A groundbreaking 2025 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) provides compelling evidence that the languages we speak are intricately linked to the cultural concerns of their communities. Researchers Charles Kemp and Temuulen Khishigsuren from the University of Melbourne, along with Terry Regier from the University of California, Berkeley, meticulously analyzed the vocabulary distribution across more than 600 languages. Their findings demonstrate that the emphasis placed on certain concepts within a language directly mirrors what is important to its speakers.
The study revealed fascinating correlations between linguistic richness and cultural focus. For instance, languages such as Arabic, Persian, and various Australian Aboriginal languages exhibit a remarkable depth of terminology for desert environments, reflecting their speakers' deep connection to arid landscapes. Similarly, Sanskrit, Tamil, and Thai are noted for their extensive lexicons related to elephants, underscoring the animal's significance in those cultures. More surprising are the linguistic nuances found in Oceanic languages, which possess a rich vocabulary for smells; Marshallese, for example, distinguishes between "melemel" (the smell of blood) and "jatbo" (the smell of wet clothes), illustrating a finely tuned perception of olfactory experiences.
This research lends significant support to the principle of linguistic relativity, suggesting that the language we use can subtly shape our perception of the world. Victor Mair, an expert in Chinese language at the University of Pennsylvania, states that language "doesn't impose limits, it directs." Linguist Lynne Murphy from the University of Sussex clarifies that while "any language can talk about anything," the true difference lies in communicative efficiency rather than inherent cognitive limitations. The words we choose to elaborate and distinguish reflect our collective priorities, offering a valuable lens through which to view our diverse human experience. The study utilized a large dataset of 1,574 bilingual dictionaries to test claims about lexical elaboration, confirming a significant majority of existing claims and uncovering new examples of this linguistic-cultural interplay. This computational approach highlights how language evolution is influenced by ecological and cultural variables, offering well-grounded insights into the intricate connections between language and culture.