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来源：小宇宙
Can language influence how we see time?
Close your eyes and think about the future. Do you imagine it to be in front of you or behind you? Maybe your timeline is vertical, with the future below, and the past above? Linguists such as Lera Boroditsky believe that the language you speak might influence your perception of time.
She highlighted that in English, we see time on a horizontal line. The past is behind us, and the future is ahead. We can see this in phrases like 'forward thinking', and 'ahead of schedule' that we use for the future, and 'back in the day' and 'behind the times' for the past. However, not all languages reflect this perspective.
For the Aymara people in the Andes mountains, the word for future means 'behind time'. Work by Nuñez and Sweetser revealed that when gesturing, the Aymara people point backwards when talking about the future, while English speakers gesture forwards. It has also been suggested that if you speak Chinese, you might see the timeline more vertically due to the use of 'down' to talk about future events, and 'up' for past events.
What happens if you speak two languages? In a study called 'Can a mind have two time lines?' English-Chinese bilinguals were asked to place photos of actors in chronological order by age.
Interestingly, they chose to put photos of an English-speaking actor in a horizontal sequence, but photos of a Chinese-speaking actor in a vertical sequence. So, it seems like one person can have multiple time perceptions, and that your timeline can rotate depending on which language is in focus.
The debate about how much language shapes our thoughts and perceptions is ongoing. It has intrigued linguists for decades and will for ages to come. So, next time you plan your day or tell a story, notice how you visualise the timeline of events, and remember that not everyone sees time through the same lens!
词汇表
timeline [ˈtaɪmlaɪn] n. 时间线，时间轴
vertical [ˈvɜːtɪkl] adj. 垂直的，竖直的，纵向的
linguist [ˈlɪŋɡwɪst] n. 语言学家，语言学者
horizontal [ˌhɒrɪˈzɒntl] adj. 水平的，横的
forward thinking 前瞻性思维，高瞻远瞩
ahead of schedule 提前，早于预定时间
back in the day 从前，想当年，曾几何时
behind the times 落伍，过时，跟不上时代
Aymara [ˌaɪməˈrɑː] n. 艾马拉人（南美洲安第斯山脉地区的原住民）
Andes mountains [ˌændiːz] 安第斯山脉
vertically [ˈvɜːtɪkli] adv. 垂直地，竖直地，纵向地
English-Chinese bilinguals [ˌbaɪˈlɪŋɡwəlz] 英汉双语者
in chronological order [ˌkrɒnəˈlɒdʒɪkl] 按时间顺序排列
sequence [ˈsiːkwəns] n. 顺序，序列
rotate [rəʊˈteɪt] v. （使）旋转，转动
ongoing [ˈɒnɡəʊɪŋ] adj. 持续存在的，仍在进行的
intrigue [ɪnˈtriːɡ] vt. 激起……的兴趣，使着迷，使好奇
visualise [ˈvɪʒuəlaɪz] vt. 使形象化，想象，可视化
lens [lenz] n. （看待事物的）视角，角度
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Close your eyes and think about the future. Do you imagine it to be in front of you or behind you? Maybe your timeline is vertical, with the future below, and the past above? Linguists such as Lera Boroditsky believe that the language you speak might influence your perception of time.
She highlighted that in English, we see time on a horizontal line. The past is behind us, and the future is ahead. We can see this in phrases like 'forward thinking', and 'ahead of schedule' that we use for the future, and 'back in the day' and 'behind the times' for the past. However, not all languages reflect this perspective.
For the Aymara people in the Andes mountains, the word for future means 'behind time'. Work by Nuñez and Sweetser revealed that when gesturing, the Aymara people point backwards when talking about the future, while English speakers gesture forwards. It has also been suggested that if you speak Chinese, you might see the timeline more vertically due to the use of 'down' to talk about future events, and 'up' for past events.
What happens if you speak two languages? In a study called 'Can a mind have two time lines?' English-Chinese bilinguals were asked to place photos of actors in chronological order by age.
Interestingly, they chose to put photos of an English-speaking actor in a horizontal sequence, but photos of a Chinese-speaking actor in a vertical sequence. So, it seems like one person can have multiple time perceptions, and that your timeline can rotate depending on which language is in focus.
The debate about how much language shapes our thoughts and perceptions is ongoing. It has intrigued linguists for decades and will for ages to come. So, next time you plan your day or tell a story, notice how you visualise the timeline of events, and remember that not everyone sees time through the same lens!
词汇表
timeline [ˈtaɪmlaɪn] n. 时间线，时间轴
vertical [ˈvɜːtɪkl] adj. 垂直的，竖直的，纵向的
linguist [ˈlɪŋɡwɪst] n. 语言学家，语言学者
horizontal [ˌhɒrɪˈzɒntl] adj. 水平的，横的
forward thinking 前瞻性思维，高瞻远瞩
ahead of schedule 提前，早于预定时间
back in the day 从前，想当年，曾几何时
behind the times 落伍，过时，跟不上时代
Aymara [ˌaɪməˈrɑː] n. 艾马拉人（南美洲安第斯山脉地区的原住民）
Andes mountains [ˌændiːz] 安第斯山脉
vertically [ˈvɜːtɪkli] adv. 垂直地，竖直地，纵向地
English-Chinese bilinguals [ˌbaɪˈlɪŋɡwəlz] 英汉双语者
in chronological order [ˌkrɒnəˈlɒdʒɪkl] 按时间顺序排列
sequence [ˈsiːkwəns] n. 顺序，序列
rotate [rəʊˈteɪt] v. （使）旋转，转动
ongoing [ˈɒnɡəʊɪŋ] adj. 持续存在的，仍在进行的
intrigue [ɪnˈtriːɡ] vt. 激起……的兴趣，使着迷，使好奇
visualise [ˈvɪʒuəlaɪz] vt. 使形象化，想象，可视化
lens [lenz] n. （看待事物的）视角，角度
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