shneancy@lemmy.world 3 days ago
i always use this as an example of how deeply the languages we use shape how we understand the world
even the answer to the question “how many fingers do you have?” changes depending on the language, and that’s a physical fact that seems to not have any degree of subjectivity to it
Samsy@lemmy.ml 3 days ago
Eight. A thumb is not a finger.
Lumidaub@feddit.org 3 days ago
I’ve never seen an explanation why though.
ChairmanMeow@programming.dev 3 days ago
Depends on your definition. Wikipedia is either ambivalent about it, or lists the thumb as a finger.
In Dutch, thumbs are fingers, and there’s word for “digit” in the context of fingers and toes.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 days ago
What is it then, a leg? That’s dumb.