Re: does conlanging change your sense of reality?

Lars Finsen wrote:
>
> As for Sapir-Whorf, I think that if the Sapir-Whorf effect is not
> valid, there really isn't any much point in having all this variety of
> languages, is there? So I tend to prefer to believe in it.
>
> LEF
>
There really is a point-- a language isn't just a cultural artifact or a
tool for communication or expression or even for thought. It's a badge
of identity. As long as humans continue to value the things that make
one group different from another, different languages will have a
purpose and point. For that matter, some people who share essentially
the same language will have different names for it and will argue
vehemently that it is two languages, not one, so even if there weren't
such variety, it seems likely that people would pretend it was there anyway.

M.

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