True. New words help to highlight new distinctions, but you have to have a distinction for the word to apply to before it is useful. Otherwise, it either refers to nothing at all or the same distinction that another word illustrates.
Asking what color the sky is may show cultural differences (for example, many many cultures use the same words for blue and green, though they’re perfectly capable of pointing out the difference between the two), but the demonstration with the colored squares suggests something different is going on with the Himba.
So the Himba can make some distinctions that we cannot (as opposed to do not), and vice versa. We each have words to describe those distinctions (and I’m sure the Himba could explain why, with their own vocabulary, why that one green square is different from the other ones that look exactly the same to us). The more I think about it, the more likely it seems that brain patterns change the language than vice versa.
Why did the scientists in this program seem to think it was the other way around, I wonder?
but you have to have a distinction for the word to apply to before it is useful
All colors are distinct. It’s a lot easier to just put them into several groups. This has been shown to be how people work. The idea that they do this with colors before they compare ones that they’re currently looking at is surprising, but it’s not impossible. A large portion of your brain is used for understanding what you see, so there’s a lot of room for those shortcuts to take place, and a lot of benefit to having them.
Why did the scientists in this program seem to think it was the other way around, I wonder?
I suspect it’s because of the other studies that they haven’t mentioned. Perhaps they looked at tribes genetically identical to the Himba, and noticed that they notice colors based on their language. Perhaps this is just the most noticeable one, and other studies were with genetically identical groups. Perhaps they just know a lot more about how the brain works in general. I suggest reading Conjunction Controversy (Or, How They Nail It Down).
True. New words help to highlight new distinctions, but you have to have a distinction for the word to apply to before it is useful. Otherwise, it either refers to nothing at all or the same distinction that another word illustrates.
Asking what color the sky is may show cultural differences (for example, many many cultures use the same words for blue and green, though they’re perfectly capable of pointing out the difference between the two), but the demonstration with the colored squares suggests something different is going on with the Himba.
So the Himba can make some distinctions that we cannot (as opposed to do not), and vice versa. We each have words to describe those distinctions (and I’m sure the Himba could explain why, with their own vocabulary, why that one green square is different from the other ones that look exactly the same to us). The more I think about it, the more likely it seems that brain patterns change the language than vice versa.
Why did the scientists in this program seem to think it was the other way around, I wonder?
All colors are distinct. It’s a lot easier to just put them into several groups. This has been shown to be how people work. The idea that they do this with colors before they compare ones that they’re currently looking at is surprising, but it’s not impossible. A large portion of your brain is used for understanding what you see, so there’s a lot of room for those shortcuts to take place, and a lot of benefit to having them.
I suspect it’s because of the other studies that they haven’t mentioned. Perhaps they looked at tribes genetically identical to the Himba, and noticed that they notice colors based on their language. Perhaps this is just the most noticeable one, and other studies were with genetically identical groups. Perhaps they just know a lot more about how the brain works in general. I suggest reading Conjunction Controversy (Or, How They Nail It Down).