A thread on Reddit made me realise that people who are monolingual don't know how being bilingual affects your inner monologue. The answer? It switches back and forth. Makes me a bit skeptical of the Saphir-Worf hypothesis to be frank, because I can think about something and instantly speak of it in either language. Also, I often have an abstract idea in my head before I can remember the word for it. That's symbolic thinking without language, isn't it?
@infernalturtle Maybe it is, but then it is no longer the Saphir-Worf hypothesis.
Basically, what I'm saying is that languages shape perceptions and, as a result, our thoughts.
@thor Somewhat. Some languages have words/phrases that label an idea that doesn't have a good, succinct label in another language. My favorite example: Danish "hygge" and "æde", both of which have overtones it's hard to express in English.
I sorta feel like, language is an imperfect projection of thought into a lower-dimensional space, and what projection you choose affects how you view the space at least a little.
@icefox Meaning that you also disagree with the Saphir-Worf hypothesis.
Hang on...
Okay, not having looked it up for a very long time, I looked it up. Got the spelling wrong. It's Sapir-Whorf. Apparenrly there is also a strong and a weak version of it. Apparently, we all disagree with the strong version (language determines thought) and agree with the weak one (language influences thought). The weak one is a less controversial claim, though, and thus a bit boring to discuss...