The film ‘Arrival’ premiered in 2016 and gained phenomenal hype for the incredible blend of science fiction and linguistics. This film can be explained thoroughly with the linguistic theory ‘Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis.’ In Arrival the theory becomes the key to humanity’s survival. With its amazing storyline and cinematic play, the film delves into the interplay between language, communication and human worldview.
What is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?
To understand ‘Arrival,’ it is a must to have a clear idea about the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. The theory is, by Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf, also known as the ‘Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis.’ It states that the grammatical and verbal structure of a person’s language influences how they perceive the world. It emphasizes that language either determines or influences one’s thoughts. It has two versions:
- Strong version: Language determines thoughts. It implies that language restricts our thought processes and shapes our reality. In simple words, the language that we use shapes the way we think and how we see the world.
- Weak version: Language influences thoughts, but it doesn’t restrict them entirely.
Though the strong version was criticized by many of the scholars, the weak one got support in studies that emphasized that language influences how its speakers behave and feel about the world and ultimately, the culture itself.
Now, let’s review the linguistic challenge showcased in Arrival and the practical implication of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.
At first, 12 alien pods appear across earth. An expert linguist, Dr. Louise Banks, along with a physicist, Donnelly, is recruited by the military to find out the aliens’ intention through communicating. The aliens are named as Heptapods. With time everyone gets to see that the heptapods’ language is circular with no clear beginning or end. Unlike human language, it reflects a non-linear perception of time. When the linguist studies the heptapods’ language, she starts having flashback visions of her daughter. Subsequently, she asks the heptapods what the vision means or what they want. At this, the heptapods seem to reply, “Offer weapons.” After many intensified sights, it is finally shown that one of the heptapods explains to Banks that she is seeing the future and her “visions” are not flashbacks but flash-forwards. Learning the heptapods’ language alters humans’ linear perception of time and allows them to experience memories of future events.
The heptapod added that they have come to help humanity by sharing their language, which is the “weapon” or “tool” because it changes the mind’s perception of time. The aliens know that 3000 years into the future they will need humanity’s help in return. They ask her to use her “weapon”—her ability to see into the future.
A little synopsis of the whole story is given above to demonstrate how the film incorporates the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. As Louise Banks learns the language, she begins to think like the Heptapods and experience time in a non-linear fashion. After learning the language, her cognition and perception of ability changed fundamentally.
There is a physical takeaway in the film that needs to be mentioned. Louise perceives her painful future and still she embraces it. The whole circumstance reflects the power of human resilience and the beauty of embracing life in all its complexities. It compels us to think:
“If we knew the challenges ahead, would we still make the same choices?”
In conclusion, ‘Arrival’ is a sci-fi masterpiece that explores the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. It gives us the message that, while we may not gain superhuman abilities from learning a new language, the act of doing so expands our horizons, enriches our understanding of the world and deepens our empathy for others.
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Writer
Kazi Mirana Mainuddin
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE