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The Why Factor: Why Words Matter

Why Words Matter

17/04/2017 GMT

BBC World Service - The Why Factor, Why Words Matter

Lane Greene explains how the words we choose can tell us a great deal about ourselves.

Paying attention to the language we use can give us a greater understanding of our politics, our debates, our culture and even our own minds. Lane Greene explains why words matter

The average English-speaker knows about 25,000 words. And yet those 25,000 words can be combined into an infinite number of sentences -not a simple process. Many people believe that, whatever language you speak, the words you know have a profound influence on the way you think. This is a controversial theory among linguists.  In this edition of the Why Factor, Lane Greene explains how paying attention to the language we use can give us a greater understanding of our politics, our debates, our cultures and even our own minds.

(Image: Top of woman's head with the word "hello" written in different languages floating above.  Credit: Aysezgicmeli/Shutterstock)

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