On this episode, I’m joined by Nick Enfield, a linguistic anthropologist at the University of Sydney.

We discuss Nick’s journey into the field of linguistic anthropology, the significance of multilingualism, how language affects our cognition, and how language serves as a tool for social coordination. We particularly focus on an idea that’s at the heart of Nick’s 2022 publication, Language vs. Reality: Why Language Is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists.

This discussion highlights Nick’s belief that language primarily evolved as a way for us to socially coordinate, and not as a way to find truth. Following this trail of this topic takes on a journey into the realm of linguistic relativity, also known as the sapir-whorf hypothesis, where we explore the degree to which language shapes our perception and reasoning. The discussion also delves into the constraints language imposes on social behavior, the role of nudge theory in communication, and finally the implications of AI and language models on human interaction.

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