National Geographic – Jen Rose Smith
““The lexicon of a foreign language is like a map of a country you’ve never been to,” says psychologist Tim Lomas, a lecturer at the University of East London. While travelers tend to think that seeing the world is central to understanding it, some language experts shift the paradigm: to them, words themselves shape our perspectives on the world. Studying words therefore offers a window into the human experience. To these researchers, dictionaries are like maps. They help define the topography and textures of our world, and they can lead the way to discoveries. For travelers left grounded by the pandemic, that means learning new words—or an entire language—might be the most mind-expanding journey of all.” (more)