Human Growth and Development / Unit 5 HGD 0640 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Language and Thought
Captions available
The idea
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis holds that language shapes thought; its strong form, that language determines thought, is probably wrong.
In practice
Chinese speakers remembering a personality type more easily than English speakers, because Chinese has one word for it.
Where people slip
The weaker claim holds up: habits of language use can influence habits of thought and action, as Vygotsky's private speech suggested.
Your place on the trail
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