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. 2010 Jun;19(3):195-200.
doi: 10.1177/0963721410370294.

Words as windows to thought: The case of object representation

David Barner  1 , Peggy Li, Jesse Snedeker
Affiliations

Words as windows to thought: The case of object representation

David Barner et al. Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2010 Jun.

Abstract

Languages differ in how they express thought, leading some researchers to conclude that speakers of different languages perceive objects differently. Others, in contrast, argue that words are windows to thought - reflecting its structure without modifying it. Here, we explore the case study of object representation. Studies of Japanese, Chinese, and English indicate that speakers of these languages do not perceive objects differently, despite their grammatical differences. Syntax provides frames for words that can select among meanings without affecting underlying object perception.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Sketches of trials for word extension (BOX A), quantity judgment (BOX B), and the manual search task (BOX C)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Barner D, Inagaki S, Li P. Language, thought, and real nouns. Cognition. 2009;111:329–344. - PubMed
    1. Barner D, Snedeker J. Quantity judgment and individuation: Evidence that mass nouns count. Cognition. 2005;97:41–66. - PubMed
    1. Barner D, Snedeker J. Children’s early understanding of mass-count syntax: Individuations, lexical content, and the number asymmetry hypothesis. Language Learning and Development. 2006;2(3):163–194.
    1. Barner D, Thalwitz D, Wood J, Yang S, Carey S. On the relation between the acquisition of singular-plural morpho-syntax and the conceptual distinction between one and more than one. Developmental Science. 2007;10(3):365–373. - PubMed
    1. Barner D, Wagner L, Snedeker J. Events and the ontology of individuals: Verbs as a source of individuating mass and count nouns. Cognition. 2008;106:805–832. - PubMed

RECOMMENDED READINGS

    1. Gentner D, Boroditsky L. Individuation, relativity and early word learning. In: Bowerman M, Levinson S, editors. Language acquisition and conceptual development. Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, UK: 2001. pp. 215–256. A modern classic that discusses early noun learning across different languages, and that argues for Whorfian effects.
    1. Gleitman L, Papafragou A. Language and thought. In: Holyoak K, Morrison R, editors. Cambridge handbook of thinking and reasoning. Cambridge University Press; 2005. pp. 633–661. A recent review of the language and thought literature, from a non-Whorfian perspective.
    1. Whorf BL. In: Language, thought, and reality: Selected writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. Carroll JB, editor. MIT Press; Cambridge, Mass: 1956. A historical classic; one of the first important investigations of language and thought.

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