Language: Crash Course Psychology #16

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  • Опубліковано 16 чер 2024
  • You know what's amazing? That we can talk to people, they can make meaning out of it, and then talk back to us. In this episode of Crash Course Psychology, Hank talks to us and tries to make meaning out of how our brains do this thing called Language. Plus, monkeys!
    If you enjoyed this video, you'll love our mini-series on Crash Course Linguistics! Watch it here: • Linguistics
    Want more videos about psychology? Check out our sister channel SciShow Psych at / scishowpsych !
    --
    Chapters:
    Introduction: Kanzi the Bonobo 00:00
    What is Language? 1:14
    Phonemes, Morphemes, & Grammar 1:48
    Receptive & Productive Language 03:15
    Babbling 03:55
    Early Exposure & Language Acquisition 4:29
    Skinner's Operant Conditioning Theory of Language Development 5:51
    Chomsky's Theory of Universal Grammar 6:23
    Aphasia 7:23
    Review & Credits 9:08
    --
    Crash Course is on Patreon! You can support us directly by signing up at / crashcourse
    Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?
    Facebook - / youtubecrashcourse
    Twitter - / thecrashcourse
    Instagram - / thecrashcourse
    CC Kids: / crashcoursekids

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,1 тис.

  • @InezAllen
    @InezAllen 8 років тому +2978

    can we get a crashcourse linguistics? that would be wonderful.

    • @unixone7558
      @unixone7558 8 років тому +30

      +Inez Allen (Valkiro) I support this.

    • @infektional
      @infektional 8 років тому +115

      That's my dream Crash Course.

    • @gabrielleholt446
      @gabrielleholt446 8 років тому +18

      +Inez Allen (Valkiro) Yes! That would be fantastic!

    • @3006spikespiegel
      @3006spikespiegel 8 років тому +20

      +Inez Allen (Valkiro) Am I the only that whishes for Linguistics CC hosteed by John rather than Hank?

    • @stiglarsen543
      @stiglarsen543 8 років тому +10

      +3006spikespiegel yes. I feel John have become too full of himself after he have published his books

  • @crisy1001
    @crisy1001 9 років тому +905

    Deaf babies will babble with their hands!? I don't know why but that blew my mind, really amazing!

    • @unixone7558
      @unixone7558 8 років тому +8

      +crisy1001 Not necessarily, just because they can't hear doesn't mean they won't babble gibberish as infants. Many deaf people can speak just as well as anyone else because they can read lips.

    • @crisy1001
      @crisy1001 8 років тому +4

      Unix One Well yes, I am aware of that......frankly I'm not exactly seeing the connection between my comment and this.
      I suppose though thinking about it now, the whole babbling with their hands thing might not be true, but if they saw others doing that I could see it. I'd have to watch the video again to remind myself of the context here.

    • @unixone7558
      @unixone7558 8 років тому

      crisy1001 Sorry, I know the comment was a year old, but because UA-cam doesn't have a method of aging the comments or whatever, makes it easy to still feel like responding today, old comment or not.

    • @crisy1001
      @crisy1001 8 років тому

      Unix One Mm yeah, it's cool, I wasn't offended or anything, it's all cool. Do wish YT would improve that tho :/

    • @unixone7558
      @unixone7558 8 років тому

      crisy1001 I do to: like if the comment passes 1 year, put it lower in the list. 2 years or more, YT should delete it, because then fights could start that really don't need to.

  • @oafkad
    @oafkad 10 років тому +764

    "Want Juice" and "No Pants" are things I chant nearly every day after work.

    • @bakedutah8411
      @bakedutah8411 5 років тому +27

      Four years late to this party but: LMAO 😂

    • @whiteeyedshadow8423
      @whiteeyedshadow8423 4 роки тому +1

      lol...dirty jokes at their finest!

    • @brre8673
      @brre8673 4 роки тому +8

      Six years late to this party but: LMAO

  • @saxgirl93
    @saxgirl93 8 років тому +723

    This video is like the first two weeks of an Intro to Linguistics class. ALSO what are the possibilities for a Crash Course: Linguistics? Because I would watch that shit like it was my job.

    • @staceysell7086
      @staceysell7086 8 років тому +10

      Definitely!

    • @saxgirl93
      @saxgirl93 7 років тому +12

      Since we don't have a crash course linguistics, check out @TheLingSpace! They do a lot of really cool videos! :)

    • @croaklikeatoad4384
      @croaklikeatoad4384 7 років тому +8

      Nativlang has a lot of stuff about language history.

  • @Lilylol
    @Lilylol 10 років тому +136

    Watching crashcourse psychology as a way to procrastinate from my psychology revision..... yeah because that makes total sense....

  • @ladymalora
    @ladymalora 7 років тому +284

    Oddly enough, my daughter would practice a sound or word for a few hours or days, until she got it right, then not say it again. She would just point at things we knew she could say the name of but not say the actual word, making us have to guess sometimes about what she really wanted. (She would point at a cabinet full of items and we would have to figure out ourselves that she wanted the box of Cheerios, or whatever it was...) She wouldn't really "speak" until she was 3 and could form full sentences. At first, we thought she had developmental problems, but it turned out that she was just a stubborn perfectionist, and has remained one for her entire 21 years. lol!

