Does the language you speak change the way you think? If it does, how would you know? We already know that most people speak first and think later. But Stanford University cognitive psychologist Lera Boroditsky’s research is revealing that it’s even worse than that.
New cognitive research suggests that language profoundly influences the way people see the world.
“The idea that language might shape thought was for a long time considered untestable at best and more often simply crazy and wrong. Now, a flurry of new cognitive science research is showing that in fact, language does profoundly influence how we see the world.
“The question of whether languages shape the way we think goes back centuries…. but the idea went out of favor with scientists when…. Chomsky proposed that there is a universal [...]

My recent post on the Russian language got me thinking about the familiar vs. the formal as used in Russian and most languages in Europe―except for English, which is now strictly formal. We ditched the familiar pronouns of thee and thou long ago.  Here’s a list with guide to usage.
When the familiar and formal levels of speech are used in other languages, contemporary English speakers just don’t get the joke. So the recent stir in the Russian press over the tone Putin takes with Medvedev just doesn’t translate for us.
Three hundred years ago, Englishmen used “thee” and “thou” when making familiar with friends and family, but whenever the use of “thou” might have risked offense, “you” was the safe pronoun.  Eventually “thee” and “thou” seemed so 14th Century that everyone started to [...]

A few weeks ago, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said, “Whenever some key issue comes up President Medvedev and I, of course, have to have a coordinated position. And as before, I see no problem in calling him and say, ‘Listen, let’s reach an agreement, let’s discuss this.’ We develop a coordinated position and make it even more stable and solid… Mr Medvedev does the same. Sometimes he just calls and says: ‘You know, we need to talk. Let’s think about this. There’s this problem, I would like to hear your opinion’… And believe me, Mr Medvedev and I cooperate very productively.”
As an opening paragraph, that’s what we in the blog trade call a “snoozer.” Then how come the Russian press called in the bomb squad when this French interview [...]

In France, the sun revolves around the earth. This according to the audience of Qui veut gagner des millions, the French version of the game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Regardless of the country it’s shot in, the show follows the same insufferable format: contestants answer multiple choice questions that get harder and harder as more money becomes at stake. If contestants are stymied, they can use one of three lifelines: call a friend, narrow down the answers, or ask the audience.
Recently, a contestant named Henri sailed easily enough through the first few painfully easy questions, but his boat got hung up on the anchor chain when he was asked, “Qu’est-ce qui gravite autour de la terre? (What revolves around the earth?)” The choices: A) The moon,  B) The sun, [...]

Was it communication error that led to the death of Polish President Lech Kaczyński and many other Polish VIPs in a deadly crash in Smolensk?
Russian aviation laws dictate that, when traveling to a non-international airport, at least one member of a foreign crew should speak Russian. It is unclear whether any of the eight crew members aboard the ill-fated Tupolev-154 spoke the language fluently.
“It made understanding difficult,” the air traffic controller said. “Initially, when the plane followed the normal course, talks with the crew were calm. But pilots did not report [their intentions], although they should have. The controller should not only inform the crew about the situation, but also receive a response about all maneuvers, [and] flight altitude. The pilots did not do this.”
Polish pilots are generally fluent in [...]

Remember Secretary Clinton’s gag gift to the Russians? The reset button mistranslated into “overcharge?” Well, some newshound pressed “reset” on the internet news cycle, so now the story is back, and just at the gets to the best part of every “Translation Gone Bad” story, the part when the editor gets thrown under the bus.
State wasn’t involved, according to Ben Smith at Politico http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20404.html . The whole idea was done by Secretary Clinton’s personal staff under the leadership of Phillippe Reines, a trusted, long-time advisor. At the beginning of the week, fingers were pointed at a guy named “McFaul.,” which is a great name for a fall guy, but despite that, they couldn’t make it stick.
“The day of the event.” people involved said, “Reines showed the finished product to [...]