Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda
Julie Sedivy: How Language Shapes Us
Feb 11, 2025
Julie Sedivy, a linguistics professor and author of 'Linguaphile,' shares her passion for language, shaped by her childhood as an immigrant speaking five languages. She discusses how language influences identity and social dynamics, especially in bilingual contexts. The conversation dives into the beauty and complexity of spoken language, the challenges of word retrieval as we age, and the potential impacts of modern communication on conversational skills. Sedivy highlights the role of language in fostering human connection and resilience.
41:10
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Quick takeaways
- Children's preference for language interaction fosters their sense of identity and influences trust within their community relationships.
- Multilingualism can enhance cognitive function, but benefits depend on the depth of engagement with each language learned.
Deep dives
The Role of Language in Identity Formation
Children often prefer to interact with individuals who share their language, especially those who speak their own accented version. This preference emerges early and is closely tied to their sense of identity and belonging within specific family and community contexts. As children are socialized through language, they begin to recognize power dynamics between majority and minority languages. This early understanding shapes their relationships with those around them, influencing whom they trust and learn language from.
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