For decades, linguists of all persuasions, both nativists and culturalists, have been trotting out the same party line: all languages are equally complex. But I will argue that this refrain is merely an empty slogan and that the evidence suggests that the complexity of some areas of grammar reflects the culture of the speakers, often in unexpected

The role of language here is therefore absolutely crucial. Our linguistic capacity is not something that is merely expressive of thought, but is constitutive of our ability to think at all. It is only by means of our ability to recognize signs as repeatable that we are able to think negation, or think of how things are not, combine thoughts, or thi

A nation’s language, so we are often told, reflects its culture, psyche, and modes of thought.