Introdungcing English language part 22: 'In this exciting new textbook, Louise Mullany and Peter Stockwell have provided a fresh and imaginative set of alternatives for teaching and learning a huge amount about the English language. The book allows tor creative and lateral approaches to developing an understanding of important linguistic concepts and, together with the thought-provoking activities, and accessible readings, guarantees there is something to stimulate every learner. | B13 112 DEVELOPMENT ASPECTS OF ENGLISH SWIN KCrEIB1Qqc8svpQueSEh0w 1282035956 Most words in Newspeak are removed by selecting a basic term good rather than the possible range of fine nice excellent ok well lovely pleasant superb brilliant and so on and then allowing a small set of very regular inflections gooder ungood goodest plusgood doubleplusgood . The idea on which this is based as Symes explains above is that language and thought are directly and causally connected so reducing the language will reduce the capacity for thinking freely. This strong linkage between language and thought is a highly deterministic view. It asserts that thought is purely linguistic and mental operations are conducted in terms identical or very close to the surface structure of language. It also suggests that ideas are literally unthinkable or at least very difficult to imagine without the linguistic means of articulating them. Such a view has been called the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis named after Edward Sapir and his first student and later colleague Benjamin Lee Whorf. In fact their theory of linguistic relativity was not as deterministic as has been characterised and Sapir-Whorfianism is largely a misapplied term. However Sapir certainly took the view that language and what he called our thought-grooves are very closely related and a culture s perspectives and preoccupations can be discerned in its linguistic patterns. This can be seen for example in the overlexicalisation of certain domains kinship terms for family relationships technical terms or jargon in certain occupations where there is a particular cultural interest. Whorf developed his position after noticing when working as a fire insurance investigator that people would throw cigarette ends into gasoline barrels labelled empty when in fact they were full of explosive petrol vapour. Cognition and language Though fictionally terrifying Newspeak and its extreme determinism could not possibly work as described in the book. .
