This presentation enplane how language affects our future behaviour , especially in terms of economic one. This research is based on Keith Chen's research, and then compare with Norm Chomsky's theory and Daniel Everett's Amazon researches.

1. Prepared by Haruno Shimazaki
University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
English Language Program
Advanced Academic Skills
Prepared for Bill Mboutsiadis
22 June 2016
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2. • Rikkyo University (St. Paul University) in Tokyo
Undergraduate student (2nd year)
• College of Arts, Department of Letters,
Course in English and American Literature
• Historical Linguistics / Phonology・Phonetics
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3. - Can Language Affect How You Spend Your Money?
- The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior
(Chen,2013)
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4. How Do Languages Affect
Future Behaviours
and thoughts?
・5 peer edited articles from Roberts Library
・Video lectures
(Chen, 2013) 4

5. Four theories
• Keith Chen
• Daniel Everett
• Sapir Whorf
• Noam Chomsky
Theory
Relationships
• Chen &Everett
• Chen & Chomsky
• Everett & Chomsky
Discussion
• Future discourse
• Conventional factors
Conclusion
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6. Keith Chen (2013)
Daniel Everett (2005)
Sapir Whorf (1922)
Noam Chomsky (1957)
(Chen,2013 &Everett,2005 &Sapir-Whorf, 1922 & Chomsky, 1957)
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7. ・Distance
How people feel distances between
2 mechanisms present and future
・Distinguish Ability
Cognitive linguistics
“The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior;
Evidence from Saving Rates, Health Behaviors,
and Retirement Assets”
(Chen, 2013)
Future Tense
FTR (Future Time References)
Strong-FTR
Weak-FTR
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8. Future
Present Present Future
Strong-FTR
Weak-FTR
Futureless
1st mechanism
“Distance”
(Chen, 2013)
(Chen, 2013)
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9. Right
Left
Cardinal
Directions
2nd mechanism
“Distinguish ability”
(Chen, 2013)
(Chen, 2013)
Present Future
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10. Weak-FTR/
Futureless
• Future & Present is equal
• Less distinguish
Future oriented behavior
Save more
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11. Piraha Language
No Number words ⇒ Effects on Economic Behavior
No Future Tense
Live now
(Everett, 2005) 11

12. Strong version
Language
Determines
thought
Weak version
Only influence
thoughts and decisions
(Sapir-Whorf, 1922)
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13. ・The grammatical ability to connect more than two
ideas, which called Recursion, is an innate ability in
all human.
・Recursion shows up in all languages.
For Example;
Alex has a red car.
⇒Alex, [whom you know very well], has a red car.
⇒Alex, [whom you know very well], has a red car
[which is parked there.]
(Chomsky, 1957)
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14. (Chen,2013 &Everett,2005 &Sapir-Whorf, 1922 & Chomsky, 1957)
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15. Chen (2013)
Weak-FTR ⇒do not separate present and future
Weak-FTR tend to cause future oriented behabiour
Everett (2005)
Weak-FTR / Futureless language
⇒ do not conceptualize Future
Weak-FTR tend not to lead future oriented behavior
(Chen,2013. & Everett, 2005)
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16. Chomsky
Chen Everett
Everett versus Chomsky
・Recursion might exist in all people’s mind,
but not necessary in the languages.
Chen versus Chomsky
・Chen did not find any reflection of innate cognitive nor
early cultural differences, which argued by Chomsky
Challenge
(Chen, 2013. & Everett, 2005. & Chomsky, 1922) 16

17. 1. What is the definition of future discourse
2. Conventional factors
Future tenses
Alternative
Ways
Language
Other Factors
[Cultural,
Situational factors]
(Bittner, 2005)
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?
VS

18. Business/
Economic fields
etc
Language
• Translation
• International
communication
Consumer Behaviour
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19. Chen, M. K. (2013). The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior: Evidence from
Savings Rates, Health Behaviors, and Retirement Assets
Chomsky, N. (1957). Syntactic Structures. Paris: Mouton and Co.
Everett, D. L. (2005). Cultural Constraints on Grammar and Cognition in Piraha ̃
Everett. D.L (2005). Current Anthropology Vol. 46, No. 4. Cultural Constraints on
Grammar and Cognition in Pirahã: Another Look at the Design Features of
Human Language
Bittner, M. (2005) Online update: Temporal, modal, and de se anaphora in
polysynthetic discourse. To appear in C. Barker and P. Jacobson, (eds), Direct
Compositionality.
Sapir, E. (1922) Language. Harcourt and Brace. New York.
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20. Thank you
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21. Comments
&
Questions
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