How your language reflects the senses you use

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Vytvořeno 6. 3. 2019 Napsal BBC 0 0 0

"Humans are often characterised as visual beings. If you are a native English speaker, you may intuitively agree. After all, English has a rich vocabulary for colours and geometric shapes, but few words for smells. However, a recent global study suggests that whether we mainly experience the world by seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or feeling varies hugely across cultures. And this preference is reflected in our language."

"Cultural factors from art to architecture appeared to play a role in how well participants performed across the different tests. People from communities that produced patterned pottery did better at talking about shapes. Those living in angular rather than round houses tended to be better at describing angular shapes. And participants from communities with specialist musicians were better at describing sounds – even though they were not musicians themselves. (...) For those of us who spend more time in front of silent, odourless screens than among fragrant plants and jamming musicians, the study could be an encouragement to seek out new sensory experiences. But it is also a reminder of the value of linguistic diversity."

Read the full article HERE.