The Influence of Language on Thought
Why Read This
What Makes This Article Worth Your Time
Summary
What This Article Is About
Avantika Kampani, a Columbia University student studying Psychology and Political Science, argues that linguistic processes unconsciously shape human cognition, values, and perception. She focuses on India’s LGBTQ+ community, contending that Hindi’s grammatically gendered structure — which assigns masculine or feminine classification to all nouns — reinforces a rigid binary gender system that marginalizes those who do not conform to it.
Unlike English, which only genders animate beings, Hindi embeds gender into every noun, making the language itself a vehicle of binary gender norms. Kampani argues this grammatical rigidity contributes to the stigmatization of transgender and non-binary individuals in Indian society, building societal attitudes that exclude anyone outside the two “acceptable” genders of masculine and feminine.
Key Points
Main Takeaways
Language Shapes Thought
Linguistic processes unconsciously influence cognition, decisions, and values, meaning language and thought are deeply interconnected.
Hindi’s Binary Grammar
Unlike English, Hindi assigns masculine or feminine gender to every noun, embedding a strict binary view of gender into daily speech.
Language, Culture, Thought
Because language, culture, and thought are interconnected, grammatical structure itself plays a role in creating and sustaining cultural norms.
LGBTQ+ Marginalisation in India
Transgender and non-binary people in India face social exclusion, often labelled with demeaning Hindi slang terms like “Chhakkas” and “Hijras.”
Non-Inclusive for Foreign Learners
Hindi’s gendered grammatical rules appear confusing and exclusionary to those learning it as a foreign language who identify outside the binary.
Rigidity Breeds Discrimination
Hindi’s binary grammatical framework reinforces social rigidity, contributing to the stigmatization of younger Indians who don’t fit accepted gender norms.
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Article Analysis
Breaking Down the Elements
Main Idea
Language Encodes — and Enforces — Social Norms
The article’s central argument is that language does not merely reflect culture — it actively constructs it. Hindi’s obligatory binary grammatical gender means every speaker, from childhood, unconsciously reinforces a world divided into masculine and feminine, leaving no linguistic space for gender fluidity or non-binary identities.
Purpose
To Advocate for LGBTQ+ Inclusion via Linguistic Awareness
Kampani writes to raise awareness among educated readers about a rarely examined root cause of gender-based discrimination in India. By connecting linguistics to social justice, she urges readers to think critically about how the language they speak might be shaping their assumptions about gender without their awareness.
Structure
Contextual → Theoretical → Grammatical → Consequential
The article opens by establishing the social context of LGBTQ+ exclusion in India, then introduces the theoretical claim that language shapes thought. It moves into a grammatical analysis of Hindi’s gendered noun system and closes by drawing out the social consequences — stigmatization and discrimination — of that structure.
Tone
Analytical, Empathetic & Advocative
The tone is measured and thoughtful — Kampani presents linguistic evidence methodically while maintaining evident empathy for the communities she describes. The piece moves from neutral analysis to quiet advocacy, avoiding polemic in favour of reasoned persuasion that invites the reader to draw their own conclusions.
Key Terms
Vocabulary from the Article
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Tough Words
Challenging Vocabulary
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Causing someone to lose dignity and the respect of others; degrading or humiliating.
“…associated with demeaning Hindi slang words such as ‘Chhakkas’ and ‘Hijras’…”
The state of failing to embrace or accommodate all groups, particularly those who are different from the majority or norm.
“…a build-up of rigidity in society that upholds non-inclusivity and discrimination…”
A typical example or pattern of something; a framework or model that shapes how people understand the world.
“…under the binary gender system followed by India, where Hindi is most widely spoken…”
Done without awareness or deliberate intention; happening automatically below the level of conscious thought.
“They unconsciously shape our basic cognition and perceptions into our decisions, ideas and thoughts.”
Mutually linked so that each component affects and is affected by the others, forming a complex unified system.
“Because language, culture and thought are interconnected, a potential cause for this non inclusive attitude…”
The quality of being inflexible and resistant to change; an unwillingness to adapt to new ideas or accommodate difference.
“This causes the build-up of rigidity in society that upholds non-inclusivity and discrimination…”
Reading Comprehension
Test Your Understanding
5 questions covering different RC question types
1According to the article, Hindi and English treat the gender of nouns in exactly the same way.
2According to the article, what is the primary reason that language shapes culture?
3Which of the following sentences from the article best states the author’s central argument about language and society?
4Classify each of the following statements as True or False based on the article.
In Hindi, nouns are divided into two grammatical categories: masculine (Pulling) and feminine (Striling).
The article states that native Hindi speakers struggle with gendered noun assignments and find them confusing.
The article suggests that Hindi’s gendered grammar contributes to the stigmatization of younger Indians who speak it as their first language.
Select True or False for all three statements, then click “Check Answers”
5Based on the article’s argument, what can be inferred about the relationship between reforming a language and reforming the society that uses it?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (also called linguistic relativity) proposes that the language a person speaks shapes how they think and perceive the world. While Kampani doesn’t name it directly, her argument rests on this idea — specifically that Hindi’s binary grammatical gender conditions speakers to see the world in terms of two fixed genders, making it harder to conceptually accommodate non-binary identities.
The article focuses on Hindi because it is the most widely spoken language in India and thus has the broadest cultural influence on Indian society. As the dominant language, its grammatical structures carry the greatest potential for shaping collective attitudes. The author uses Hindi as a representative case for exploring how language-embedded gender binaries can reinforce social exclusion of the LGBTQ+ community across the country.
“Kinnar Samaj” is used in the article to refer to men and women who do not have fully developed genitals — a term for India’s third-gender community. “Chhakkas” and “Hijras” are described in the article as demeaning Hindi slang words used with the intention of offending those who do not identify as either of the two accepted genders. The article cites these terms as evidence of how language is weaponised against gender-nonconforming people.
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This article is rated Intermediate. While the writing is accessible and clear, it introduces abstract concepts from linguistics (such as grammatical gender and the link between language and cognition) and requires readers to make connections between grammatical structures and broader social consequences. Readers should be comfortable with analytical reasoning and some awareness of social issues to engage with it fully.
Avantika Kampani is a 19-year-old student at Columbia University studying Psychology and Political Science. Her interdisciplinary academic background informs the article’s approach — she draws on psychological concepts of cognition alongside political and sociological observations about Indian society. As a young Indian writer publishing in the Times of India, she brings both personal cultural familiarity and academic rigour to the subject of language, gender, and social inclusion.
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