In class recently we've talked about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. I saw this on Facebook a while back. I think it relates well to how speakers of different languages may see the world a little differently or at least have certain cultural priorities or things of worth that are uniquely expressed in their language. I'm in the process of curating some information and facts about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, and I think I will discuss it in more depth in a later post. What do you all think about these 11 concepts? Do the people who speak these languages really see the world differently from English speakers?
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
11 Untranslatable Words from Other Cultures
In class recently we've talked about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. I saw this on Facebook a while back. I think it relates well to how speakers of different languages may see the world a little differently or at least have certain cultural priorities or things of worth that are uniquely expressed in their language. I'm in the process of curating some information and facts about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, and I think I will discuss it in more depth in a later post. What do you all think about these 11 concepts? Do the people who speak these languages really see the world differently from English speakers?
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Interesting graphic. I'm very interested to see what you will curate about Sapir-Whorf!
ReplyDeleteI don't entirely agree with the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. I think language and worldview influence each other. But, as I am an anthropology minor, I am intersted on what you have to say about this subject. Comparing and contrasting different cultures is what I'm all about. Remember how in Moby-Dick Ishmael was always defining terms for the reader? He did it because the reader, coming from outside of whaling culture, would not have understood it otherwise. Culture isn't just about differences between countries and groups of people, it's about the worldviews being shared within those groups.
ReplyDeleteI thought of this, how certain words don't translate exactly into other languages. And I do like the idea of Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. I think we do think differently in different languages/cultures or have certain things that can't be expressed in other languages. But that doesn't mean we can't get to the point where we can transcend language to express ideas. I'll be interested to see what you come up with!
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