Interpreting the Endangered Languages from the Linguistic Relativity Perspective and Utilizing Machine Translation as a Preventive Measure

LINGUISTIC RELATIVITY ASPECT

    In Plato’s Cratylus dialogue, profound notions can be seen regarding the connection between language and the essence of reality. Through the dialogue with Cratylus, he advocates for the notion that words should ideally reflect the true nature of the objects, they signify in linguistic context. In Plato’s discourse on the interrelation between language and reality within the dialogue, he recognizes the crucial role of language in both understanding and shaping reality. Yet, he also underscores the inherent limitations of language; thus, the word could only provide imperfect representations of the true aspects of reality. Well at this point, if Plato’s assertion doesn’t make sense at all, let’s imagine an apple. You probably tend to imagine a shiny red apple with no rotten spots but for another person, that imanigation could include a Granny Smith apple with rotten spots. However in the real world there are a bunch of apples you can see that don’t fit either of them. From the point we comprehend Plato’s notion that underscores the language and its imperfect representations of reality, what if we come up with “how big are the chances of any major differences between two different people’s representations of reality based on the language they speak”? Apparently, before the Romanticism age, philosophers weren’t interested in as there was little scholarly attention directly given to the relationship between individual languages and its effects on different thought patterns. Nevertheless following the French Revolution, nationalism surged in popularity; leading to increased focus on shared cultural values among the nation, brought attention to the languages and their impacts on nations. The principle of linguistic relativity, commonly referred to as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, is attributed to linguists Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf, who played major roles in advancing its prominence within academic discourse. Their contributions were notably influenced by the insights of Alexander von Humboldt. According to Humboldt, each language presents a unique worldview, influencing the cognitive structures of its speakers[1]. A shared linguistic context proceeds commonalities in the experiences and perceptions of the world among individuals who speak the same language. This concept developed into linguistic determinism apart from its initial version, proposing that language and its structures constrain and shape individual thought processes. This notion represents a strong interpretation of linguistic relativity, covers of a concept depicts language as having an ultimate impact on cognition. Another movie can be referenced in the context of this proposition, Arrival, where a linguist is recruited to establish communication with extraterrestrial visitors. Through the process of linguistic engagement, the protagonist acquires the capacity to perceive temporal dimensions beyond conventional human cognition, as she progressively masters the alien language. Even though that can be seen as an instance for linguistic determinism as well as the references above, this one stands out from prior instances as it directly exemplifies the concept that language can fundamentally alter our comprehension of reality and perception. With that being said, no matter how fun it sounds like to believe someone becomes able to adapt such talent just by learning another language, linguistic determinism lacks widespread recognition among the academic community as you might have expected.