  • @ashleynaylor8412
    @ashleynaylor8412 5 років тому +73

    I found a story my mom told me really interesting. She told me that when I was learning to walk I refused to let go of the edges of things. One day my dad and her were arguing about how to help me learn how to walk and though I didn't know how to speak yet I let go of the couch and walked towards them. I imagine that their arguing and disappointment in me caused me more anxiety than my fear of falling. When I talk to babies, I talk to babies. I have people tell me "they can't understand you" but we have no idea just how much they actually can understand. I'm sure I knew exactly what my parents were arguing about and I'm positive that I knew that I was the cause of the argument.

  • @elliotchen7706
    @elliotchen7706 8 років тому +649

    i am so happy he said Mandarin instead of Chinese.

    • @Bozewani
      @Bozewani 8 років тому +6

      你说普通话

    • @barbatvs8959
      @barbatvs8959 7 років тому +6

      By that standard, it's wrong to say that Spanish is a language since Hispania has more than one language.

    • @Bozewani
      @Bozewani 7 років тому +46

      Spanish is considered a language there are many local accents but Spanish is one language Many Chinese speakers of say WU or Min Dan or Shanghaiiese cannot understand Mandarin most Spanish speakers can understand Spanish in multiple Spanish speaking countries believe me I speak both Mandarin and Spanish

    • @barbatvs8959
      @barbatvs8959 7 років тому +8

      Roman Soiko Castillian is not the only language of Spain. There are other Spanishes. Not everyone agrees with Castillian being referred to as Spanish.

    • @Bozewani
      @Bozewani 7 років тому

      well Galician I guess

  • @anxiousbarbie340
    @anxiousbarbie340 9 років тому +79

    Once again, Crash Course saves the day when my brain gets too tired of staring at my notes. Love the psych series, HUGE help for a college student :)

  • @rman2x16
    @rman2x16 9 років тому +282

    see, this is the type of guy I would look for in a party. Just to talk about stuff that expands my intellectuelness

    • @WorkerBeesUnite
      @WorkerBeesUnite 5 років тому +7

      *intellect
      But yes I agree LOL wholeheartedly

  • @TobyKidMajor
    @TobyKidMajor 10 років тому +134

    "Want juice! No pants!" Words to live by.

  • @mikaylavaba2448
    @mikaylavaba2448 4 роки тому +55

    I wish crash course would add a 'further reading/viewing' section to videos.

  • @luckynater
    @luckynater 9 років тому +43

    I love how these crashcourses exactly add up to the chapters of the book used in my introduction to psychology class. (Gleitman et al., 2011)

  • @fico_m
    @fico_m 4 роки тому +4

    The reveal that Kanzi is a bonobo was horrifying. I hope Hank wasn't in charge of breaking to news to his "mother"

  • @Kameeho
    @Kameeho 10 років тому +90

    Being multilingual. The language of my toughts changes.
    I mostly think in my native tongue.
    However alot quite often i think in English. When i think specificly, i think in English due to the fact that English has more words specifying things making it easier to think fast and accurate.
    This is reason why i end up using some English words even in my native tongue.
    This is due to the fact i either dont remember the word in my language. Or the English is more specific. As many words here are pronounced the same thus sometimes hard to get into context when trying to explain something.
    But mainly my tough wary.
    I usually think in English when I'm hanging out with English speaker like on the internett or English speaking friends. And i think in my native language when hanging out with family or work.
    Yoy end up thinking in a foreign language when hanging out with foreigners. This is so that you dont struggle speaking the other language fluent.
    This is where i notice most people struggling speaking a new language is because they don't understand enough to have toughs in that language.
    And thus they get strange vocabulary at times and struggles with pronunciations. Also stuttering.
    Thinking in that language helps you warm up before speaking it. This making you're language more fluent

    • @Kameeho
      @Kameeho 10 років тому +5

      Bad spelling. Written on phone.

    • @Firmus777
      @Firmus777 10 років тому +9

      I've learned English when I was 7 and I find myself thinking in English at times. It's mostly when I'm thinking about something I've read in English, when I'm talking to foreign people or when I'm thinking about some movie or a TV series in English.

    • @brkatimachor
      @brkatimachor 10 років тому +14

      I'm inclined to think that thoughts don't happen in language. In other words, we have thoughts and our brain converts them into language as a second stage.
      Assuming I'm right about this, this second stage - conversion into language - can have both positive and negative side-effects. Converting something into language can:
      a) help us to codify and clarify our thoughts (think how useful it can be sometimes to write out something you've been thinking about - whether it's a diary entry or a shopping list);
      but:
      b) it can also be very constraining (think how frustrating it can be when you struggle to put into words something you've been thinking about, let alone writing about a complex concept - such as when you're trying to finish your masters dissertation or similar).

    • @xylemphloem5239
      @xylemphloem5239 10 років тому +13

      I'm multilingual, too (depending on how you count I'm fluent in three to five languages). Like you, I think (and dream!) in different languages, too. What I find interesting is that when I think about what language I'm thinking in in what situation, there seems to be a clear pattern.
      For example, when I'm reflecting myself and my actions, I usually think in English. When I think in the "conversation mode" (i.e. thinking about telling someone about something or just simply thinking to myself in the manner in which I would think if I were to talk to someone), I usually think in Swiss German (except when thinking in this mode in the context of my family, in which case I usually think in High German (or Dutch)). I also usually think in High German when thinking about certain kinds of complex problems (although I frequently think about these things in English, too).
      What I also notice is that I often don't realize for several minutes what language I'm reading in. When browsing the internet - for example - I usually use English, but when I switch to German, or from German back to English, I usually don't notice at once.

