Linguistic Lens Worksheet Linguistic Lens
Exploring the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Name:
Date:
Part 1: The Hook
Consider the following two objects: Table and Apple.
Are they a "Who" or a "What"?
Table:
Apple:
Why do we classify them that way?
Part 2: Language & Worldview
"Our language and culture is the window through which we see the world. To lose it is to lose part of ourselves." — Paul Desmain, Diné Elder
Watch the video segment (1:40 - 3:42) and answer:
In Potawatomi, how does grammar change our relationship with an apple?
Define "Animacy" in the context of Indigenous grammar:
Part 3: The Grammar of Values
Choose 5 common objects in the classroom. Rewrite a sentence about them as if they were animate beings with spirits/intentions.
Object "Animate" Sentence 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Reflection Question:
How does changing the grammar (from "it" to "who") change how you feel you should treat the object?
Part 4: English Cultural Metaphors
The video mentions English phrases like "home run," "drop the ball," and "you win some, you lose some."
What do these sports metaphors reveal about what modern English-speaking culture values? (Think: competition, winning, productivity, etc.)
Worldview Exit Ticket Exit Ticket
Grammar of Being
Student Name
Date
Based on today's video and our discussion of Indigenous languages, write your own definition of "Worldview."
Think about how language acts as a "window" or "lens" through which we see reality.
Connection Strength
I get it!
I'm curious.
I need help.
Grammar of Being Slides Linguistic Relativity
Grammar of Being
Exploring how language shapes our reality through Indigenous worldviews.
9th-12th Grade ELA
The Question
Object A TABLE
Object B APPLE
Is it a "Who" or a "What"?
Why do we instinctively classify some things as objects and others as beings?
Class Discussion
How does this classification determine how we value or treat the object?
Viewing
Embedded media
"Animate beings have a certain power, a certain agency that we acknowledge through language."
Focus: The Potawatomi example of the apple (1:40 - 3:42)
Key Concept: Animacy
English View
Nouns are mostly "Things" or "Persons."
It is an apple.
Indigenous View
Grammar acknowledges the spirit or agency of the natural world.
Who is that being? (Apple)
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
The structure of a language affects its speakers' worldviews or cognition.
Language Shapes Thought
The Grammar of Values
1 Choose 5 Classroom Objects
Tree, water, rock, pencil, phone, etc.
2 Rewrite the Grammar
Describe them as if they have intent, history, or kinship.
"How does this change how we treat them?"
Work in pairs to complete Part 3 of your worksheet.
Mirroring English
"Home Run"
Value: Achievement
"Drop the Ball"
Value: Reliability
"Winning"
Value: Competition
?
If our everyday idioms are built on sports & warfare, how does that shape our cultural worldview?
Exit Ticket
Define "Worldview" based on today's exploration of language and animacy.
Submit your ticket at the door.
Grammar of Being Teacher Guide Facilitator Guide
Lesson: Grammar of Being
Grade Level: 9-12
Duration: 45-50 Min
Learning Objective
Students will evaluate the **Sapir-Whorf hypothesis** (linguistic relativity) by analyzing how grammatical animacy in Indigenous languages (Potawatomi/Anishinaabemowin) reflects a cultural worldview of kinship with the natural world.
Prep & Materials
Grammar of Being Slides
Linguistic Lens Worksheet (1 per student)
Video: Crash Course Native American History #21
Worldview Exit Ticket
Lesson Timeline
00-05m
The Hook: "Who" vs. "What"
Ask students to look at the words **"Table"** and **"Apple"**. Ask: "Is this a who or a what?"
Key Insight: In English, both are "things." We don't distinguish between the life-force of an apple and the non-life of a table grammatically. We say "It" for both.
05-15m
Video Viewing & Notes
Watch segment **1:40 - 3:42**. Students complete Part 2 of the worksheet.
Teacher Prompt: Stop at 2:37 (Robin Wall Kimmerer quote). Ask: "If we call an apple 'Who,' does that make it harder to throw it away or treat it like trash?"
15-35m
The Grammar of Values (Pair Work)
Students choose 5 objects and rewrite them as "animate."
Example: Water
"The water remembers where it came from and travels with purpose toward the sea."
Example: Rock
"The rock sits in patient silence, having watched centuries of sunrises."
35-40m
English Cultural Metaphors
Discuss: Why does English use so many sports metaphors? (Winning, losing, hitting, dropping the ball).
**Discussion Goal:** Recognize that English grammar and idioms value competition, productivity, and binary outcomes (win/loss).
40-45m
Synthesis: Exit Ticket
Students define "Worldview." Remind them to think about language as a **lens** that focuses our attention on certain aspects of reality while blurring others.
Sapir-Whorf Cheat Sheet
Linguistic Determinism
The strong version: Language dictates what we are capable of thinking. (Mostly debunked).
Linguistic Relativity
The weak version: Language influences what we pay attention to. (Widely accepted).
