Lera Boroditsky's How Does Our Language Shape The Way We Think

In Lera Boroditsky 's "How Does Our Language Shape the Way We Think" the purpose of the essay is apparent from the second paragraph. "Language is a uniquely human gift central to our experience of being human" she explains, so that the reader understands how language affects ones thoughts and day to day lives (2). Boroditsky 's use of empirical evidence, factual information, organizational structure, understanding and construction upon thoughts that disprove her purpose, and light tone all aide in accomplishing her purpose. Each of these methods help convince the audience that, " Language is central to our experience of being human, and the languages we speak profoundly shapes the way we think, the way we see the world, the way we live our lives" (Boroditsky 10).

Originally published in 2009 to an online salon called Edge, her essays audience is groups of people such as artists, philosophers, scientists, technologists, and entrepreneurs, all who are "at the center of today 's intellectual, technological, and scientific landscape" (Boroditsky 3). Understanding that her audience would argue statements or opinions, Boroditsky based much of her essay on empirical evidence. Factual information cannot be reasoned with and provides a strong argument for Boroditsky. Examples such as her experiment with English speakers learning a traditionally Greek metaphor for time and then their cognitive performances resembling that of Greek speakers proves that language constructs how one thinks. Her purpose is consistently being supported by experiments that withhold the main idea of the