How language shapes our thoughts, perception of the world

Language is a powerful tool that we use to communicate with others and express our thoughts and ideas. However, it also plays a significant role in shaping our thoughts and perception of the world.

From how we see colors and shapes to how we understand complex ideas, language influences how we experience and interact with the world around us.

One of the most significant ways in which language shapes our perception is through the categorization of objects and concepts. We use language to label and organize the things we encounter, which can influence how we perceive them.

One of the most important uses of language is the definition of the self, besides others, and the relations between these groups. Pronouns like I, you, and we exist in almost all languages, but very few languages use the same assortment. The formal-informal distinction is still found in many widely spoken modern languages, like French, Spanish, Italian, and Russian (among many others), and is as such quite familiar.

Standard Chinese has two pronouns for ‘we’— one excluding the person to who the language addressed (us but not you), and another ‘we’ for including that person (us and you). This sort of flexibility offers speakers more frequent chances to distinguish these differences between in-and-out groups.

Similarly, expressing action in relation to other people in Japanese requires the consideration of many distinctions entirely absent from English. Perhaps most dramatically, most verbs that take another as a direct or indirect object must be appended with a suffix which signals whether or not that other person is a member of one’s social in- or out-group, and whether the action was kindly received by a superior within that community hierarchy, or kindly performed for one to whom the speaker is either a peer or a superior, such as a close friend in an especially informal setting, or a younger family member or pet.

English speakers don’t use ‘thou’ anymore, but for Japanese speakers, even the word ‘to do’— is a choice between yaru (for those below the speaker in hierarchy) and suru (neutral).

In English, we use different words to describe blue and describe tints of blue by adding an adjective to the front, such as light blue and dark blue. In contrast in Russian, there are entirely different words for light blue, goluboi, and dark blue, siniy. If an English speaker requested that they be handed a red item from an assortment, and instead received the pink one, they’d feel their request was mishandled— not that there was an ambiguity in their request. Similarly, a Russian speaker expecting a new car in navy blue would be shocked to receive one in cornflower or sky blue. As in English, Russian also treats red and pink as distinct colors.

Similarly, the way in which languages categorize nouns can also shape how speakers perceive and remember them. For example, in English, we categorize objects as either animate, living, or inanimate, non-living. However, in some languages, such as Spanish and French, objects are categorized as either masculine or feminine, which can influence how speakers remember and conceptualize those objects.

Language can also shape our perception of time and space. For example, in English, we tend to think of time as a linear progression, with the past behind us and the future ahead. Certain languages, like Turkish and Japanese, make sure to relate whether or not a past event was directly experienced, or if it was simply related to the speaker.

In English, “It rained.” is so simple as to feel objective and factual, yet Turkish speakers must first consider whether to say, “Yağmur yağdı”, i.e. it rained, and I saw the rain, or “Yağmur yağmış”, i.e. everything is wet; it rained.

However, some cultures, such as the Aymara people of South America, think of time as moving from east to west, with the past in front of them and the future behind.

This difference in perception can influence how speakers of different languages plan for the future, as well as how they remember past events.

Similarly, the way in which languages describe spatial relationships can also shape how speakers perceive and navigate the world.

In English, we use words like in, on, and under to describe the location of objects. However, some languages, such as Tzeltal Maya, use words that describe the shape and orientation of objects in relation to each other, which can lead speakers to perceive spatial relationships differently.

Finally, language can also influence how we perceive and express emotions. Different languages have different words and expressions for emotions, which can influence how speakers perceive and experience those emotions. In Japanese, there are many words for different types of sadness and happiness. The most frequently used and general word, 悲しい kanashii is quite similar to the most limited sense of the English word sad.

In English, ‘sad’ has multiple distinct meanings: in addition to the opposite of happy (as described above), one can also use ‘sad’ to evaluate a person, situation, or circumstance in the sense of wretched, or deplorable. In Japanese, we’d need a totally different word, 嘆かわしい nagekawashii. 痛ましい itamashii, however, takes the kanji for ‘injury’ or ‘pain’ to mean sadness with a specific point of heartbreak or tragedy responsible for the emotion.  

While English also has many different words for sadness, the point is that the lack of direct equivalencies leads to different expressions of the nature, origin, and circumstance of the emotion of sadness.

As we continue to study language and its effects on the brain and behavior, we can gain a deeper understanding of how language shapes our perception of the world and the implications of these effects for communication and cognition.

Teneo Linguistics Company is a certified small, woman-owned business that specializes in a variety of customizable language services in over 180 languages. Learn more by visiting www.tlctranslation.com.