It seems obvious that all people see and experience the world in the same way. After all, color is color, direction is direction, and time flows the same way. But research in linguistics and anthropology shows that the language we use can change our perception - and sometimes even the way we think. In other words, if you speak a different language, you might see a different world.
White is... white? Not everywhere
For most Europeans, white is simply white. We might say "snow-white," "pearl," or "cream." But in the languages of people living in the Arctic or regions with long, snowy winters, there are a dozen, sometimes even several dozen terms for white. Each word describes something different - fresh fluffy snow, compacted permafrost, lake ice, or snow reflecting light at night. Where we see one color, they perceive a whole range of subtle differences.
This isn't just about vocabulary – their language teaches them to pay attention to these shades. As a result, people raised in such communities truly see snow differently than we do.
Past in front, future behind
In Polish (and most European languages), we think of time linearly: the future is in front of us, and the past is behind us. But in Aymara, spoken in Bolivia and Peru, among other places, it's the opposite – the past is in front of our eyes, because we see and know it, and the future is behind our backs, because it is unknown.
This approach changes not only language but also gestures. When speaking about the past, Aymara people often gesticulate forward. When speaking about the future, they point behind them. This is a completely different way of perceiving time, rooted in language for generations.
A world without "left" and "right"
The Guugu Yimithirr language, spoken by indigenous Australians, has no concepts of "left" and "right." Instead, everything is described in relation to cardinal directions: "to the north," "to the southeast," and so on. The result? People who grew up speaking this language have an extraordinarily developed sense of orientation in space.
Things that can't be translated with one word
Some languages have words describing complex phenomena that other languages don't capture in a single term. Japanese komorebi means "sunlight filtered through tree leaves," and in German, Fernweh is "a longing for places one has never been." This shows that language not only describes the world but also creates categories of things we pay attention to.
Why is this important in language learning?
When you learn a new language, you enter a new way of seeing the world. Your brain starts to notice differences that were previously invisible to you. This not only broadens your cultural horizons but also makes you start to think differently yourself - about time, space, colors, and even emotions.
"To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world."