What Is Linguistic Determinism? Describe and Explain the Sources of Evidence

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--The view that all thinking is represented linguistically is called linguistic determinism.One of the best-known examples of how language can influence thought is the belief that Inuits have about a thousand words for snow.Linguistic determinists argue that having so many words for snow enables Inuits to perceive incredibly subtle distinctions among types of snow.
--Reasons to doubt linguistic determinism:
a)One of the earliest tests of linguistic determinism used a drug called curare,which paralyzes the muscles and skeleton but leaves the patient conscious.After his vocal tract was completely immobilized but before the drug had taken complete effect,the subject could wrinkle his forehead in response to questions,confirming his ability to understand spoken speech.After the drug had worn off,he accurately reported events he'd observed and could report thoughts and sensations he experienced while paralyzed.
b)Later evidence was more conclusive.First,contrary to the predictions of linguistic determinism,children can perform many complex cognitive tasks long before they can talk about them.For that reason,psychologists have developed cognitive performance tests for infants and children that minimize testers' reliance on verbal instructions and verbal responses.

What Is Linguistic Determinism? Describe and Explain the Sources of Evidence

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