1. Language and Thought
By Steve Pinker
Presented by Heo Yub and Looi Wei Chern

2. Language Change

3. Language Change

4. Constant and Unstoppable Change
• Dictionnaire de l'Académie française
(Official French Dictionary) has started
working on its 9th Edition in 1986 and
has not finished

5. Transfer of Things
V.S.
Transfer of Ideas
•What is the Difference?
• “Subject verb thing to a recipient”
• “Subject verb recipient thing”

6. Transfer of Things VS.
Transfer of Ideas

7. Transfer of Things VS.
Transfer of Ideas

8. Transfer of Things
V.S.
Transfer of Ideas
•What is the Difference?
• “Get some food to your brother” (Prepositional)
• “Get your brother some food” (Double-Object)

9. Transfer of Things VS.
Transfer of Ideas
• Main Exception :
• Different Types of Possession Change

10. Transfer of Things VS.
Transfer of Ideas
• Sam drove the car to Jurong. (√)
• Sam drove Jurong to the car. (X)
• Sam gave Jason a headache. (√)
• Sam gave a headache to Jason. (X)

11. “Giving him a headache!”

12. “Giving him a headache!”

13. “Giving a headache to him!”
Is that possible?

14. “Giving a headache to him!”
Is that possible?

15. Power of Indirect Speeches
• Speaker does not have to convey his
message directly...
• Yet, both parties is clear of what the
speaker is trying to convey.

16. Polite Request

17. Polite Request

18. Veiled Threat

19. Veiled Threat

20. Bribing of Police Officer
“Power of Indirect Speeches”
Dishonest
Honest Officer
Officer
Veiled Bribe
(By Using Go Free Traffic Ticket
Indirect Speech)
Arrest for
Bribe Go Free
Bribery
Don’t Bribe Traffic Ticket Traffic Ticket

21. Conclusion
• Language is a collective human
creation, reflecting human nature, how
we conceptualize reality, how we relate
to one another, which is done by
analyzing the various quirks and
complexities of language.