Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Lera Boroditsky discusses how the language you speak impacts your perception of the world.
How has learning a second language impacted your understanding of the world?
With a free trial, you can watch Steven Pinker in a debate on the relationship between language and thought NOW at iai.tv/video/lost-in-thought?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=description
We used to think that language is simply a neutral tool for communication - and that speakers of every language must think alike. But Lera Boroditsky, a leading voice in linguistic relativity, reveals that language does far more than describe the world: it actively shapes how we perceive space, time, colour, and causality. From an Aboriginal community that navigates by cardinal directions rather than "left" and "right," to Russian speakers who treat light and dark blue as entirely distinct categories, her experiments expose just how deeply language moulds our perception and knowledge of the world - and why losing it is so dangerous.
#linguistics #language #languagelearning
Lera Boroditsky is a cognitive scientist and linguist whose research has transformed our understanding of how language shapes thought.
The Institute of Art and Ideas features videos and articles from cutting edge thinkers discussing the ideas that are shaping the world, from metaphysics to string theory, technology to democracy, aesthetics to genetics. Subscribe today! iai.tv/subscribe?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=https://iai.tv/video/language-shapes-thought-not-the-other-way-around-with-lera-boroditsky
For debates and talks: iai.tv
For articles: iai.tv/articles
For courses: iai.tv/iai-academy/courses
Lera Boroditsky discusses how the language you speak impacts your perception of the world.
How has learning a second language impacted your understanding of the world?
With a free trial, you can watch Steven Pinker in a debate on the relationship between language and thought NOW at iai.tv/video/lost-in-thought?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=description
We used to think that language is simply a neutral tool for communication - and that speakers of every language must think alike. But Lera Boroditsky, a leading voice in linguistic relativity, reveals that language does far more than describe the world: it actively shapes how we perceive space, time, colour, and causality. From an Aboriginal community that navigates by cardinal directions rather than "left" and "right," to Russian speakers who treat light and dark blue as entirely distinct categories, her experiments expose just how deeply language moulds our perception and knowledge of the world - and why losing it is so dangerous.
#linguistics #language #languagelearning
Lera Boroditsky is a cognitive scientist and linguist whose research has transformed our understanding of how language shapes thought.
The Institute of Art and Ideas features videos and articles from cutting edge thinkers discussing the ideas that are shaping the world, from metaphysics to string theory, technology to democracy, aesthetics to genetics. Subscribe today! iai.tv/subscribe?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=https://iai.tv/video/language-shapes-thought-not-the-other-way-around-with-lera-boroditsky
For debates and talks: iai.tv
For articles: iai.tv/articles
For courses: iai.tv/iai-academy/courses
