Temporal Reality in Language

Language can also indicate how people conceive of, order and use time.

In the FACES OF CULTURE video on language you saw how Hopi do not have words to express time. Their language does not contain terminology that allows them to express ideas such as "three hours long" or "a stretch of time." This indicates that the Hopi do not consider time as Europeans do. Thus, Hopi do not objectify time as westerners do. For Hopi, ideas such as wasting time, killing time, saving time seem silly. Since Hopi do not treat time as a finite entity as we do, how do you think they might respond to the question "How should we spend our time?" Think about the different ways to interpret this question, then click on the appropriate response:

Lets go for a hike.

How can you buy something with experience?

For more information on time, click here.