Does the language we speak shape the way we think? The answer has so much complexity that it's best explored over a weekend at OlioHouse where theory meets pop culture meets hands-on data analysis, and I promise you that somehow even learning how to make chocolate truffles will help you think about the ways in which small English words and phrases reveal the ways we think in a language.

The Olio will examine the question of language and thought from several directions.
We will delve into the work of Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf, who, in their work, offer linguistic relativism and linguistic determinism as concepts that they believed explain the relationship between thought and language.

We will examine the novella 'The Story of Your Life' by Ted Chiang (popularized by the movie "Arrival" with Amy Adams), which uses what has become known as the "Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis" as the conceit of the narrative. We will discuss critiques of the hypothesis, looking at evidence from around the world. And finally, we will examine small ways in which the English language shapes thought by examining the conceptual metaphors nested in the simplest English words that communicate something about how English speakers think.

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A sketch of the weekend:

Saturday

Noon - Arrive at OlioHouse for a communal lunch
1:00pm - A Socratic-style Olio exploring the work of Sapir and Whorf
2:30pm - Free time to explore Wassaic and hangout around OlioHouse
4:00pm - Screening of "Arrival" in the Olio Barn.
7:00pm - Dinner at the Lantern Inn
8:30pm - Hands-on data analysis from languages around the world: Critiques of Sapir-Whorf
Late Night - Getting dirty: Metaphor work and making chocolate truffles with Maureen (Maureen's been making truffles for nearly 20 years, and she's bringing a couple of her favorite recipes for us to make! )

Sunday
9:00am: Breakfast

11:00am: Metaphors we Live by: How the small words we use show the ways we think about the world