The Goodest Blog

  Lera Boroditsky a researcher from Stanford researches language and its differences in multiple languages. In her studies, she explains that English is actually quite different from a lot of the languages used around the world. In her research, she asks “can language shape how we think?” The answer that she gives is yes and her work can back it up.      In her first most explanative portrayal she uses a cup that shows how language is used in different languages. She states, “she broke the cup” this would, in turn, show that English is more possessive whereas in languages like Japanese or Spanish for example if one deliberately knocks the cup there is a verb to form to indicate as much. This would translate to “the cup broke itself.” However, the research that she did covered far more than just that.       Some further research can show that the theory of universalism is largely intact. This Theory explains that language is just a reflection of hu...

The text, an extract of an article by the BBC World Service website highlighted some of the more important issues raised in the present and future status of English in an international context. One of which was the showcase of the expansion in other languages around the world. We most clearly see this in the text which states, “...about 1.5 billion people around the world speak it- but fewer than 400 million have it as their first language.” This shows that the expanding circle of English is getting bigger. In this increasing bubble of language, eventually, it will pop. This is further supported in the article in the discussions of translations by the internet and computers around the world. This is an important issue in English’s longevity because, with more global enabling of translation and support for other languages to be used without disadvantages, English will die. This global enabling includes the use of new technologies that can translate even easier than ever before. We see t...