http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/archives/1309 A Rare Bird, A Strange Duck, One Funky Blog Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:29:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/archives/1309#comment-509 theomorph Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/wordpress/archives/1309#comment-509 My literate layperson's view would analogize words in one's vocabulary to tools in one's toolbox. A brain that wants to get a particular job done will get that job done, but some brains have different tools, and so perform different tasks more efficiently. (Sorta like, in a pinch, I can drive a nail with a brick, but a hammer is <em>way</em> more efficient.)<br /><br />Does that mean the brains with different vocabularies have different abilities? I don't think so. If one of these Brazilian tribal people needed to deal with numbers greater than two, I suspect he or she would find a way. But it would be a brick way instead of a hammer way.<br /><br />Again, just my literate layperson's perspective. ;-) Interesting stuff, though. way more efficient.)

Does that mean the brains with different vocabularies have different abilities? I don't think so. If one of these Brazilian tribal people needed to deal with numbers greater than two, I suspect he or she would find a way. But it would be a brick way instead of a hammer way.

Again, just my literate layperson's perspective. Interesting stuff, though.]]> http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/archives/1309#comment-510 Sean Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://alesrarus.funkydung.com/wordpress/archives/1309#comment-510 The theory always made sense to me, in particular I could relate to the differences I noticed in my personal reaction to being called 'friend' in english v. 'amigo' while living in brazil. The connotation of the words carried different meanings for me (which I assume are generally in line with the rest of each culture), and affected the way I thought about the respective relationships differently.