Leila Gleitman's Theory Of Language

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Recommended: To what extent does language determine thought

“Language forces us to perceive the world as man presents it to us.” (Julia Penelope). Language is a mold Many will say that no matter what language one speaks everyone has the same brain anatomy thus language does not shape the way that we think and they way we perceive the world. While others believe there is no correlation with language and how it shapes human thoughts, there is evidence that proves otherwise; language does shape the way that we think. It is odd to think that no matter the language one speaks that everyone’s way of thinking is all identical. Lera Boroditsky article, “Lost in Translation” goes over her theory about language and how it shapes the way that we think. She shuts down a lot of critics who do not agree with her …show more content…

The opposing side may think that language does not shape the way we think for various reasons one for example, “ Gleitman says, In other words, however precise and specific the conventions of one language may be, the lack of those conventions in another language does not mean a speaker’s thinking or perception is similarly sparse.” (Hamilton 464). Leila Gleitman may be right however, she is just starting her own opinion without actually backing it up with evidence to prove her …show more content…

I believe that the world being filled with many languages serves as a tool that adds diversity to the human brain and mind. It would be completely absurd to believe that no matter what language one speaks that all of our minds and thoughts are shaped the same way. Along with it being a crazy thought that language does not shape the way we think, it would also be boring to have everyone have the same thoughts and perceptions of the world. Without language shaping thoughts there would not be people from all over the world coming up with the innovations and inventions that we have

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