The Influence of Language Structure and Function on Thought

A Comparison of Yucatec Maya and American English

Bibliographic Data

ID2229806
AuthorsJohn A Lucy (University of Chicago, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume80
Issue1
Pages1-19
Publication date2024-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Anthropological Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0091-7710 • E-ISSN: 2153-3806
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/728347
OpenAlexW4391972617
LanguageEN
References cited19

Given the centrality of language in human life, scholars and others have long been interested in whether and how languages might influence thought. This paper describes a line of anthropological research on this issue that moves from a structural comparison of number marking in American English and Yucatec Maya to an assessment of associated cognitive effects on classification and memory, to an exploration of the functional factors involved in the emergence of new language-thought connections in middle childhood, and then finally to a consideration of related functional issues surrounding language standardization, literacy, and schooling. Throughout, the research utilizes a multilevel theoretical framing that emphasizes the contributions of the various subfields of anthropology, and it highlights key methodological challenges not only to design effective research but also to address the reflexive challenges of having our own language categories affect our understanding of other languages and of our experience more generally

Archaeology · Linguistics · Maya · Categorization, perception, and language · History · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Philosophy · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

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