shall ask:Does speaking in a different language alters our personalities?And I believe the answer is yes, not just by observing oneself, but by observing a friend communicating in2 different languages.As for the main question, I personally believe that the answer is yes, why? Just like any processing system, when you change the input, the output should change (not always) but mostly always.

Amir Ageeb
by Amir Ageeb , Content Senior Specialist , Elm Company

Thanks for the invite,

I like this comment quoted from Mohammad Araidhah "Most likely, the culture, the thought, the habits, and the language have all grown up together."

Abdulelah Fallatah
by Abdulelah Fallatah , Tech-Support Specialist & Programmer , Al-Rayan Colleges

I agree with Rashid Aslam.

 

When you learn a language, you learn along with it how the native speakers perceive every word you learn. A good illustration is idioms.

Ahtsham Ahmed
by Ahtsham Ahmed , Sales Engineering Section Manager , Mitsubishi Electric Saudi Ltd.

MY FIRST COMMENT: IT IS A GOOD QUESTION

Secondly, in my personal opinion, I don't think that language affects thoughts. Even I think that a baby, who know no language, has a fully functional thought processing system. In addition, animals could also be included in this list. How the animals/birds learn and decide their reaction to a situation?

Hence I believe that thought processing is not dependent on any language.

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