英语听力文摘 English Digest 260、语言和知觉谁先产生？

　　What Came First, Language or Perception¹?
Have you ever wondered what came first? Language or perception? Find out on this Moment of Science.
Yael: Down,what came first? Language or Perception?
Down:Hey!Is this one of those questions with no answer?
Yael: No definitive² answer, but a couple of theories.The first is that the language you speak affects how you perceive the world.
Down:So people who speak in different languages may perceive the world differently?
Yael:Yes, and the second theory is that you perceive objects around you and think about them, and then use language to express your ideas. According to this theory, we’re sensitive to all kinds of conceptual distinctions, but the language we speak teaches us to pay attention to some while ignoring others.

　　Down:I think I get it.For example, I heard that in Korean, you can categorize the relationship between objects depending on how loosely or tightly³ they fit together. So Korean has a one verb to describe putting a shoe in a large box and another to describe putting a shoe in a small box. In English, we don’t really have a term for this type of relationship between objects.
Yael:Right.That’s why this distinction between Korean and English is often studied by psychologists. For example, in one study, psychologists tested five-month-old babies to see whether they noticed how objects fit together.
Down:Oh!Because they are too young to speak.
Yael:Right.So if the tight-fit/loose-fit distinction is a matter of language, babies wouldn’t be able to detect it, in the same way that they can’t distinguish⁴ between the words lawyer and accountant.
The babies did notice how tightly objects fit inside each other. So, at the very least, there is some universal core of physical distinctions that all people notice before learning to speak.

1 perception   

n.感知，感觉，觉察(力)；认识，观念，看法

参考例句：

• What's your perception of the matter?你对此事有什么看法？
• He was a man of keen perception.他是一个感觉敏锐的人。

2 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

3 tightly   

adv.紧紧地，坚固地，牢固地

参考例句：

• My child holds onto my hand tightly while we cross the street.横穿马路时，孩子紧拉着我的手不放。
• The crowd pressed together so tightly that we could hardly breathe.人群挤在一起，我们几乎喘不过气来。

4 distinguish   

vt.区别，辩明，识别，辨认出；vi.区别，辨别，识别

参考例句：

• It is not easy to distinguish cultured pearls from genuine pearls.辨别真正的珍珠与养殖的珍珠不容易。
• Some people find it difficult to distinguish right from wrong.一些人认为很难辨对与错。