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Do languages shape anatomy? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| biagio Newbie Italy Joined 5207 days ago 26 posts - 33 votes Speaks: English | Message 1 of 6 29 April 2015 at 11:57am | IP Logged | ||
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If this has been already discussed, I apologise.
I've recently come across an American tv series in which one character claimed to be able to tell an American from a Briton by simply observing their palates, on the assumption that one's language can shape his/her anatomical structures. Is this claim based on any solid scientific evidence or what? Edited by biagio on 29 April 2015 at 11:59am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Bao Diglot Senior Member Germany tinyurl.com/pe4kqe5 Joined 5765 days ago 2256 posts - 4046 votes  Speaks: German*, English Studies: French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin | Message 2 of 6 29 April 2015 at 4:53pm | IP Logged | ||
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Phrenology.
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| schoenewaelder Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5559 days ago 759 posts - 1197 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: German, Spanish, Dutch | Message 3 of 6 29 April 2015 at 8:19pm | IP Logged | ||
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You can differentiate French and English speakers on mute, by the amount of pouting
the French do. Older french people also end up with wrinkly lips/mouths, but the smoking probably doesn't help. You can also often recognise Spanish speakers on mute, as about 50% touch their top lip with their tongues when pronouncing "th" but I don't know if it leads to any physical changes. Might be worth checking them for elongated tongues though. Edited by schoenewaelder on 29 April 2015 at 8:23pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| djc463 Heptaglot Groupie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5800 days ago 51 posts - 74 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, German, Italian Studies: Mandarin | Message 4 of 6 30 April 2015 at 12:31am | IP Logged | ||
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No, any physical differences would be genetic, and shape of the palate/tongue is not affected at all by
language/accent. The physical development of the shape of the palate is decided in the womb before you start speaking, and does not change after birth. Edited by djc463 on 30 April 2015 at 12:32am 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| garyb Triglot Senior Member ScotlandRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5206 days ago 1468 posts - 2413 votes Speaks: English*, Italian, French Studies: Spanish | Message 5 of 6 30 April 2015 at 10:17am | IP Logged | ||
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I recently heard someone say that they could identify French speakers, who are of course a very genetically diverse population, by certain facial features that are developed from growing up speaking French and moving the vocal apparatus in the ways required to produce the sounds of the language. Of course, this was just a claim at the pub, and I don't know if there was any scientific accuracy behind it.
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| vonPeterhof Tetraglot Senior Member Russian FederationRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4771 days ago 715 posts - 1527 votes Speaks: Russian*, EnglishC2, Japanese, German Studies: Kazakh, Korean, Norwegian, Turkish | Message 6 of 6 30 April 2015 at 10:52am | IP Logged | ||
The only documented example of a particular language affecting anatomy that I'm aware of is !Xóõ or Taa, whose adult speakers develop a lump on their larynx, which also happened to the linguist Anthony Traill after he mastered it.
Edited by vonPeterhof on 30 April 2015 at 10:53am 4 persons have voted this message useful |
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