    • @alessandramacedo18
      @alessandramacedo18 10 років тому +2

      brkatimachor I think thinking can happen both with and without language. I definitely have internal monologues sometimes, both in my mother language and in my second language. But that's not always the case.

  • @lIHarcosIl
    @lIHarcosIl 10 років тому +10

    I wasn't able to speak a comprehensive language until I was late into my 4th year. My parents took me to a doctor to see if i was deaf, but found out that my babbling was the result of living in a multilingual environment, where I tried to speak my mom's Filipino, my dad's Hungarian, and my country's English. This caused me to speak sentences combining all three of the languages, where it was eventually stopped when my parents decided only to speak English to me.
    English is all I know now though :P

  • @Killerdp234
    @Killerdp234 9 років тому +31

    I find that when I'm in French and I speak French I go from a fairly confident and loud and annoying person to quiet and more considerate and I always think about what I'm going to say. It's like my entire personality changes.

    • @allenackroyd7391
      @allenackroyd7391 8 років тому

      +Krilln
      _yeah me too. i am in french immersion and the same thing happens to me_

    • @margueritedemoures6896
      @margueritedemoures6896 8 років тому +4

      +Krilln That's funny, for me it's the opposite : I'm French, and a rather shy person, and it occurred to me that I become more talkative and confident whenever I'm speaking English.

    • @unixone7558
      @unixone7558 8 років тому +1

      +Krilln I wish I was you. I took Spanish for two years and I can't really speak it, I can understand it more than anything.

    • @glogovachc6264
      @glogovachc6264 8 років тому +1

      +Unix One My case is a little bit different. When I speak serbian (my mother tongue) I tend to speak very, very fast, but when I speak english i speak calmly and slowly. On the other hand, when I speak turkish, I´m speeding again.

    • @unixone7558
      @unixone7558 8 років тому +2

      filip cvjetkovic You're lucky you can speak more than one language fluently. All I have reserved are a few phrases and words from Spanish. I can understand what's being said to me if someone speaks it, but it's almost impossible for me to speak back meaningfully.

  • @nikkorahlo
    @nikkorahlo 7 років тому +10

    these videos have been very helpful when prepping for college psychology exams. glad i found these!

  • @claudekennedy7855
    @claudekennedy7855 8 років тому +11

    This show is honestly so helpful! Thank you for making knowledge so accessible, & thank you for enriching my education!

  • @ArakkoaChronicles
    @ArakkoaChronicles 10 років тому +1

    The whole subject of Chomsky and his research was probably the most fascinating part of my university courses on linguistics. I encourage everyone watching this video to read up on the stuff he proposed/found out. Really fascinating if you're interested in psychology.

  • @NicholeParker
    @NicholeParker 8 років тому +5

    This series (Crash Course Psychology) is saving me as I study for my AP Psych exam later today

  • @BaileyDerby
    @BaileyDerby 9 років тому +21

    I love this episode. Please do more on language and linguistics!

  • @micheleholz9654
    @micheleholz9654 7 років тому

    I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for creating this incredible channel. I am studying through a correspondence university which means no lecturers or lessons - and your channel has helped me tremendously with two of my psychology modules. So a huge South African THANK YOU!!! 😄

  • @cellogirl0096
    @cellogirl0096 10 років тому +2

    This goes really well with Hank's Vlogbrothers video from Friday! I've always found the acquisition of language to be incredibly fascinating, especially when it comes to learning more than one language.

  • @mihailung1720
    @mihailung1720 9 років тому +153

    Great now I can't stop paying attention to his hands.

  • @magister343
    @magister343 10 років тому +4

    According to my parents, I started saying "mama" and "dada" at 5 months old.
    At 7 months I started using simple sentences. For example, I said "Dada go bye-bye car" when I saw my father starting his car to drive away to work in the morning.
    At 9 months I said "Huh, that daddy-man shoo-shoo twain tink he can," alluding to "The Little Engine that Could" when I saw my father struggling to get over a steep hill while running a marathon.

  • @seleuf
    @seleuf 6 років тому +1

    I couldn't help but be reminded of the intonation-based language of the praerie dogs, or how American crows that migrate understand French crows, but American crows that stay put don't understand what the French crows are on about, and also how dolphins seem to gossip with each other. The more we learn, I think the more we realise we are not alone in our capabilities.

  • @aussiebaka4588
    @aussiebaka4588 10 років тому +1

    As a student of linguistics in university who studies 5 languages, this episode was my favourite. :3
    Language is endlessly fascinating, I stuff myself full of whatever language I can learn on a daily basis and still know next to nothing. You can always observe behaviour, but to have a richer understanding of other cultures and ways of thinking, there really is no better way than to study their language. It's the only way to really get in their noggin and *really* know what they're thinking, why, and how. Thanks so much for this episode, Crash Course!

  • @KunoichiN3rd
    @KunoichiN3rd 10 років тому +16

    I friggin' love linguistics. Every aspect of it. I want to do a linguistics channel SO BADLY!!! Maybe this summer, once things settle down a little. THANK YOU, HANK!!! :D

    • @kupamanduka
      @kupamanduka 5 років тому

      maybe too late to the party, but how things going?

    • @lydiadeolloz1991
      @lydiadeolloz1991 4 роки тому

      @@kupamanduka I was about to ask that, you barely beat me to it! I mean, by barely I mean 10 months but...

