Language and Literature

The categories and types that we isolate from the world of phenomena we do not find there because they stare every observer in the face; on the contrary, the world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions which has to be organized by our minds-and this means largely by the linguistic systems in our minds. According to the second premise of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, linguistic relativity, people who speak different languages perceive and think about the world quite differently. In John Peacock's contribution about learning Dakota, we see the importance of struggling to learn an Indigenous language as well as issues of identity, empowerment, and insight to the stories and narratives we seek to share with the world.