Opinion Column
Exploring the Concept of Language and Thought in Arrival
This is a piece I wrote in high school and I am happy to now share it publicly. I was asked to write on the topic of language and culture/thought and I chose to write an opinion column which explores my thoughts and feelings on the concept of language and thought in the film Arrival. I recommend watching the movie Arrival before reading, but I believe it still makes for an interesting read regardless. Enjoy~
“Language is the foundation of civilization. It is the glue that holds a people together. It is the first weapon drawn in a conflict.”
Much like this quote, Arrival is a movie that is profound yet simple, tackling complex issues and demanding acute attentiveness from the viewer. Allow me to set the scene. Aliens have finally arrived, twelve of their craft have landed around the globe. The film’s protagonist, Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is a linguist who has been tasked with attempting to communicate with the extra-terrestrial beings in hopes of discovering their purpose or intentions. As she begins to learn the language that the “Heptapods” (aliens) communicate in, Banks discovers that by learning this language she has in essence altered the way in which she thinks, and thus the manner in which she perceives the world. This concept of language shaping the way we think is known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, and is even mentioned in the film.
The Heptapods communicate in what is known as nonlinear orthography, meaning that their written language has no forward or backward direction. So instead of reading left to right as English-speakers typically would, or even up to down as some Chinese-speakers would, the Heptapods language is scribed in a circular format. Similarly, English-speakers often view time as progressing from left to right on a sort of timeline. By the same token, Chinese-speakers would view it as progressing from up to down. However, the Heptapods view time in a circular, non-linear way.
With that being said, as Louise gradually begins to learn the language, her perception of time begins to change from linear to non-linear. In other words, she begins to have visions of her past and her future.
So, I bet you’re thinking, wow, that seems a little far-fetched to me. I would certainly agree. Theoretically, the concept that Louise learns this language and in turn this effectively alters the way she perceives time is quite preposterous. However, the thoroughness in the potential applications of linguistic determinism/ linguistic relativity to time in this film are fascinating and handled in an extremely unique and spellbinding manner. More on the concept of linguistic determinism to come.
At one point in the film, Ian Donnelly (played by Jeremy Renner) even goes as far as to claim, “If you immerse yourself into a foreign language, then you can actually rewire your brain.” I feel that the word rewire is a little strong here. The concept that you can just completely flip the manner in which you think is a bit ludicrous to me. I mean sure, your perspective could have changed significantly, but your worldview is not entirely altered.
It is abundantly clear that Arrival does subscribe to these ideologies though, expressed in the linguistic determinism theory. Linguistic determinism is the idea that language determines human knowledge and thought. I just don’t know that I buy into that. Linguistic relativity however I’m more on board with. This is the weaker theory that states that language and worldview are merely somewhat correlated. These two principles, linguistic determinism and relativity, make up the foundations of the aforementioned Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.
Once again, while the fact that Louise can literally see into the future as a result of learning the language makes for some awe-inspiring images and quite the spell-binding narrative, I just don’t know that I find this concept plausible.
I also wanted to touch on some other areas of the film that focused on language and thought. First of all, the idea that literally the entire film is fixated on language is amazing and refreshing to me. In this day and age, we are so used to the oversaturated narrative of aliens being these hostile, unapproachable beings whom always seem to generate conflict. This is not the case in Arrival however, as the Heptapods’ purpose on Earth is sharing their gift or tool of language with the human race. This idea reverts back to the opening quote in the thought that language is the force that binds us together and that words are our first potential weapons drawn in a conflict. The film insinuates these messages brilliantly, as through communication and collaboration, language is used to help prevent conflict, rather than it being used to provoke one.
Additionally, I found some of the minor elements revolving around language/ thought and how these elements played into the larger narrative of the film enthralling. For example, in the film it is revealed that Amy Adams’s character Louise has a daughter named Hannah. When I first heard the name I of course thought nothing of it. However later in the film it is then explained that Louise and Ian chose the name “Hannah” for their child because it is a palindrome, reading the same forward and backward. I thought this inclusion was so clever, and it really ties in incredibly well with the whole idea of time as well as language being cyclical in nature or nonlinear for the Heptapods.
In summation, I feel that Arrival is a film that is ambitious but also pleasantly surprising in the manner in which it explores language and thought. It is an emotionally rich film with original and creative ideas of taking linguistic determinism another step… or three. I believe director Denis Villeneuve found not only an interesting, but incredibly captivating way to tell a story with a core focus on language and thought. It is a remarkably engaging film, one that keeps you thinking about it from the opening scene to the ending credits, and long thereafter. After all, that is what good movies should do right? They should keep us chatting long after we’ve seen them… using our language.