then you know that some words don't translate exactly.

你就會知道有些字不能直接翻譯

For example, there's a language in New Guinea that

例如，新幾內亞的語言裡

only has two words for color-- mola,

只有兩個字來描述顏色--mola

meaning "bright," and mili, meaning "dark."

是「亮」的意思，而mili則是「暗」

Now compare that to English.

拿它和英文比較

We have lots of words for color--

我們有很多詞彙可以形容顏色--

blue, green, teal, mauve, all that stuff.

藍、綠、藍綠、淡紫之類的

But does the fact that we have different words for color

但是我們用不同字來描述顏色

mean that we actually think about color differently?

就代表我們對顏色的看法不同嗎？

And your answer to that question places you

你對這個問題的答案關係到你在

on one position of the great language-thought debate.

重要的語言-認知論辯中的立場

Which comes first?

哪個先產生的?

And we have different theories that we

我們對此有不同的理論

can place sort of on a spectrum.

可以用練續光譜來看

And on one end, we have something called universalism.

在光譜的一端，是普遍主義

This theory says that thought comes before language.

這個理論認為認知先於語言

So your thoughts dictate the language that develops.

所以你的想法支配發展出的語言

So going back to our New Guinean example,

回到我們的新幾內亞案例

a universalist would say that that group of people

普遍主義論者會說那些人

only thinks in terms of bright and dark,

只用亮與暗來思考

and if they had concepts or ideas about other colors,

而如果他們對其他色彩有概念或想法

then they would develop words for them

那麼他們就會發展新的字

in order to express those thoughts.

來闡述這些想法

So with universalism, we have the idea

所以在普遍主義，我們了解到

that thought determines language completely.

認知完完全全地決定著語言

And now here, at this point, we have the idea

而在這裡，這個時間點，我們了解到

that thought influences language.

認知會影響語言

Just a little bit gentler of a statement.

這只是個婉轉一點的說法

And this is the idea that Piaget ascribed to.

這是皮亞傑的理論所本

Piaget came up with a theory of cognitive development

皮亞傑建構出一套幼兒的認知發展理論

in children, and it was because of this and his observations

因為這套理論和他對孩童的觀察

of children that he believed that once children

他相信一旦小孩

were able to think in a certain way,

有能力以特定模式思考

then they developed the language to describe those thoughts.

他們便發展出用以形容這些這些想法的語言

So, for example, when children learn that objects continue

所以，舉例來說，當小孩明白儘管看不見物品

to exist even though they can't see them,

它們仍持續存在

that's when they start to develop words

這時他們便開始發展字詞

like "gone" and "missing," "find."

像是「消失」、「不見」、「找到」

So their language development is influenced

所以他們的語言發展是受到

by their cognitive development and their newly-discovered

他們的認知發展和他們新開發的

ability to understand that objects exist,

理解物體存在的能力所影響

even when they can't see them anymore.

即使他們再也看不見它們

So that's what Piaget thought.

這就是皮亞傑的想法

And now, a little further down, towards the more middle ground,

現在，往下走一點，往較中立的立場

we have Vygotsky.

是維高斯基

And Vygotsky thought that language and thought are

維高斯基認為語言和認知

independent, but they converge through development.

是獨立的，但經由發展，它們交會

So he didn't really say if language influenced thought

他並沒有真的說語言是否影響認知

or if thought influenced language.

或認知是否影響語言

He just said they're both there, they're both independent,

他只說它們都存在著，它們都是獨立的

but eventually, you learn to use them at the same time.

但最終，你學會同時用它們

Because Vygotsky believed that children

因為維高斯基相信小孩

develop language through social interaction

發展語言是經由

with adults who already know the language.

與已經了解該語言的成人進行社會互動

And through that interaction, then they

而透過這樣的互動，他們

learn to connect their thoughts and the language

學會連結他們的想法和他們終於學會

that they eventually learn.

的這種語言

OK, so now we're crossing over the middle ground

好了，現在我們要走過中間地帶

into the world that believes language

來到另一派的論點，相信語言

has an influence on thought.

對認知是有影響的

And we have a couple of positions here,

我們這裡有幾個立場

and they both fall under the category

它們都屬於

of linguistic determinism.

語言決定論的類別

So these are called the weak and the strong hypotheses.

它們稱為弱和強假說

And this isn't a value judgment on how good they are

而這並非對於它們有多好

or how well-established they are.

或假說建立得多好的價值評論

It just refers to how much influence

它僅指出它們認為語言對

they think language has on thought.

認知造成的影響強度

So weak linguistic determinism says

所以弱語言決定論者認為

that language influences thought.

語言影響認知

It makes it easier or more common

這把情況變得更簡單或更普遍

for us to think in certain ways depending

讓我們進行特定模式的思考

on how our language is structured.

根據我們語言建構的過程

So, for example, I'm going to read you a sentence,

例如，我念一個句子給你

and I want you to draw it out or at least vividly imagine it.

我要你把它畫出來，或至少生動的想像那個畫面

"The girl pushes the boy."

「女孩推了男孩」

OK, so however you drew that out or imagined it,

好，無論你怎麼畫或想像

if you drew it this way, with the girl on the left pushing

如果你這樣畫，女孩在左邊

the boy toward the right, than your native language probably

把男孩推向右邊，那麼你的母語可能是

reads from left to right, like English.

從左到右書寫的，像是英文

If you drew the girl pushing the boy this way,

如果你畫女孩這樣推男孩

with the girl on the right pushing toward the left,

女孩在右邊推向左邊

then your native language might be

那麼你的母語可能是

one that reads from right to left, like Hebrew.

從右到左書寫的，像是希伯來文

Now, it's not that you can't or didn't even draw it

並不是你不能或根本不是

the other way.

用另一種方式畫

It's just that, depending on how your language is structured,

只是視你的語言建構方式如何

it makes it more likely or easier

讓你更可能或更輕易

for you to think about that action in a certain direction.

往一個特定方向去想這個動作

Now, strong linguistic determinism

強語言決定論

takes a more extreme view and says

採取一個較極端的觀點，聲稱

that language determines thought completely.

語言完全地決定認知

This is also called the Whorfian hypothesis,

這又稱為沃爾夫假說

because the guy that came up with it, his name was Whorf.

因為提出這個主張的人叫沃爾夫

And he observed that there is a Native American tribe called

他觀察到有一個美國原住民部落叫作

the Hopi that don't have any grammatical tense

Hopi，他們的語言中沒有任何

in their language, and he thought

時態語法，他認為

that meant that they couldn't think

這代表他們無法

about time in the same way.

用同一種觀念看待時間

Later, people studying the language

稍後，研究此語言的人

found that the Hopi have a different way

發現Hopi用另一種不同的方法

of expressing past, present, and future.

表達過去、現在、與未來

So we don't have an answer yet for which of these perspectives

所以我們對於這些觀點何者正確

is the correct one, and people are still doing research

仍未有答案，人們也還在研究

to try to discover which one is the most accurate.

以試圖了解何者最精確

But now you're aware of the main perspectives

現在你明白認知和語言間關係

on the relationship between thought and language.

的主要觀點

And now, when you're learning a foreign language,

現在，當你在學一個外國語言

you can think about how the language you're learning

你可以想想你正在學的這個語言是如何

is influencing your thoughts, or vice-versa, how

影響你的想法，反之亦然

your thoughts are affecting your interpretation of the language.

你的想法是如何影響你對這個語言的翻譯