People of different cultures do not see the world around them in the same way. Those differences are often manifested in the languages they speak. Some linguists believe that language shapes the way we think, while others argue that language does not control the human ability to think and understand various concepts. In my opinion, language does not shape the way people think but reflects the reality of those who speak it.
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis supports the idea that language affects the way people think. According to the hypothesis, language can shape or limit how the speakers of that language perceive their reality and form the concept of the world (Nordquist, 2020). For instance, individuals from different cultures have various approaches to giving directions or describing colors (Goh, 2012). Thus, it can be argued that the language shapes the way its speakers think about concepts of color and space.
Nevertheless, I prefer to subscribe to Neo-Whorfianism and think that language reflects and influences its speakers’ world but does not determine it. The fact that the English language does not have two separate words for light and dark blue colors like Russian does not mean that the English speakers cannot comprehend the concept or distinguish the two shades. I agree with Boroditsky and believe that languages are “tools we invent and hone to suit our needs” (Nordquist, 2020). People create new vocabulary and semantic and grammatical structures to reflect the world around them and developments in that world. Thus, the language does not constrain or shape the thoughts as it is continuously changing to reflect reality. It can make its speakers more inclined to think in a certain way but does not prevent them from learning and comprehending new ideas.
To conclude, I do not believe that the language shapes how the speakers of that language think and see the world around them. Language follows the culture and the needs of those who use it, and new concepts arise when there is a need for them. Thus, language does not shape or limit the way people think but reflects the world around them and how they think about it.
References
Goh, L. (2012). Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis [Video]. Web.
Nordquist, R. (2020). The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis Linguistic Theory. ThoughtCo. Web.