Im Spiegel der Sprache

I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse. What is the scientific basis behind Charles V's assumption that different languages are not equally useful in all situations? Does language shape our perception of the world, or is it the other way around? And to what extent does the world appear different when viewed "through the lens" of another language? The Israeli-English linguist Guy Deutscher entertainingly explores how language and perception influence each other. For example, the Matses tribe of the Peruvian rainforest never thinks in terms of the individual but always from the perspective of cardinal directions. The Guugu Yimithirr Aborigines cannot say that someone is to their left or right, yet they possess an unbeatable sense of direction. Guy Deutscher wonderfully illustrates the relationship between a language, the life world in which it is spoken, and the thinking of its speakers on this journey through countries and times.