2022.10.15
Nice way to think about Sapir-Whorf hypothesis topics.
Reminds me of the mistakes we may be making in psychology/cognitive science assuming everyone is wired like undergrads at expensive American colleges who are still willing to sit through stuff for $50...
I'm not sure I dig the implicit denigration of English. I mean I know that's part of the point; that it is a predominant language, so it gets its own column with everything else lumped under "global diversity". I'm sure if another language was playing the role of "lingua franca" it would have its own strengths and weaknesses.
My take, from trying to resolve conflicting reports of "english is easy to learn" "english is hard to learn" is that English is easier than most languages for the basics, harder than mosts to master. Like the grammar isn't too bad. The big thing is the vocabulary drawn from lots of languages (which makes the spelling rough) - we have a lot of individual words with a great deal of nuance especially compared to languages that have had more curation, like French, and use simpler terms (that often carry more gravitas accordingly)
Also I've been told English isn't as bad for poetry as we've heard, but the emphasis is better put on rhythm than of rhyme...
(I especially welcome feedback from people who added English later, and/or folks who have thoughts on the English vocabulary issue)
At a university there was a dean who cared about others and showed exemplary behavior. One day an angel appeared at a faculty conference.
The angel said as a reward for his good deeds that God would give him his choice of eternal riches, eternal wisdom, or eternal beauty.
The dean chose eternal wisdom without hesitation.
"Good," said the angel, disappearing into a cloud of smoke.
Everyone present turned their gazes to the dean, who was illuminated by a faint halo.
A colleague whispered, "Tell me something."
The dean, who had gained eternal wisdom, sighed and said, "I should have chosen eternal riches."
Click for a raunchy joke