  • @jeremiahfernandez9161
    @jeremiahfernandez9161 8 років тому +28

    i wish this guy is my professor. :

  • @cenedra20
    @cenedra20 9 років тому +1

    That was a surprisingly good and astonishingly extensive summery of my three years of linguistics learning in university. I'm speechless.

  • @Karina12392
    @Karina12392 10 років тому

    This is an extraordinarily informative video. As a Linguist and Speech Pathologist, this reminded me of my entire undergraduate career summed up in 10 minutes. Nice job!

  • @libertynerd2562
    @libertynerd2562 10 років тому +25

    Noam Chomsky. Agree or disagree, he's a very smart guy.

  • @katie8881
    @katie8881 7 років тому +7

    I'm learning a new language right now and it feels so weird. Actually, I found the perfect metaphor yesterday. I bought an old Super Mario Bros game that I used to be obsessed with as a kid and found that while I could play it alright (the muscle memory and some actual memory was there), it also felt weirdly foreign and awkward. I'm not that young girl clumsily pawing at the buttons when I was a beginner, but nor am I the pro, quickly clearing levels, that I eventually came to be. So while learning Arabic is difficult and feels foreign, I'm beginning this process already knowing what language is as a concept and how communicating works. Also, I second all comments requesting a linguistics crash course.

  • @LadyPyrien
    @LadyPyrien 10 років тому +2

    I absolutely adore languages and learning new languages and have been doing so since I was young. This was extremely interesting~

  • @TheCore4Ever
    @TheCore4Ever 10 років тому

    as a Nerdfighter with a BA in Theoretical Linguistics who is starting a masters in Applied Linguistics - I AM SO HAPPY THAT PEOPLE WANT TO LEARN ABOUT THIS!! a lot of the stuff in this video is a simplification, but it's a good overview for people who are interested. Language is cool people! Thanks so much for making this so other people can share my passion :D

  • @blurtakashi
    @blurtakashi 9 років тому +11

    Do a Crash Course Linguistics series! Yours truly, a linguistics major student.

  • @AstroLizard
    @AstroLizard 7 років тому +15

    A good movie relating to this topic: "Arrival", by Denis Villeneuve.

    • @missmelodyerin24
      @missmelodyerin24 4 роки тому

      Great thank you! I just watched the trailer, it looks good! I'm gunna watch it tonight =]

  • @schmittelt
    @schmittelt 10 років тому

    OK, this answers a lot. I have a few memories from when I was less than 1 year old and most of them involve understanding what was said by others, though not being able to talk myself. Until now, I'd never been sure if that was just me filling in the blanks with something logical. Now I know my memories of other people's words are accurate. Thank you, Hank!

  • @seahawk124
    @seahawk124 10 років тому +2

    The last 6 episodes all so have been a vast improvement on the earlier episodes.
    Keep it up.

  • @ClaySmileSoil
    @ClaySmileSoil 9 років тому +10

    One time my friends and I were emcees for a prize presentation event in school, and we were supposed to pronounce names for the prize winners. Our school's population is predominantly Chinese, while one of my friends is a Filipino who only speaks English and some Filipino dialect, one a Malay who speaks English and Malay and also picking up some Chinese recently, and another a Chinese like me. So we came across a Chinese name that gave my Filipino friend a lot of trouble, and it went something like:
    Friend: Yoon Yoo.
    Me: No, it's Yün Yü.
    Friend: Yoon Yew…
    Me: No, it's like (fumbles) just try to imitate the sound. Yün. Yü.
    Friend: Yün...Yoo.
    Me: Arghh (takes paper and scribbles some alphabets until it looks right) like "uin ui" except you mesh u and i together and don't move your lips while making the sound.
    Friend: ...what?
    Me: (turns to Malay friend) how do you pronounce this name?
    Friend #2: Yün Yü.
    Me: Just like that.
    Friend: Yoon Yoo.
    Me: Goddammit just let me take that name.
    Pronunciations glargh.

  • @Sdb0414
    @Sdb0414 8 років тому +23

    I'd assume that someone with no ability for language would think in imagery. like playing out a thought in there head . rather than thinking "I want to go for a run" they would imagine themselves running. Pretty interesting topic.

    • @ICreatedU1
      @ICreatedU1 7 років тому +3

      The problem is, wanting to go for a run is not imagining one-self running. The urge is not comprised in the image. I'm just saying both side of the equation are not equivalent which means that a being who reasons in imagery would think in quite a different way than us. I don't have a better explanation to offer as to how they might think and yours is definitely a possibility, it's just that i see problems with it.

    • @gabriellameattray9778
      @gabriellameattray9778 4 роки тому +1

      What if they have aphantasia and can't see images in their head?

  • @zachwolfrom4522
    @zachwolfrom4522 10 років тому

    Ah man, I have been watching your Sci Show videos for awhile and have been pining over how smart you seem... Thank you so much for crediting all the people who make this wealth of information possible. I really enjoy learning, and try to soak up as much as possible, but I was getting discouraged by the vast amount of topics you cover with such confidence. You truly have a gift for making learning fun. Please let my math teacher in on your tricks. Thanks for the videos.

  • @nicebutharsh
    @nicebutharsh 10 років тому

    This is such a great series. I recently had to take the praxis exam and this was a nice refresher on psychologist.

  • @crashcourse
    @crashcourse  10 років тому +105

    Language: Crash Course Psychology #16

    • @TheFireflyGrave
      @TheFireflyGrave 9 років тому +16

      Sometimes I feel like I'm still in the babbling stage of language development.

