Write a brief summary of Lera Boroditsky’s TED talk, “How Language Shapes the Way We Think.”

1. Write a brief summary of Lera Boroditsky’s TED talk, “How Language Shapes the Way We Think.” Include the author’s full name, title, and a precise, interesting verb (instead of “says”). You can use this in your introduction for your final essay exam. (1-2 sentences)
2. Choose one of the highlighted words and one of the talking Points to define, discuss, analyze and relate to either Min Jin Lee’s or Lera Boroditsky’s essay.
Before heading into the final exam, students should be generally familiar with the following words: mediated, comfort zone, perspective, vicarious experience, stories, and language (specifically spoken and written). These are not the talking points, but they are words that students might come across in the questions.
These are the larger Talking Points:
how language shapes the world and/or our immediate world
language as descriptive and generative (language describes and generates reality)
empowerment & limitations
education/learning & language
the purpose of spoken and written language
language and storytelling (history, cultural and literature)
language & possibilities or experiences
Reading through this list, you can see how these Talking Points overlap and often lead back to how written and spoken language can be used to describe and generate the reality that surrounds us.