Does language shape thoughts?: A study based on the Sapir-Whorf theory

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Taeyeon: Hello, today’s topic is ‘Sapir-Whorf theory.’ Sapir-Whorf hypothesis refers to a hypothesis that the usage of a language determines a speaker’s perception or categorization of experience. As the students of Michuol Foreign Language High School, we were interested in this hypothesis as we ourselves have experienced that the language we major in actually had a high impact on our thoughts and perceptions. Therefore, we decided to conduct a survey and focused-interview targeting on students that are attending to Foreign Language High School or currently learning foreign language.

 

Hayoon: To begin with, our survey was composed of 5 questions, and 47 students responded to them. The first question was, “Have you ever learned a new notion or emotions that are difficult to express in Korean when learning foreign languages?” 70.2% of the students answered that they have learned new notions or emotions. For the second question, we asked them, “Do you think that the perception towards a situation or the way of expression differs when you use foreign language?” 61.7% of the students answered that they do feel like they experience changes. The third question was, “In some situations, is it easier to explain something or convey your emotions when you use foreign language rather than Korean?” For this question, 15 students answered that they don’t feel like it is sometimes easier to use foreign language for a certain situation. 10 students choose ‘neutral.’ 22 students answered that they did go through those experiences. For the fourth question, we asked them, “Did learning foreign language give you a new perspective on human relationships?” 83% of the students answered that they gained new perspectives. Lastly, we asked, “Do you feel that your perception of time and space differs from speaking Korean?” 59.6% of the students answered positively. Through this survey, we figured out that the education and use of foreign languages influence the perception or experiences students go through. However, we also found out that even though the use of foreign language plays an important role in deciding one’s mindset, it is rare for foreign languages to be easier to use or more convenient for explanation.

 

Taeyeon: For the second process, we conducted a focused interview with 4 students who are attending Michuhol Foreign language High School. They respectively major in Spanish, French, Chinese and Japanese. I conducted a survey with a second grade of the french class. To begin with, I asked, “Have you ever felt that the masculine/feminine distinction of French nouns influences the way you perceive objects or concepts?” In France, although nouns ending in -e or -ion are usually feminine, the rules are not clear and many exceptions exist. She answered that through the difficult and complicated memory process, she started to associate gender with objects to remember them. For instance, chanson (song) is feminine, while bricolage (DIY work) is masculine. She answered that this seems to influence the way she recognizes and thinks about those things. Secondly, I asked, “Have you ever felt that the distinction between tu and vous affects the way you think about human relationships or social distance?” She answered that she also feels that the distinction between tu and vous shapes how people think about human relationships and social distance. In Korean, tu is usually translated as “너”, which is an informal expression of “you” and vous as “당신”, which is a formal expression of “you”. The use of tu towards the elderly or boss may sound very casual or even disrespectful. But French native speakers often tell her that it doesn’t matter if she uses “tu” during the conversation with teachers or adults, depending on the relationship. Since in French the choice depends more on intimacy than on age, she answered that she realized that French and Korean people perceive social distance in different ways.

 

Hyo Jeong: 'I’ll introduce an interview we conducted with a student from the Spanish department. The first question was whether the grammatical gender of nouns had ever influenced their perception or way of thinking. The student mentioned that “foto” (photo) is a feminine noun and “moto” (motorbike) is masculine. At first, they thought it was just a grammatical rule, but over time, they naturally started associating gender with the words. Their teacher often emphasized memorizing them as feminine nouns as well. This experience can be seen as an example of how language can influence thought. The second question was whether Spanish’s emotional and direct expressions had affected their way of expressing themselves. The student answered that it hadn’t influenced them very much. Of course, not every aspect of language shapes the way we think, but certain grammatical features or expressions may still have an impact. It’s worth considering how the language you use might influence your own thinking and expression.

 

Hayoon: We also conducted an interview with students majoring in Chinese. The first question was: “While learning tones (四声), have you ever felt that the way you recognize sounds or pay attention to pronunciation has changed?” They said that after studying tones, they started to become more sensitive to pitch differences, something they had not paid much attention to when speaking Korean or English. Once they realized that the same syllable could mean a completely different word depending on the tone, they developed the habit of listening carefully to each sound and pronouncing it more cautiously when speaking Chinese. Although it might not be very obvious, they also mentioned that afterward, even when speaking other languages, they paid more attention to pitch. The second question was: “While learning Chinese characters, have you ever felt that the way you think about word meanings has changed?” In response, they said that at first, they thought of Chinese characters as symbols that simply had to be memorized like pictures. However, after learning more characters and their meanings, they realized that each character has its own root and significance. In particular, they noticed that characters with the same radical often share similar meanings or pronunciations. This discovery made memorizing essential characters more enjoyable. They also answered that when they encounter a new character, they now tend to compare it with characters they already know and try to guess its meaning.

 

Nagyeong: Japanese has some unique features that really shape how people express feelings. A student I interviewed said that Japanese uses many onomatopoeia, so emotions sound very vivid. She also noticed that Japanese speakers often change pitch and intonation, which makes feelings come across even more clearly than in Korean. She also talked about honorifics. In Korean, we usually show respect by raising others. But in Japanese, people often humble themselves to show politeness. At first, this was confusing, but later she realized that in Japanese culture, humbling oneself makes others feel more respected.

 

Taeyeon: Through our survey and interview, we proved that the Sapir-Whorf theory actually applies in the real education field. Students’ perception of thoughts were actually proved to be influenced by the foreign language they major in.

 

By Staff Reporter Lee Hyo Jeong (1-1)

Ha Nagyeong (1-7)

Kim Hayoon (2-1)

Kim Taeyeon (2-4)