    • @TheStrawhatmenace
      @TheStrawhatmenace 9 років тому +4

      hank i could kiss you, i srsly got an B+ in intro into psych only because of this series

    • @zacharythefish6939
      @zacharythefish6939 9 років тому

      Wait If we only have a finite amount of words in the English language we can't have an infinite number of combinations of those words

    • @Arushd4441
      @Arushd4441 9 років тому

      Zachary Riesenberger don't forget about the "prescriptive Grammar" . New words are being created everyday.i.e Selfie! ,Hashtag# :D it's gonna keep on going as technology advances and human civilization improves; in short words- as we keep on advancing towards the future we will have newer terms and thus newer words. i.e in 1995 we never used the word "Skype" let alone the verb "Skyping" cause it wasn't invented yet :)
      [funny fact: i just had a spelling error for the word "skyping" :P ]

    • @katerinafaith
      @katerinafaith 9 років тому

      I have to ask a question: why do we mix languages together?

  • @GarethAlmeida
    @GarethAlmeida 9 років тому +104

    it was two pizza I called purple brother on the television ...lol

    • @jancovanderwesthuizen8070
      @jancovanderwesthuizen8070 6 років тому +5

      This is incredibly confusing for people who haven't been to part of them video yet

  • @MattGreenisawesome
    @MattGreenisawesome 10 років тому +2

    I used to study Psychology in school and crash course psych is both entertaining and nostalgia inducing. I enjoy :)

  • @5LegoFans
    @5LegoFans 10 років тому +1

    This guy makes explaining this stuff look easy, but he is making it easy to understand, and it's also hilarious! Well done, Crash Cruse.

  • @jochembroodhuys7273
    @jochembroodhuys7273 9 років тому +7

    Not language but metacognition (knowing about knowing or to think about your thinking) sets us apart from animals. But then again, can we be sure that animals do not possess the metacognition ability?
    Anyways It brings me great pleasure to see how many people watch these clips. Luckily there are still people who are curious and want to learn new things just for the fun of it. Not just for good grades.

  • @jkoloklkoklokl
    @jkoloklkoklokl 9 років тому +58

    Crash Course Linguistics!!

  • @yunningqiu8458
    @yunningqiu8458 8 років тому

    Crash course is awesome for AP test prep! Love Hank's explanation so much ;)

  • @sanasunshine3
    @sanasunshine3 6 років тому

    The beginning of the video made me want to re-check that I was actually in the Psychology playlist. The way he spoke about language reminded me of my first Linguistics lecture :D

  • @PirateOfTheNorth
    @PirateOfTheNorth 9 років тому +6

    Since you mentioned speaking with your hands it's all I can pay attention to when watching this video :P

  • @TheCondorjc
    @TheCondorjc 8 років тому +9

    "Wu Tang lyrics" I'm glad you're Hip to the Hop

  • @imogen589
    @imogen589 10 років тому

    This is so useful for helping me understand language theories in preparing for my English language exam tomorrow. Thanks!! :)

  • @kamikaze9699
    @kamikaze9699 10 років тому

    My first cat would meow in such a way it sounded like it said in, out, pet, and food. Pusskers used his limited vocabulary well, meowing with the appropriate "word" to convey what he wanted. He was a smart little bugger- held a hatchling captive to bait its parents, knew how to turn a couple of his electric toys on, the list goes on.

  • @sharpcookiellc
    @sharpcookiellc 9 років тому +33

    I don't know if you guys have already made a video on this but I would love to see the origins and/or the evolution of language. Where did all of these languages come from? Are new languages still emerging or evolving? I'm Iranian and I tried to look into the origins of Farsi and had to give up because it was far too complicated. Would be great if you guys could simplify it for my tiny brain.

    • @tanyaaggarwal7582
      @tanyaaggarwal7582 5 років тому

      nozrati I don’t know much about Farsi but the book Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari includes how the need for language originated after the agricultural revolution since our brains weren’t used to retaining large numbers. I highly recommend the book, it’s a great read

  • @arwensweet7180
    @arwensweet7180 5 років тому +7

    "It was two pizza, I call purple brother on the television" -Hank I was dying of laughter! LOLOL

  • @sophielearman
    @sophielearman 10 років тому

    So quite a bit of this is in my Linguistics exam on Thursday. Cheers Hank!

  • @marceandrea3a38
    @marceandrea3a38 4 роки тому +1

    I understood everything you said, and English is my second language! Thanks for the video.

  • @BewbsOP
    @BewbsOP 10 років тому +98

    hmmm. do people think in their own laanguage, or do we think in the meanings, and then translate it into the language we understand?

    • @natejohn328gmailcom
      @natejohn328gmailcom 10 років тому +10

      That's more of a question of the id, ego, and superego. Simply, all people consciously think in their own language or another language they speak in some cases. However, all basic needs are communicated in innate neural pathways that are completely unrelated to language centres. (I believe this to be correct, although this is not my field)

    • @LNorStyle
      @LNorStyle 10 років тому +12

      That is a very interesting thought. I recently asked my friend (who's first language is Spanish but is fluent in English and lives in the UK) whether her thoughts were in English or Spanish and she didn't know what to say, she said mainly English but sometimes Spanish. Could it simply depend on the context of her thoughts?

