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A woman's rant on TikTok sparked an online debate after she claimed people who only speak English are more "simple-minded" than those whose native language is not English.
User @gen_laforce began by asking:
“Have you guys ever heard of the theory on how people who only speak English have a less developed brain?”
She elaborated by sharing her native language is French and her girlfriend's is Hebrew, so they communicate in English. However, she revealed that because “familiar English is not that complex and it doesn’t have much depth," they have a difficult time communicating their emotions to each other.
@gen_laforce continued to justify her statements by referring to "studies" that say "the more complex your language is, the more developed your brain becomes and it's easier to understand different nuances and emotions."
You can watch the full video below.
\u201cSorry you have a bad relationship with your girlfriend but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s the English language\u2019s problem\u201d— slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3 (@slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3) 1682884621
While the creator did make some true statements - for example how many Americans tend to dismiss and think less of the intelligence of those who speak "broken English" - she did face quite the pushback from social media.
\u201c@SlurricaneH When language is complex the brain brainifies more. Into a brainier brain. Just love when people act like a more "complex brain" is a thing in science. Like as you gets smarter the brain morphs.\u201d— slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3 (@slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3) 1682884621
\u201c@SlurricaneH When language is complex the brain brainifies more. Into a brainier brain. Just love when people act like a more "complex brain" is a thing in science. Like as you gets smarter the brain morphs.\u201d— slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3 (@slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3) 1682884621
\u201c1) Native language determines cognition, not intelligence. \n2) English is \u2018universal\u2019 bc of colonialism, not cause it\u2019s simple. \n3) struggling to express yourself in English means your English is bad not the language \ud83d\ude2d\u201d— \ud83e\udef6\ud83c\udffb (@\ud83e\udef6\ud83c\udffb) 1683064447
\u201c@SlurricaneH english has one of the largest vocabularies in the world and she didn't cite any of these studies by name or even define what complexity is in the context of linguistics. she just said a bunch of things with confidence and it makes it seem like she's right. powerful BSing here\u201d— slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3 (@slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3) 1682884621
\u201c@SlurricaneH This is probably the first time I have ever seen anyone refer to the English language as \u201csimple.\u201d\n\nSeriously. Ever.\u201d— slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3 (@slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3) 1682884621
\u201c@SlurricaneH It\u2019s just objectively untrue, English has a nearly unique double vocabulary of Latin and German words that express incredibly specific shades of meaning\u201d— slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3 (@slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3) 1682884621
\u201c@SlurricaneH source: "i think i read it somewhere"\n\nLOL\u201d— slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3 (@slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3) 1682884621
\u201c@SlurricaneH Some say English is a tough language to learn but it can be understood through tough thorough thought, though\u201d— slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3 (@slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3) 1682884621
\u201c@SlurricaneH \u201cEnglish is the universal language because it\u2019s simple to learn\u201d surely there is no other reason this could be the case. no other events worth considering.\u201d— slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3 (@slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3) 1682884621
\u201c@SlurricaneH English being a universal language because of *checks notes* its simplicity and not *checks memory* colonization is probably one of the most asinine things I\u2019ve ever heard \ud83d\ude2d English has got to be one of the most misinterpreted languages. There are native English speakers who\u201d— slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3 (@slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3) 1682884621
\u201c@SlurricaneH "Studies have shown the more complex your language is the more complex your brain is" she just made that up. It's not even possible to rank languages by complexity.\u201d— slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3 (@slurry \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3) 1682884621
After the backlash snowballed swiftly, the TikToker made the video private, but she did offer a couple of follow-up videos to clarify.
In the first, she attempted to justify her claims and elaborate on her points while admitting that, perhaps, she didn't verbalize her thoughts well.
@gen_laforce i urge you to not comment until you've watched part 1 & 2 as i may address your concern in either or. all i'm asking is that you guys be nice. the messages and comments i've been getting the past few days have been so hurtful and absolutely heartbreaking knowing this is what our society has come to. i am also not a linguist and am more than open to education, as long as its done with respect <3
In the second video, she cited some "research" that used a few of the same words as her earlier statements.
@gen_laforce Replying to @Geneviève✨
According to the comments, it would appear that the damage was done and "apology" videos weren't helping.
The wrath of social media backlash is definitely universal.