Is how we think about time determined by how we talk about time? Can learning new ways to talk change how you think?
Is there intrinsic value in human linguistic diversity?
Stanford psychologist Lera Boroditsky has found from field work in China, Greece, Chile, Indonesia, Russia, and Aboriginal Australia that “people who speak different languages do indeed think differently, and even flukes of grammar can profoundly affect how we see the world.”
For example, Aborigines in north Australia are deeply oriented to the cardinal directions. “You have to stay oriented at all times,” Boroditsky says, or “else you cannot speak properly.
The normal greeting in Kuuk Thaayorre is ‘Where are you going?’ and the answer should be something like ‘Southsoutheast, in the middle distance.’ If you don’t know which way you’re facing, you can’t even get past ‘Hello.'”
Boroditsky will talk about “How Language Shapes Thought” at the Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, 7 pm, Tuesday, October 26, 2010. Long Now Members can reserve a seat HERE or you can purchase tickets for $10 HERE.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