    • @MoonGoddessArtemis
      @MoonGoddessArtemis 10 років тому +4

      That's an interesting question. I don't know if we can have thoughts that are separate from language at the level of conscious thought (at least I can't), but it is possible that a thought is not encoded in language before it comes to our consciousness. Still, I would think that the language we are currently reading/thinking in will have an effect on that thought anyway. One example I can think of is expressions. If you ask someone in English what do an elephant, a car and a tree have in common, the response would be different than if you asked that same question in French or another language. (The answer is "trunk" BTW).

    • @BewbsOP
      @BewbsOP 10 років тому +2

      Eleanor Stylianides possibly, my thoughts on this were that we all think, not first with language, but instead with concept, which is then attributed to meanings, and then the associated language, which language gets used would most likely depend on context and situation. though this is only speculation.

    • @BewbsOP
      @BewbsOP 10 років тому

      MoonGoddessArtemis well, if you asked that to a french person, the language they speak would have trunk in common with those words, as the word trunk, might not be attribute to an elephant, as they use a differant word for it, so there may not be similarities between those words at all.

  • @prettyprettyrobostar
    @prettyprettyrobostar 4 роки тому +3

    "Want Juice! No pants!"
    A constant mood and words to live by

  • @IamDavidDuncan
    @IamDavidDuncan 10 років тому +1

    Best episode so far in this series. Looking forward to next weeks episode on Motivation. Hope Hank is as excited about motivation as he was about language :p

  • @nadiact-ie5hy
    @nadiact-ie5hy 10 років тому

    Thanks to the Crash Course team for uploading this on a holiday.

  • @the_original_Bilb_Ono
    @the_original_Bilb_Ono 8 років тому +6

    i got into a heavy feud with my brothers wife. she would tell her children jokingly they are "little devils" or "hell raisers" and i had to express to my brother that doing so could really have a negative affect of the kids. but it's not my place to tell others how to raise theyre kids. so i apologized.

    • @the_original_Bilb_Ono
      @the_original_Bilb_Ono 8 років тому

      *on, not of.. *their, not theyre

    • @percycat213
      @percycat213 7 років тому +2

      I agree with you, it is not good conditioning for their self image and self confidence to be called negative names frequently, even if done so lovingly. i try to mostly say positive things to my son such as calling him "good boy," "smart", "clever", "handsome" etc. however there are worse parenting habits out there so maybe you can cut your brother and his wife some slack on this haha

  • @isgdre
    @isgdre 10 років тому +10

    I often use a mental short-hand of skipping words and thinking of the concept specifically. This can aid in thinking faster and more deeply on a subject but relying on it too much makes interactions with people harder as actual words are required to express things externally.
    I'm sure this isn't that uncommon.

    • @isgdre
      @isgdre 10 років тому +1

      ***** Interesting. that's a different take on. But I do think your referring to a different thing. I wounder if there related.

  • @anamariamolina9071
    @anamariamolina9071 4 роки тому

    Gosh!!!! What a great way of talking. Oh, and those hands, they confirm every word you are saying. I'm in love.

  • @solaerisfey
    @solaerisfey 10 років тому

    As a linguist and speech pathology graduate student, this episode made me very happy :D

  • @danheidel
    @danheidel 10 років тому +6

    I hereby nominate that we start calling John the 'purple brother'.

  • @Mistran5lation
    @Mistran5lation 10 років тому +15

    What I find fascinating is the fact that speakers of Piraha, an Amazonian language, have been found to be unable to learn how to count or do math, since their language does not include numbers.

    • @hpfreakje
      @hpfreakje 10 років тому

      That's actually really interesting. I'd love to read up on that! Do you have any sources for that?

    • @Mistran5lation
      @Mistran5lation 10 років тому +4

      I just read through the Wikipedia article, so there are quite a few sources. Here's one that seems to be a prominent one: edge.org/conversation/recursion-and-human-thought
      Also look up Daniel Everett. He's the guy who tried to teach them math, after they requested that they be taught math and numbers so that neighboring tribes wouldn't swindle them in trade (which is a new thing for them).

    • @edi9892
      @edi9892 10 років тому +2

      It seems widespread that peole were initially counting up to a certain number (5, 10, 12). Everything above that was many. Or in our past, we used approximates such as a douzen douzen (in German there was even a word for 5x12 and 12x12).
      It does not surprise me that it makes mathematic exercises hard. The same goes for roman numbers and odd ways of saying numbers e.g. quatre-vingt-quinze (4x20+15).
      PS neither English nor German are particularly logic in pronouncing numbers.
      thir-teen vs twenty-one... Not to forget that we count in several languages to 12 before we use combined numbers. These peculiarties give us some idea about our develeopment.

    • @Mistran5lation
      @Mistran5lation 10 років тому +6

      edi According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word "dozen" (as well as its German equivalent "dutzend", as confirmed by DWDS) isn't even a Germanic word, as it derives from the Latin "duodecim (twelve) late in English's development, indicating that the tendency to count by twelves was not inherent to the Indo-European language family (unless it replaced an older word).
      I should also point out that pretty much all Indo-European languages follow the same, fairly logical pattern (Russian certainly has a weird number system, but it's not *too* far off the beaten path)

    • @TuyuqVampram
      @TuyuqVampram 10 років тому

      Mistran5lation I've constantly been fascinated that, while English has only 2 and a quarter conjugations for numbers, Japanese has a dozen or so number conjugations

  • @rukbat3
    @rukbat3 10 років тому +1

    Hank, it would be great if you could do a series on linguistics at some point! This was a really interesting video, and I feel like there is so much more that could be said on the subject.

