Most of us assume that language is a transparent medium for thoughts that we already possess. But cutting-edge research in cognitive science tells a different story: language shapes thought itself, influencing how we perceive, remember, and reason about the world. Drawing on decades of experimental research across cultures, Professor of Cognitive Psychology and National Science Foundation Award winner, Lera Boroditsky, argues that speakers of different languages carve up the world in different ways, and that linguistic differences can affect everything from our sense of time and space to colour perception, memory, moral judgement, and even how we assign blame.
Part One: How Language Shapes Perception and Memory
Part Two: Cognitive Flexibility, Culture, and the Limits of Universality
“One of the first to show truly convincing effects of language on cognitive processes."" – Dan Slobin
