The Linguistic Mirror: Does Language Shape Who We Are?

Conversation - B2-C1 | Advance Level

8 $

Mar. 26 Thu , 09:00 USA

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Description

A critical thinking and metalinguistic analysis session. Students move from anecdotal evidence (how they feel when speaking English) to theoretical concepts (the influence of language on culture and society). The goal is for students to use speculative structures and precise, high-level vocabulary to describe intangible concepts.

Session Activities

1: If your English-speaking self was a different person from your native-speaking self, how would you describe that "persona" using three adjectives?

2: Think of a word in your native language that has no direct translation in English. Try to describe the specific feeling or concept behind it in 60 seconds.

3: Some cultures only have words for "light" and "dark." If you don't have a word for "blue," do you think you perceive the sky differently than someone who does?

1: To what extent do you believe the vocabulary available to us limits or enhances our ability to experience specific emotions or thoughts?

2: Research suggests bilinguals score differently on personality tests depending on the language they use. Why do you think we "shift" our identity when switching languages?

3: When a minority language disappears, is it just a loss of grammar and vocabulary, or is an entire way of perceiving the world being deleted?

4: Does the fact that some languages are highly gendered (like Spanish or German) affect how those societies perceive gender roles compared to "gender-neutral" languages like English?

5: To what degree can governments or corporations influence public thought by slowly changing or "policing" the words we are allowed to use?

Inherent

Existing in something as a permanent, essential, or inseparable attribute.

To Nuance

To give a slight, subtle difference in meaning, expression, or feeling to a statement.

Untranslatable

A word or phrase that cannot be expressed in another language without losing its core essence.

Linguistic Relativity

The theory that the structure of a language affects its speakers' worldview or cognition.

To Resonate

To evoke a particular memory, feeling, or emotion; to "click" with someone.

Mother Tongue

The primary language a person has grown up speaking from early childhood.