  • @TheSassi14
    @TheSassi14 10 років тому

    I believe we are able to think without words. Like in pictures or sounds, visual thinking, not everything I think can easyly be formulated in words, sometimes I feel like drawing a picture next to it, to illustrate.

  • @GeneralJelly
    @GeneralJelly 10 років тому +8

    I saw this in my sub box and thought you were announcing a crass course in languages for a second. :(

  • @SadSmash547
    @SadSmash547 10 років тому +4

    "It was two pizza, I call, purple brother on the television."
    - Hank Green, 2014

  • @georgikonstantinov601
    @georgikonstantinov601 10 років тому +1

    Hi Hank! Your work with both CrashCourse and SciShow is spectacular. Both channels are incredibly powerful learning tools and have helped me in my undergraduate degree. On the language topic, would it be possible to post a video about acquisition of a second language? This is a particularly interesting field and I am sure that a lot of people would find it helpful in learning new languages.

  • @gozer5264
    @gozer5264 10 років тому +1

    My mind speaks to itself in the language of images, which until recently I wasn't aware was something not everyone does. Words were hard for me to commit to when I kept finding them so contextual. Now they act as toe tags on top of what I can best describe as a meta ideograms. Just thought I would share.

  • @rodsavage8275
    @rodsavage8275 7 років тому +11

    ey he said wu tang lyrics, he understands us young people xD

    • @samguy7654
      @samguy7654 7 років тому +4

      Rodrigo Deleon Well... i think Wu-tang is more of HIS generation, most of this generation probably doesn't even know who Method man is, lol your comment is like 2 decades late. But yeah i appreciated that reference, hip-hop is such a complex art form (more then it is credited to be), and he followed by Shaekspear which reminded me of that amazing "Hip-hop or Shakespeare" video from Tedtalks, you should check it out.

  • @jancovanderwesthuizen8070
    @jancovanderwesthuizen8070 6 років тому +10

    In case you'd like to know:
    "Ursäkta, var är toaletten, snälla?" is how I would ask for directions to the bathroom in Sweden

  • @DonDorgatho
    @DonDorgatho 10 років тому

    Please do another video exploring language further.
    I immensly enjoyed this one!

  • @tensequel7818
    @tensequel7818 7 років тому

    pausing the video and went to google to search up kanzi, and damn, boy oh boy, it is mind blown.
    search it up guys, seriously, your mind will be blown away to the edge of the cosmos.

  • @Daruqe
    @Daruqe 10 років тому +25

    Egh. Close, but I have to nitpick. I'd say the smallest unit of language is a PHONE, which is the actual sound that the speaker makes. A PHONEME is the psychological representation of the smallest indivisible unit of language. For example, in English, the "t" in "top" and the "t" in "stop" are technically different "t"s-different PHONES-but to English speakers, they are the same PHONEME.

    • @QuebecMusicUK
      @QuebecMusicUK 10 років тому +3

      Yep - [t] and aspirated [t] in English are strictly 'allophones', since they are different realisations of the same phoneme (i.e., /t/). The same applies to morphology as well: the different plural '-s' in 'cats' and 'dogs', and the '-es' in 'glasses' are allmorphs, being different variations of the plural-marking morpheme in English.

    • @rs4everlmao
      @rs4everlmao 9 років тому

      I think I'll have to nitpick as well. the [t] in both 'top' and 'stop' are the same; they are still the same distributional variants of the phone or speech sound [t]. A better example would be the difference between the [t] in, say, 'top' and 'take'.

    • @Luke-ft5ow
      @Luke-ft5ow 6 років тому

      Daruqe I am being taught everything he is saying in linguistics class...

  • @Arushd4441
    @Arushd4441 9 років тому +7

    actually I didn't understand your language parce que ce n'est pas facile par mujhe apke video bohat pasand ayi ,onnnek onnek onneek bhalo channel eta :)

    • @gabriellameattray9778
      @gabriellameattray9778 4 роки тому +1

      Whoa some of that was in French but then I got confused 🤣

    • @Arushd4441
      @Arushd4441 4 роки тому

      @@gabriellameattray9778 haha. It's English, french, hindi and bangla. In that order.

  • @ltericdavis2237
    @ltericdavis2237 10 років тому

    Linguistics are so fascinating. I tried some time ago to make a edutainment series on all the amazing things about it, but I never got to it. This reminded me of that. Maybe I should try to start that up...

  • @elephantesnowy
    @elephantesnowy 10 років тому

    Man I wish these videos had been around back when I was still on college (which was only a couple years ago). This would have been a very helpful study tool back in my Child Development class.

  • @jancovanderwesthuizen8070
    @jancovanderwesthuizen8070 6 років тому +3

    So does this mean when I have kids I just need speak a bunch of languages around them and then there will be almost nothing they can't pronounce?

