Change the Words You Use

AS AN EDITOR, I think a lot about language. But as a person living in the world, I often overlook its importance—just as I’m sure you do.

That’s a missed opportunity. Language isn’t only the articulation of our thoughts; language helps shape how we think. Linguists have studied this for decades and have endless fascinating examples. Here’s one I. But an Aboriginal Australian community called the Thaayorre have no words like these. They instead use fixed orientations: north, south, east, west. Arranging furniture, they might tell you to move the couch southeast a little.