keannu
VIP Member
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Korean
- Home Country
- South Korea
- Current Location
- South Korea
This has examples of snow names and car names.
1. What does "boundaries around categories" mean? It's quite vague. does it mean like snow for Eskimos can have five names like "snowu, snowt, snowi, snowha, snowuw" for each type of snow, so there's only 5 boundaries?
2. What does "relative importance" mean? Does it mean snow has relatively more importance for Eskimos, while cars have more importance for Canadians? I can't never get it.
jomo-31
ex)Each culture will establish its own rules to set the boundaries around categories, thus what one "knows" is influenced by what one is taught to filter out of one's overall perceptual field. These culturally defined boundaries are set by the criterion of relative importance. For example, it is well known that Eskimos have different words for many different kinds of snow. To an Eskimo, whose survival depends on his being able to be very precise about the condition of snow, the distinctions of snow take on great significance. On the other hand, if an Eskimo who had lived his entire life in the Arctic paid a visit to a large city in Canada, he would be impressed by the many vehicles he saw in the street....He would be really surprised to see that every vehicle has its own name, such as truck, taxi, car, or trailer.
1. What does "boundaries around categories" mean? It's quite vague. does it mean like snow for Eskimos can have five names like "snowu, snowt, snowi, snowha, snowuw" for each type of snow, so there's only 5 boundaries?
2. What does "relative importance" mean? Does it mean snow has relatively more importance for Eskimos, while cars have more importance for Canadians? I can't never get it.
jomo-31
ex)Each culture will establish its own rules to set the boundaries around categories, thus what one "knows" is influenced by what one is taught to filter out of one's overall perceptual field. These culturally defined boundaries are set by the criterion of relative importance. For example, it is well known that Eskimos have different words for many different kinds of snow. To an Eskimo, whose survival depends on his being able to be very precise about the condition of snow, the distinctions of snow take on great significance. On the other hand, if an Eskimo who had lived his entire life in the Arctic paid a visit to a large city in Canada, he would be impressed by the many vehicles he saw in the street....He would be really surprised to see that every vehicle has its own name, such as truck, taxi, car, or trailer.