Transcript Aristotle * Spoken words are the symbols of mental experiences.

Aristotle – “Spoken words are
the symbols of your mental
experiences.”
If your spoken words are NOT the
same, do cultures have different
mental experiences based on
their languages?
YES
We experience the world differently,
therefore, we use language to express
our experiences differently.
Language, no matter what language,
is a taken for granted aspect of
people’s lives AND does not have to
make sense.
German
Schadenfreude
German
Drachenfutter
Scottish
sgiomlaireachd
Russian
Efficiency
Challenge
Engagement ring
Have fun
ENGLISH
615,000
GERMAN
184,000
FRENCH
100,000
WORDS THAT ENGLISH
SPEAKERS HAVE ADOPTED
BRONCO
RODEO
C’EST LA VIE
DEJA VUE
PIANO
SPAGEHTII
KIMONO
BARBEQUE
FRENCH
House
Home
FINE
14 Definitions as an adjective
6 as a noun
2 as an adverb
Fills 2 pages in the dictionary and takes
5,000 words to explain
FINE
Fine Art
Feeling Fine
Court Fine
Fine Hair
SOUND
Audible Noise
State of Healthiness (Sound Mind)
An Outburst (Sound Off)
Body of Water
• Eskimos: 50 words related to Snow
• Arabs: 600 words related to camels
• Italians: 500 words related to pasta
• Germans: 70 words related to beer
• Maoris: 35 words related to dung
• Araqucanian: 20 words related to being hungry
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ESKIMO LANGUAGE
 GANA
 FALLING SNOW
 AKILUKAK
 FLUFFY FALLEN SNOW
 APUT
 SNOW ON GROUND
 KAGUKLAICH
 SNOW DRIFTED IN
ROWS
 PIGSIRPOG
 DRIFTING SNOW
 GIMUGSUG
 SNOWDRIFT
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We experience the world
differently and we express those
experiences in our language.
Our Cultural Values are Reflected in:
1. What we choose to talk about
2.
How we choose to express ourselves
Do people who speak different
languages have different thought
processes (not experiences)?
NO
If you moved to Alaska and experience
snow and learned their language, you
could process the different categories.
Until the early 1900’s language was
assumed to be a neutral medium that
did not influence the way people
experienced the world.
Sapir – Whorf Hypothesis
Language is not just an instrument for
voicing ideas but is itself the shaper of
ideas, the guide for the individuals mental
activity.
Sapir Whorf Hypothesis
Firmer
Softer
Sapir – Whorf Hypothesis
Firmer – Language functions like a PRISON
Once you learn a language, you are
irrevocably affected by the particular of
that language.
Sapir Whorf Hypothesis
Firmer
Softer
Sapir – Whorf Hypothesis
Softer – Language SHAPES how people
think and experience the world, yet it is
possible to learn words and categories
sufficiently similar to your first language
so that communication can be accurate.
Vocabulary + Grammar
Differences in a Language
1.
Vocabulary
a. Eskimo
b. Arabic
c. Dani
d. Kamayura
2. Grammar
a. Tense + Possessives
b. Pronouns
Lost in Translation
•
•
•
•
German – Ich bin ein Berliner
South America – Nova
Portuguese – Rendezvous lounges
Chinese – Coca-Cola
ke kou ke la
• Japan – Coke adds life
Coke brings ancestors back to life
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• Idioms: Meaning Contrary
•
•
•
U.S. Idioms
Japanese Idioms
Irish Idioms
• Jargon: Common to a Profession
• Argot: Used by Co-cultural
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US IDIOMS
• Bite the bullet
• Don’t have a cow
• Get off my back
• Whistle blower
• On the fence
Back
JAPANESE IDIOMS
• The nail that sticks up gets hammered
• Like pounding a nail into tofu
• He has a higher nose
Back
IRISH IDIOMS
• There’ll be wigs on the green
• They left us in the ha’ penny place
• He’s only winding you
Back
DIALECTS DISTINGUISH
COMMUNITIES
It is a form of a spoken language peculiar
to a specific region or social group.
DIALECTS VARY
• From rural to urban
• From one social group to another
• From one ethnic group to another
THREE REASONS WHY
UNDERSTANDING DIALETS IS
IMPORTANT
Clarity
Evaluations
Standard American Dialect
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CLARITY
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EVALUATIONS
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AMERICAN STANDARD
DIALECTS
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CODE SWITCHING
• Setting
• Conversational Partner
• Topic