Pick one concept from the assigned readings, other than what has already been discussed this week, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.
One concept I found interesting is the theory of Linguistic relativity. The book, Thinking Through Communication, states that people from different language communities perceive the world differently. Some concepts and ideas that are easily expressed in one language can be very difficult to translate into another, (75). An example between language and thought is how the Spanish language has three ways of saying “you”. English speakers who only are familiar with one language don’t think about relationships in the same way Spanish speakers do. When I’m speaking to an older family member, I address them by stating the polite “you” as apposed to when I’m speaking to a close friend. Linguistic relativity shows me how I, being that I speak Spanish, perceive the world a little different then English speakers. The concept of Linguistic relativity was one of my favorite concepts from chapter 4.
Hello wfredo! It is really interesting to read about your experiences with speaking Spanish and English. Do you have any other examples of Linguistic Relativity? :)
ReplyDeleteHi wfredo,
ReplyDeleteI found your post to be quite interesting. I am English speaking although I did speak both English and Spanish for my first five years. My mother remarried and Spanish was not allowed to be spoken in our house. I lost the usage of my second language as well as the concepts and ideas that go along with it. I have to say that the theory of Linguistic relativity intrigues me as well. I never really viewed language as a cause of dividing the world in different ways. It is interesting to note that languages lead to a different perception of the world. We attend a school that is so diverse in not only ethnicities but language as well. I have to say I have learned not only from instructors at SJSU, the students have taught me as well when it comes to different perceptions and understandings. I interpreted the perceptions to be from their ethnicity but I now understand it also comes from the language that they speak.