Name: What our language habits reveal
Uploaded: 2007-09-09T14:56:00Z
Duration: 17 min 15 s
Description: In an exclusive preview of his book <i>The Stuff of Thought</i>, Steven Pinker looks at language and how it expresses what goes on in our minds -- and how the words we choose communicate much more than we realize.

In an exclusive preview of his book <i>The Stuff of Thought</i>, Steven Pinker looks at language and how it expresses what goes on in our minds -- and how the words we choose communicate much more than we realize.

What our language habits reveal

Language does not simply follow strict rules from institutions, but springs from countless human interactions and constant change. The difference between phrases like "give the mouse a muffin" and "give a muffin to the mouse" reveals how sentence structure maps to thought. Countless everyday expressions rely on metaphors, such as describing ideas as objects that can be put into words or unpacked. Even indirect speech, like veiled bribes or polite requests, shows how language helps people navigate complex social relationships.