Posted: November 15th, 2022

ASSIGNMENT 8: How Language shapes what we think

ASSIGNMENT 8: How Language shapes what we think
Last week in class you were introduced to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which posits that the structure of a language affects its speakers’ world view and cognition. For this assignment, we are going to explore this idea by listening to Cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky talk about specific examples that showcase this effect:

What you need to submit on Blackboard by Friday, November 18th:
Submit a 1-2 page summary of your answers to the following three questions. You are free to garner information from any resources you wish, with your sources cited (in-text citations are preferred or a bibliography at the end is appropriate). There is no minimum or maximum word limit. The assignment will be graded out of 10. The goal is to answer the following three questions in this submission:

1. The talk mentions 5 different ways in which the language we speak affects our daily life. Can you briefly (one or two lines) describe each of them?
2. For any three of these aspects, can you cite any examples from your life that highlight these differences?
3. In conclusion – after seeing the talk, as well as from you own observations, how much do you think language shapes the way we think? What consequences do you think this can have on our daily life?

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