If You're Fat, Broke, and Smoking, Blame Language 297
First time accepted submitter derekmead writes "A Yale researcher says that culture differences how much money we save, how well we take care of ourselves, and other behavior indicative of taking the long view, are all based on language. His study argues that the way a language's syntax refers to the future (PDF) affects how its speakers perceive the future. For example, English and Greek make strong distinctions between the present and the future, while German doesn't, while English and Greek speakers are statistically poorer and in worse health than Germans. (The study includes a broader swath of languages/nationalities, but that's a start.)"
I believe him, but (Score:4, Insightful)
I believe him, but a sample size of three languages is not convincing at all.
Mr Yale Researcher (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:I believe him, but (Score:5, Insightful)
I think he's full of crap. More exactly, he merely restates the Whorf hypothesis (badly and out of context) and then proceeds to misapply it.
Also, he apparently doesn't speak German, which uses a construction quite similar to that of English for forming the future tense ("I will go"/"Ich werde gehen"), and allows for substitution with the present in informal speech to about the same extent ("We're going to the library next weekend"/"Wir gehen nächstes Wochenende in die Bibliothek" vs. formal "We will go to the library next weekend"/"Wir werden nächstes Wochenende in die Bibliothek gehen").
Re:Take some responsibility... (Score:5, Insightful)
No matter how much you want to blame the victim, bad things really do happen to people because of circumstances outside of their control.
Your general message is a good one. People should be responsible for themselves. But claiming that the locus of control should always be internal simply flies in the face of reality.
For example, what if one's boss really is a jerk? No matter how hard you work to please him, you cannot. If you internalized that locus of control, you would conclude that there is something terribly wrong with you. That's not a healthy frame of mind at all.
Re:Take some responsibility... (Score:4, Insightful)
Sometimes external is more appropriate.
E.g. "I am bleeding to death because that asshole shot me." instead of "I am bleeding to death because I failed to duck in time."
But your point and the article's point are not exclusive. Awareness of the ways that language shapes your thoughts can help you exert more control over your life and take greater responsibility for what happens to you.
Re:Take some responsibility... (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh, I should also point out that if you happen to be more fortunate than others, internalizing your good fortune is a great way to feel superior. Obviously, someone in that position is going to be biased into thinking he got there on his own, instead of being extraordinarily lucky.
Re:So, it's true... (Score:5, Insightful)
Except the champion eater is Japanese.
Has English changed in fifty years? (Score:5, Insightful)
The basic structure of English hasn't changed a lot in fifty years. On the other hand, the body shape of English speakers sure has changed. We are much more obese.
My favourite stereotype of Germans is that they are a bunch of fat beer guzzling guys in lederhosen. If we chose the right times and places, we could show that Germans were fat and Americans were thin.
The thesis, that we as a nation are obese because of the language we speak, doesn't stand up to even cursory inspection.
Re:So, it's true... (Score:4, Insightful)
Hardly. Most of Europe is bilingual. It doesn't follow that people who know English either as a second or a first language are less healthy than people who don't know English at all.
Language, like all arts, is a reflection of the predominant culture. Culture is often what determines socio-economic status. Cultures that emphasize hard working and pride in work are probably going to be better employed. Cultures that emphasize intellect will probably be smarter. Cultures that emphasize creativity will probably be more innovative. And cultures that glamorize and romanticize trash will probably follow the same pattern.
Both language and socio-economic status reflect the values of a culture, but they do so independently. The English speakers of France and Italy are probably no more or less wealthy than the non-English speakers.
If you're fat, broke and smoking... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:So, it's true... (Score:2, Insightful)
On the other hand, the French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or the Americans.
Myth, for what it's worth (and I know it was a joke). It turned out to be due to under-reporting of heart attacks by French doctors.
No, that was debunked [bmj.com]. There is no real evidence that saturated fat causes heart disease. It's not a paradox.