does the language you speak influence the way you think?

Question

because you think in english and i in dutch: do we think different?

Answer 1

I believe that language has a huge impact upon ones thought process. I for instance speak English as my first language and my spouse speaks Spanish as her first language. I do not see inanimate objects as having any particular gender however she sees the whole world as being very gender specific because in Spanish all objects are referred to in gender specific terms and verbs are conjugated accordingly. That is one subtle difference that does greatly affect one's perceptions. Add to that words and phrases that do not directly translate from one language to another and you suddenly have whole other dimensions of self-expression that affect how you think. Language also opens up cultural understandings that once again tremendously impact the way an individual perceives the world. Combine all of this with differing syntax and grammatical structure and once again you are impacting the very order by which a person process information.

Answer 2

I believe that language affects our understanding and logic. English is a very effective language for logic and clear thought.

Other languages, such as Japanese, seem to hinder clear thought. If this is because of the writing system or because of the sentence structure I cannot tell.

Also, some languages do not handle numbers as efficiently as English.

For example, in English, numbers are said from front to back until the last number is encountered. Other languages may mix the order. With a number such as 157, the digits may have the following order 1 7 5 which when writing causes delays and a not so direct manner as English.

French and other languages have remnants of old numbers so that 96, ninety six is said translated "four by twenty '+' sixteen" quatre-vingt-seize

So, I do believe that some languages have better logic than others and affect how we think.

Answer 3

I think language is representative of the culture, philosophy and the lifestyle of the people of a particular place or nation. Language evolves due to influences from the above-mentioned things. On the long run, I think language also influences the way people think. For instance, one language may have words that have no direct translation in another language. Those particular words only make sense in the context of a particular place.

Answer 4

Shades.

The noticeable place for this issue is in languages that do not have direct translations for words and concepts. Translation of philosophy from some European languages had this issue finding ways to express some German language concepts in English.

Older languages show the differences more clearly. In the East for example, there is only one word for "wanting". In Asian language there is one word for "envy", in the West, we have further subdivided the concept into 'envy' and 'jealousy'. In South East Asia, there some tribal languages where you cannot even discuss the concept of "waiting for someone" as there isn't a word to express the concept.

As for a philosophy of the mind, while the content varies in each language, the structure and process remain the same.

Answer 5

I agree with the yes answers and the reasons but I would like to add that the order of the parts of language has an influence in our thinking. I spoke english and french when I learned latin. I remember thinking that my whole process of thought was changing when that took place. I was not sure as to what exactly it was that was changing but I knew that something was. It was as if I had to allow for more possibilities, as if I had to be more flexible and that this was good.

Answer 6

yes...I suppose it is "different". Because they interpret things in dutch words,and you interpret them in english words.And the dutch and english have different words..For Example,some english words,cant be translated into dutch.So,I think that it does influence the way you think.The dutch also probably think about things that the way the majority of the dutch does.SUch as,americans' thinking is influenced by the american way of life.I know Im not really explaining myslef very well,but I hope you understand what i'm trying to say...

hope this helps! =)

Answer 7

Sure. Beacuse language will have an influence to your culture, tradition, and hence it will affect yoiur thinking also. Can an english man , if he talks in malayalam, think like a keralalite and vice versa

Answer 8

Language itself does influence the way you think (see neuro-linguistic programming). I'm not sure if WHICH language you speak matters much, but some have certain notions which kind of influences how we think.

Answer 9

It does not because it is rather the way around. It is the mind that influence your language. Anything you utter words from your mouth are all attributed to the mind. Good question.

Answer 10

I wish I could know a completely different language and therefore not know what I am saying or thinking.