Question

In an article titled "Sex, Syntax, and Semantics," Lera Borodinsky argues that mental representations of inanimate objects like forks and frying pans are heavily dependent on the object's grammatical gender in your native language. To which studies is her argument related?

Answer 1

Lera Boroditsky's study is related to linguistic relativity and demonstrates that grammatical gender in language can influence the perception of objects by native speakers, a phenomenon observed in German and Spanish speakers describing gendered nouns.

Step-by-step explanation:

Lera Boroditsky's argument in "Sex, Syntax, and Semantics" is related to research that explores the relationship between language and perception, particularly how grammatical gender in one's native tongue can affect the mental representation of objects. Boroditsky's studies are connected to the broader field of linguistic relativity, which examines how the structure and vocabulary of a language impact thought and worldview.

The specific study carried out by Boroditsky and her colleagues in 2002 found that German and Spanish speakers applied adjectives to nouns that were congruent with the grammatical gender in their respective languages, even when the conversation was held in English - a language without grammatical gender. This reinforces the idea that the perception of gender in language can extend beyond the linguistic realm and influence cognitive processes.