Lera Boroditsky: How Language Shapes Thought

Art

Statue of liberty

Flower

masculine in Russian

feminin in French

in English there is one blue

in Russian there are two blues

for Russians it's easier if they tel between the blues that they can distnguish "linguistically"

Bailout vs rescue plan

Dry plums vs prunes

Time-travel

Spatial metaphor

Bilinguals

Difference in results when tested in different language

Past/Future can be top-down, left-right, right-left, can be in front/in back or other way round

Many pasts in some languages

Done/not done past

have you or someone else seen it?

Don't use relative terms, eg. left/right

They always use points of the compass (north, east.., etc.) - absolute terms

For example: east leg, move cup to the north, boy standing south of Mary

you always have to stay oriented, you can immediately say where southeast is

The answer to usual
"Hello, where are you going"
can be
"North, Northeast how about you"