The Amondawa tribe, residing in the Amazon, has captured the attention of researchers due to their intriguing relationship with the concept of time. Unlike conventional notions of time prevalent in many societies, the Amondawa lack linguistic structures that connect time and space in abstract ways.
Study Findings
Published in Language and Cognition, the study reveals that while the Amondawa acknowledge events unfolding in a chronological sequence, they do not compartmentalize time as a distinct entity. This unconventional perspective challenges traditional views on time perception.
Controversy and Future Research
The controversial nature of this discovery prompts further investigation to determine if this unique perception extends to other Amazonian languages. Researchers from the University of Portsmouth and the Federal University of Rondonia are delving deeper into the intricacies of time within the Amondawa culture.
Insights from Chris Sinha
Professor Chris Sinha, an expert in psychology of language at the University of Portsmouth, emphasizes that the Amondawa people discuss events and their sequences without isolating time as an independent dimension. This distinctive approach sheds light on how time is intertwined with their daily experiences.
Linguistic Peculiarities
Notably, the Amondawa language lacks specific terms for “time,” “month,” or “year,” reflecting a holistic view where time is inseparable from events. Instead of referencing age numerically, individuals adopt different names corresponding to life stages or societal roles.
Unconventional Time-Space Relationship
One of the most striking observations is the absence of a direct correlation between temporal progression and spatial movement within Amondawa language. Unlike many languages that link time passage with spatial concepts, the Amondawa exhibit a unique disconnect between these dimensions. The Amondawa’s lifestyle is not governed by clocks or calendars; instead, they mark life stages by changing names and refer to time based on social activities, kinship, and ecological regularity[2]. This intriguing relationship with time has sparked debates among researchers about how language influences thought processes and the universality of temporal concepts across different cultures.
Conclusion
The study on the Amondawa tribe’s perception of time challenges conventional understanding and opens avenues for exploring diverse cultural interpretations of temporal concepts. As researchers delve deeper into this enigmatic aspect of human cognition, new insights into the intricate interplay between language, culture, and time emerge.
Citations
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-13452711
[2] https://rosettaproject.org/blog/02011/may/27/telling-time-in-amondawa/
[3] https://newsfeed.time.com/2011/05/26/amazonian-tribe-lacks-abstract-concept-of-time/
[4] https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128331-000-about-time-the-tribe-without-time/
[5] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/8526287/Amazonian-tribe-has-no-calendar-and-no-concept-of-time.html
3 comments
I have to say, I’m always suspicious of the “no word for” idea. For instance, some news sites have claimed that, say, Finnish has no word for dyslexia. (This is apparently due to their consistently phonetic writing system.) Of course, Finnish DOES have a word for dyslexia. (Actually, it has several….)
There are, of course, exceptions. For instance, the Pirah√£ language doesn’t have numbers. It’s just that most of the time, when people say such-and-such language doesn’t have a word for something, it turns out that it does.
Imho, the idea of not having words for “month” and “year” is a lot more plausible than no way to express time in general.
But that’s my rant. 🙂
Oh, dear…. My rant didn’t completely apply to the article! My apologies. However, I would suspect that “yesterday” might be a word, even if bigger time periods aren’t. Oh, and I’m still quite suspicious about “not having a word for” such things. Like I said, such claims tend to be false….
Smart Amondawa! I heard theoretical physicists were trying all the time to get rid of “time” variable, without it their equations look much better.
V