Helen, it's nice to see you here again. A thoughtful post, as always. :-)
Anna, I had to look up synesthesia--still not certain how it relates to compartmentalizing, but--and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, too, in Atomica: A hypothesis holding that the structure of a language affects the perceptions of reality of its speakers and thus influences their thought patterns and worldviews.
[After Edward SAPIR and Benjamin Lee WHORF.]
We were (and are, I guess) certainly different people. I wanted everything in life to be compartmentalized, black and white. Still do, as a matter of fact, though I've learned better. (I've noticed the same trait in my daughter; my son, like his daddy, is more of a "whatever" type of person). I am trying to learn to quit struggling against the fact that the world is the way it is and not like I'd like it to be (thanks, muchly, to my very good friend CK for helping me along in this--you're a master).
I've mentioned before, I think, the strong tendency of us humans to put things into patterns that we recognize. Possibly due to our innate fear of the unknown?
I wish I knew more about what the theory means when it says: "...the structure of a language affects the perceptions of reality of its speakers...". Structure of a language sounds to me like grammar. I'm short on time just now, but I may look up more on the theory later, if no one has enlightened me by the time I get back. For now I'll say that I can't see grammar influencing my reality. If I say it was a good book or a book good, I still thought it was good. In one of the Anne of Green Gables books, her friend quotes, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet", and Anne replies something like, Oh, no--I'm sure if it was called a skunk cabbage it wouldn't smell as sweet.
Thank you very much for starting this thread! I was just thinking yesterday that word play is all well and good, but I am ready for some meat! It's been too long since we've had a good discussion.
