The Importance of Language

This week in class we talked about the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. This is when our language changes how we actually perceive the world. For example, when an Inuit person looks outside, they can see clear differences in snow because they purely have the words to describe it. As an American, when I look out my window, all I see is snow because English simply doesn't have the words to describe it. This could perhaps be one of the reasons that many cultures value different beliefs. Their view of the world is shaped by their language and therefore allow them to perceive the world in a different light. This could be a reason that many nations don't see eye to eye on many issues, because our values and beliefs, are all originated from our language. America seems to have a streak of being a bully and pushing people around we tend to be very ethnocentric people. The problem is, this blocks us off from actually seeing for what the world is in all its' glory and evil. Perhaps, if we were to forget all our rules and beliefs of normality, we would make some better, more respectful, decisions in the world that reflect the kind of people we should be, and are not pretending to be.