There are about 7,000 languages spoken around the world -- and they all have different sounds, vocabularies and structures. But do they shape the way we think? Cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky shares examples of language -- from an Aboriginal community in Australia that uses cardinal directions instead of left and right to the multiple words for blue in Russian -- that suggest the answer is a resounding yes. "The beauty of linguistic diversity is that it reveals to us just how ingenious and how flexible the human mind is," Boroditsky says. "Human minds have invented not one cognitive universe, but 7,000."
Want to help shape TED's shows going forward? Fill out our survey!
For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch.
Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:
TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.