In looking at the application of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis to spoken language, it is evident that perceptions of objective reality can be seen to shape the way that people understand language. The influence of linguistic development throughout life can be seen in the way that it influences the cultural ideologies and views that are formed. These perceptions are generally understood to have a strong influence on the way that people view the world. Factors such as body language, engendered grammar, and the conception of scientific concepts are all influenced by the construction of language. For this reason, language itself can be seen to impact the construction of reality. The sens of reality that has been formed by an individual in society can therefore result in fundamentally different views for people that are raised in different cultures. This can be seen in looking at how growing up in those cultures that look at the world through the lens of language, speaking Hopi, Yucatan Mayan, or Hebrew, can effect these perceptions and views.
Language is an essential aspect of human life. It develops early on and the influences that the various personal experiences that an individual has can have a profound effect on how they view the world. The underlying attitudes, beliefs, and cultural behaviors are directly communicated through language (Ember, Ember, & Peregrine, 2011, p. 224). For this reason, language is the essential factor in the development of social or cultural understanding of reality. The idea of communication can be viewed as directly related to the ability to develop common conceptions and ideas that can be codified and passed on. This can be done in both a verbal and nonverbal way. These forms of communication are essential for the formation of identity and the development social and interpersonal relationships. In looking at how language influences beliefs and ideas it is evident that it is first essential to understand this relationship between language and the perceptions that people have of the world. The perceptions and their influence on language can be understood in regards to personal experiences, such as how interpersonal relationships and hardships are approached. These specific and unique factors can help to demonstrate the influence of language on personal perceptions of reality and the identities that people develop.
Interpretations of body language can be different in different areas. Specific gestures or reactions can therefore be understood in different ways. “Discovering the mostly unconscious rules operating in a language is a very difficult task” (Ember, Ember, & Peregrine, 2011, p. 233). However, in order to understand a culture it is essential to first understand how their language works. The connection between language and culture is therefore evident. However, the capacity for language itself to shape the realities of people and their perceptions is difficult to present. This is due to the underlying nature of perception and the difficulty in objectively understanding how an individual's subjective experiences can be understood. In looking at how people react or how their physical interactions are shaped it is possible to gain insight into the capacity for language to influence the development of ideas. In regards to personal linguistic experiences it is evident that there are specific aspects of life that can be said to be influenced by language such as personal communication.
The impact of language on the personal understanding of reality that people develop is therefore a complex issue. While it is generally accepted that culture can shape language, the impact that language itself has on culture is less considered. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis demonstrates that perceptions of objective reality can be shaped by language (Ember, Ember, & Peregrine, 2011, p. 245). This is seen in its conception of time and the way that it is understood by differing cultures. The differences in how the English and Hopi languages are used in order to express time present these differences. While in English time is considered in a more concrete way, with past, present, and future events being specified in a more particular way, the Hopi language does not make this distinction. Instead, Hopi seems to view time as the continuation of processes that occur naturally and without these specific relationships. This demonstrates an essential difference between how the languages of different cultures perceive reality. For this reason, applying these concepts to personal understanding of language is necessary in order to establish a better idea of how these can be presented. The way that these perceptions influence the capacity to understand the world is evident in the relationship that my own language has with my viewpoints and values.
Language can be conceived as a filter through which a person interprets reality. The development of language can therefore be argued to have a strong influence on the perspectives that people have in regards to how they view the world around them and their relationships with other people and society as a whole. While it is not universally accepted this conception of language is evident of a strong correlation that can be seen between the use of language and specific viewpoints or perspectives of reality. Studies suggest, for instance, that those in societies that have languages that are able to place more of an emphasis on gender have young people who develop gender identities early on. When grammar has gender these languages give those that speak them seem to more quickly develop an understanding of these differences. In contrast, languages that are known to have little differentiation between genders seem to develop cultures that develop these ideas at a later date. This presents further evidence for the influence of language on reality.
Furthermore, the differences in how things are differentiated by number or made plural can also be shown to have an impact on the capacity of those who speak those languages to develop and utilize numeric skills. Ambiguities in language concerning the number of things can be seen to result in difficulties in their ability to give accurate descriptions of the objects. While this can have a profound impact on the ability of these individuals to communicate these ideas it could also potentially be the result of cultural factors other than language. This demonstrates a major limitation of the hypothesis which still needs to develop methods for removing language from these other cultural factors (Ember, Ember, & Peregrine, 2011, p. 245). Applying these considerations to personal experiences seems to indicate that there are various ideas that can be represented in regards to the way that the world is understood in a linguistic way. These ideas are associated with the capacity of language to provide specific ways of approaching concepts and relationships.
In looking at the world through the lens of my own linguistic experience it is evident that there are strong correlations between the way that I understand language and the way that I understand the relationships between subjects and objects in the world. Perceptions of objective reality can therefore be seen to have been informed by language and the way that concepts and objects are understood. The understanding of the world that results from language is therefore and indication of how the language forms these ideas. The various frameworks by which the world can be quantified therefore afford a certain perspective in regards to a person's own place within it. These perspectives should be considered in relation to the various linguistic preferences that are used in order to develop more informed categories of opinion that can help to establish a lasting relationship with the physical world. This relationship should be contrasted with the experience of culture and society that can be said to be informed by the capacity for language to provide a basic starting point for these concepts.
Growing up in another culture, such as Hopi, Yucatan Mayan, or Hebrew would therefore provide a fundamentally different sense of reality. The fact that these cultures use different languages in order to communicate important information regarding the world around them presents the inevitability of these perspectives being formed with emphasis being placed on differing aspects, which the individuals cultures would have held as important. This can be seen in the development of different forms of writing systems. However, it is still a fact that “many, if not most, important human achievements predate written language” (Ember, Ember, & Peregrine, 2011, p. 250). For this reason, it would have been essential to communicate in some manner that was more generally understood than written languages. Informal communication therefore seems to be an essential factor in determining the capacity of language to determine behavior. These systems of interaction would have likely been an essential factor in the establishment of values and beliefs. The inherent interpersonal relationships that I have had with my own family for example, with unspoken rules and values, presents one way in which these linguistic barriers might be overcome.
The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis presents the idea that language can have an impact on the perceptions that people have of their realities. While it is generally believed that culture and social values can effect the development of language it is evident that this reverse correlation has not been considered by previous studies. However, there are various representations of language such as gender and technical knowledge that can present insight into the capacity of this hypothesis to be proven. In looking at personal experience, it is evident that there are a variety of ways that language can be seen to influence the personal perspectives that I have regarding myself and the people around me. These perspectives present evidence of a basic relationship between language and reality. While personal and social values impact language, it is also evident that a person's reality can be effected by language as well.
References
Ember, C.R., Ember, M. & Peregrine, P.N. (2011). Human Evolution and Culture: Highlights of Anthropology. Pearson: 7th Edition. Ch. 10: Communication and Language. 223-250.
