Whorfianism and English as a second language

Listen to article

What if our language isn't just shaping our sentences – it's scripting our reality?

The theory of linguistic relativity explains this rhetorical question that the language we speak doesn't just express our thoughts, it actively influences our world view, cognition, and perception of reality.

One form of linguistic relativity is linguistic determinism that refers to the idea that a person's language determines, restricts or enables their ideation. Linguistic determinism originally came from the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. For instance, if a language lacks a word to define a certain concept, a linguistic determinist would infer that speakers of that language would not be capable of understanding that concept. As Orwell says in his novel, 1984, "newspeak" is used "to diminish the range of thought".

Conversely, if a person speaks a language that has multiple definitions for one concept, linguistic determinists argue that he or she must have a better understanding of what's being defined.

Whorfianism, in its practical form, inspires the use of inclusive language to de-gender and destigmatise the words and terms – batsman to batter, actress to actor, handicapped to differently abled – to condition the thinking habits of mind. Orwell says: "But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought."

Linguistic determinism contends that language influences how individuals organise, evaluate and communicate their experiences. English learners in Pakistan often come across hard ideas that do not readily convert from Urdu or regional languages to English. Languages don't execute things differently; they see things differently.

The failure in grasping the whole semantics and pragmatics of second language stymies the thought generation and causes intellectual shallowness in communication. Ludwig Wittgenstein also pronounces the foundational idea of linguistic determinism: "The limits of my language mean the limits of my world."

In contrast, English exposes students to fresh cognitive models. English opens the door to a huge body of knowledge in science, technology and the arts; therefore many students who excel in English find themselves more at ease interacting with worldwide discussions. Linguistic determinism in this context indicates that learning English alters not just how Pakistani students convey themselves but also how they see the world.

This linguistic segregation supports current inequalities and forms an 'English apartheid' whereby knowledge of the language determines socioeconomic mobility. Whereas Urdu and regional dialects are linked with tradition and backwardness, English is usually seen to be a symbol of modernity and erudition. Employment interviews, competitive exams and even social interactions all favour English speakers, sometimes to the failure of other similarly talented but linguistically challenged people.

Victorian snobbery of English traces back to its colonial history in Pakistan. English was made by the British colonial administration the official language of administration, education and officialdom - a heritage that endures till now. This generational slide in linguistic colonialism results in many students finding it hard to keep fluency in their mother languages or Urdu.

Though China, Japan and South Korea have developed their national tongues in parallel with English, Pakistan keeps using English as the language of authority. This dependency sets up a paradox: English both opens door to worldwide chances and, at the same time, isolates several Pakistanis from their language and culture.

This duality creates an identity crisis for students of English in Pakistan. On the one hand, English fluency is required for upward mobility; on the other, it frequently comes at the price of loss of native language and cultural roots.

The difficulty for Pakistan is to find a happy medium between local language empowerment and worldwide communication; it is not to turn down English. Countries, like India, that have successfully dealt with linguistic determinism owe it to the promotion of multilingualism. True linguistic determinism would mean that language policies in Pakistan are forming an elitist outlook that marginalises many.