TED Talk by Lera BoroditskyOnline version 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. by Viridiana Liera 1 How do humans transmit complicated thougths to one another? a Through dancing b Through language c Through social media d Letters 2 How many languages are there in the world? a 700 b 17,000 c 7,000 d Letters 3 What is the meaning of the statement “to have a second language is to have a second soul”? a That language crafts reality b Through language, we can have many personalities c 7,000 d Letters 4 On what does the Aboriginal community from Australia base their communication? a They only use left and right directions to base all of their communication. b They have to state their heading direction before speaking to the elders. c Cardinal directions: North, South, East, and West. d They do not ever say hello. 5 How we measure time, how we become aware of quantities, and the perceptual discrimination of colors represent... a language tricks b cultural norms c ways to differentiate nouns d They do not ever say hello. 6 What is grammatical gender? a A language assigns a gener to each noun in existence. b You decide if the object feels masculine or feminine and it can change from person to person. c ways to differentiate nouns d They do not ever say hello. 7 Approximately how many languages do we lose each week? a One hundred b One c Half d They do not ever say hello. 8 Write a short reflection about this video. There are no wrong answers. Written answer Explanation 1 We create sounds with our mouths that travel through the air and hit the listeners' eardrums. The brain then transforms those sounds into thoughts. 2 All of these languages are different from each other. They have different sounds, different vocabularies, and different structures. 3 All of these languages are different from each other. They have different sounds, different vocabularies, and different structures. 4 All of these languages are different from each other. They have different sounds, different vocabularies, and different structures. 5 All of these languages are different from each other. They have different sounds, different vocabularies, and different structures. 6 All of these languages are different from each other. They have different sounds, different vocabularies, and different structures. 7 All of these languages are different from each other. They have different sounds, different vocabularies, and different structures. 8 Thank you!
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