3 ms·

I recently watched the scifi film Arrival and it suggests that language can not only allow you to experience time differently, but to [1] (spoiler). I wonder i

by tabeth 9y ago

I recently watched the scifi film Arrival and it suggests that language can not only allow you to experience time differently, but to [1] (spoiler). I wonder if there's any truth in what it suggests, or if its just scifi mumbo jumbo. [1] "see" the future.

tbrownaw 9y ago
If my wife tells me she ordered pizza for dinner, that use of language lets me "see" an hour into the future when a delivery person will arrive with a couple flat boxes and a plastic bag holding a soda bottle. Nothing "mumbo jumbo" about it.
- bitwize 9y ago
  Central to the premise of the movie is that in the movie-universe, time is not linear but a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff; you just need to learn Heptapod in order to Sapir-Whorf your way into realizing it. Time probably is linear for us in the real world, or else can only be perceived as linear by us wholly corporeal beings. Unless Roger Penrose is right and we have wibbly-wobbly, quantum-wantum stuff going on in our brains, which I doubt.
- personlurking 9y ago
  And other times you can "see" w/o finding anything. In Brazil, when you were supposed to meet a friend at a certain time and they aren't there, you call/text them and ask where they are. They'll usually say: "já estou saindo" (I'm leaving already [from their house]), but according to the cultural norms, this actually often means "I haven't left yet and I'm getting ready, or thinking about getting ready". Likewise, if you're out and about, and pass by some acquaintances, you make quick chit-chat to be nice and then make plans to get together next weekend. Both parties generally know this will not happen, and it's only being said for appearances. This leads to a joke I like to imagine where situation 2 leads to situation 1. That is, "let's meet up next weekend!" and the response, "Ok, I'm leaving my house already". Everyone knows it's BS but they say it anyways.
lillesvin 9y ago
Haven't watched the movie but I'm vaguely familiar with the plot and I'm a linguist (who did a lot of cognitive linguistics during my time at the university). The movie is based around the strong version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis[0] (aka. linguistic determinism) which has been disproven time and time again. However, there seems to be at least some truth to the weaker version (aka. linguistic relativity) but it's still hotly debated to what extent and in which areas. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity

by tabeth 9y ago

tbrownaw 9y ago

If my wife tells me she ordered pizza for dinner, that use of language lets me "see" an hour into the future when a delivery person will arrive with a couple flat boxes and a plastic bag holding a soda bottle. Nothing "mumbo jumbo" about it.

bitwize 9y ago
Central to the premise of the movie is that in the movie-universe, time is not linear but a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff; you just need to learn Heptapod in order to Sapir-Whorf your way into realizing it. Time probably is linear for us in the real world, or else can only be perceived as linear by us wholly corporeal beings. Unless Roger Penrose is right and we have wibbly-wobbly, quantum-wantum stuff going on in our brains, which I doubt.
personlurking 9y ago
And other times you can "see" w/o finding anything. In Brazil, when you were supposed to meet a friend at a certain time and they aren't there, you call/text them and ask where they are. They'll usually say: "já estou saindo" (I'm leaving already [from their house]), but according to the cultural norms, this actually often means "I haven't left yet and I'm getting ready, or thinking about getting ready". Likewise, if you're out and about, and pass by some acquaintances, you make quick chit-chat to be nice and then make plans to get together next weekend. Both parties generally know this will not happen, and it's only being said for appearances. This leads to a joke I like to imagine where situation 2 leads to situation 1. That is, "let's meet up next weekend!" and the response, "Ok, I'm leaving my house already". Everyone knows it's BS but they say it anyways.

lillesvin 9y ago

Haven't watched the movie but I'm vaguely familiar with the plot and I'm a linguist (who did a lot of cognitive linguistics during my time at the university). The movie is based around the strong version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis[0] (aka. linguistic determinism) which has been disproven time and time again. However, there seems to be at least some truth to the weaker version (aka. linguistic relativity) but it's still hotly debated to what extent and in which areas. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity