The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!

  Language does directly shape our thoughts. Different countries and cultures speak English uniquely. This adds to the ‘melting pot’ of the English language. The background of each form of the English language is what forms our thoughts and how we think. We are all born into different cultures, and we live with different people and social groups surrounding us. This is exactly what shapes our language and thoughts.  When referring to our ‘sense of self’, we are not born with it. It includes a set of values and behaviors which we display throughout our lives. It is in our early childhood development when we begin to discover our sense of self. The Stanford researcher Lera Boroditsky mentions the importance of “space, time (and) gender”. These are just a few of the key features that are found in discovering our ‘sense of self’. Swiss Psychologist Jean Piaget conducted his research on childhood development. His research remains significant because it highlighted the concept o...

  The English language is viewed as a global or world language. In the 21st century English plays a vital role in world communications. English is actually spoken on all five continents, unlike most other languages. With all of this being said, China is the country that “boasts the most English speakers.” Countries like China raise the threat of the dominance of English in the 21st century being challenged, as they are a non-native English speaking region that is gaining economic and political power.  China has established their citizens' use of multilingualism, as they speak both Chinese and English in their daily lives. In fact, 350 million people in China have “some knowledge” of the English language. Moreover, multilingualism continues to prove that there is a close link between language and power. This theory was put into place by David Crystal. He believes that English is so widely used due to the people who speak it. China is known as a world power that does value Engli...