  • @TapOnX
    @TapOnX 10 років тому +4

    I think that "the language makes humans different from other animals" statement is incomplete, at best. All social animals communicate and have basic understanding of abstract concepts (social relations are kind of abstract). If anything, it's the (probably unmatched by other earthly creatures) extent of its complexity.
    But there are definitely other characteristics which contribute to "humanity".
    Some overlap with language and (thus) abstract thinking, but don't have to be identical to them - strong social ties, long learning period and adaptive capabilities.
    There are others though, and they have also been crucial - ability to precisely manipulate objects of many dimensions or outstanding eyesight, for example.
    I think that "sapience", human uniqueness and superiority (however one understands them), is not identical with intrinsic qualities ("soul cell") - but is rather encored in capabilities possible thanks to them. These differences are often seen as "quantitative" (a rock used by an ape is technically a worse version of man's hammer), but I think there are some objective thresholds - leaving Earth, creating better human (education, rational physical "conditioning", and such can be put under this, although SF stuff is probably a more significant threshold), longtime data storage and its worldwide distribution, fast technological progress in general.
    So, it is more about being tall enough to reach the trapdoor, rather than having a non-zero height.

  • @nadiact-ie5hy
    @nadiact-ie5hy 10 років тому

    I love the little shout-outs to Nerdfighteria and to John's books in this video. Also, yay for IPA!

  • @hattiel719
    @hattiel719 10 років тому

    If only I watched this a couple of weeks ago before my Language & Memory exam haha! Great video though, you explained everything in a really cohesive and accessible manner :)

  • @mickeynotmouse
    @mickeynotmouse 8 років тому +33

    it's a metaphor

    • @gavinwarner3480
      @gavinwarner3480 8 років тому +1

      What is?

    • @mickeynotmouse
      @mickeynotmouse 8 років тому +5

      when he said it there was a cartoon with a cigarette, it's a reference to the fault in our stars

    • @gavinwarner3480
      @gavinwarner3480 8 років тому

      +mickeynotmouse Oh okay

    • @ican384
      @ican384 5 років тому +1

      mickeynotmouse 👏🏻

  • @Pattabazza
    @Pattabazza 10 років тому +9

    hey john green i saw two books written by you in a bookstore today and i was going to buy them
    but then i saw this awesome (yes i know that's not what it means) book with monsters and sword fights so i got that instead

  • @GodlikeGamersz
    @GodlikeGamersz 6 років тому

    Cognitive Psychology exam tomorrow and Language production and comprehension is coming up. This is pretty helpful, a lot of the stuff comes straight from my text book.

  • @sheilapietila8395
    @sheilapietila8395 7 років тому +2

    I didn't always think in words; I could use words just fine, but I processed them slower. I thought in whole concepts; the sounds, smells, feelings, whatever was in what I was thinking about. This wasn't limited to thoughts only involving my physical senses, most abstract concepts were in feelings that I really don't know how to describe in any language I've explored. A couple years ago I realized I was having a lot of trouble translating between spoken English (I was better at written, from reading so often) and my thoughts and back fast enough to keep up with a normal conversation, so I decided to optimize that process and I changed to mostly thinking in words. It's limiting, slow, and less accurate, but I can communicate easier & faster and remember things longer without losing details. There are several other changes I noticed in myself, but I don't know if they were caused by my change in thinking.
    I don't really know why I'm sharing this... I guess I think maybe someone will find it interesting. Maybe it'll help with someone's research, seeing my (unusual?) story.

  • @martfp88
    @martfp88 10 років тому +14

    I've always wonder if I can raise a bilingual child by Speaking always in Spanish and the mother speaking always in German (With both of us understanding Spanish and German)

    • @Evanna11LilyLuna
      @Evanna11LilyLuna 10 років тому +11

      yes, each parent speaking only one language is even recommended by some people

    • @Evanna11LilyLuna
      @Evanna11LilyLuna 10 років тому +7

      evanna11 (when raising a child bilingually)

    • @Pulpdood
      @Pulpdood 10 років тому +5

      It's also a great idea to let both paternal grandparents (the father's parents) and maternal grandparents (the mother's parents) help take care of your child sometimes, if possible!

    • @WAsucksblackducks
      @WAsucksblackducks 10 років тому

      PopDood that'd make a spoiled child

    • @Prongzy
      @Prongzy 10 років тому +6

      It's called the One Parent One Language approach. The trick is to stick with it. The two systems will be acquired but at different rates ( if the child is around the mother more then the mother's language will be slightly more dominant). There are a lot of benefits which include delaying Alzheimer's to up to 5 years.

  • @ShadowDrakken
    @ShadowDrakken 10 років тому +15

    ***** how many times did you have to practice that "It was two pizza I called purple brother on the television" to say it so naturally? lol

  • @laurenk474
    @laurenk474 6 років тому

    THANKS FOR SAVING MY EDUCATION ALL THE TIME

  • @jayrobles2332
    @jayrobles2332 7 років тому

    I've been watching the psychology crash course over the past months but like slowly and I had an essay on this exact topic like 2 weeks ago and i wish i would've watched this episode

  • @criticallit
    @criticallit 10 років тому +2

    This is the sad case of the 'feral child' "Genie". She was completely isolated from birth and never properly acquired language of any kind even after she was rescued.

  • @tristanroberts
    @tristanroberts 10 років тому +5

    You done goofed with morpheme's definition. You defined a lexeme. A morpheme is the smallest unit of morphology. Whilst most morphemes are lexemes, the reverse is not true. An idiom, like "pulling my leg" is its own lexeme in that it's meaning cannot be predicted from its components but is made of four separate morphemes, pull, -ing, my and leg.

  • @aqw1012
    @aqw1012 10 років тому

    the best part is the small story he puts at the beginning of each episode :)

  • @nickithoirs9471
    @nickithoirs9471 9 років тому +1

    I have an exam on this tomorrow, so helpful!! Thank you!