Casey French
According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, "people perceive the world through the cultural lens of language". This semester I am taking a cultural linguistics class and we watched a BBC documentary about how color and space is constructed by language. The way we perceive color and space is based on how we interact and is different from one society to the other. For instance, Russian speakers have two words for blue. They differentiate the two based on dark and light blue. When asked to differentiate two shades of blue, they could easily pick out the odd one. However, our American perception of blue is limited and therefore, it is more difficult for us to distinguish between the two. Based on the experiment, the tribe had difficulty with blues and greens. In a way, language changes the way we see reality. Watch this clip of the experiment being conducted, because it is difficult for me to explain. It's quite fascinating how language may affect how we perceive color.
We also discussed about technology and how it creates inequality. An example from the readings is how libraries are tailoring to fit the demand for technological resources. The old and the homeless do not always know how to access information efficiently. In modern society, the demand for technology abilities is a must...Microsoft Word, Email, Adobe Photoshop, etc. I can't tell you how many times teachers stress to put down these abilities in our resumes. Employers look for these skills in order to decide if you are fit for the position. People without that knowledge sets themselves apart from those who do, creating a clear divide to privileges. For some reason, in class I wrote in my notebook "Ron Swanson" and I wanted to show you this clip. This shows how the media benefits from the two-way flow of information from its audience.
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