Hi there! I’m Kate from MinuteEarth. Have you ever heard phrases like “the following day,” “a point in time,” or “behind schedule”? These phrases treat time as if it’s a physical space. People all over the world use space to think about time, and most of us imagine time as a line or curve moving through space. But here’s the interesting part: we don’t all agree on which direction time flows!
You might think, “Of course, time goes from left to right.” That’s a common view, especially for people who speak English or Spanish, like our MinuteEarth team. When people who speak these languages are asked to put pictures in order, they usually arrange them from left to right, with the earliest picture on the left and the latest on the right.
But what about people who speak languages like Arabic or Hebrew, which are written from right to left? They often see time as moving from right to left, placing earlier pictures on the right and later ones on the left.
Then there’s Mandarin, a language traditionally written from top to bottom. Mandarin speakers might arrange pictures from top to bottom, which is a totally different direction!
Even in cultures without a written language, people still think about time in spatial terms. For example, the Yupno tribe in Papua New Guinea sees the past as downhill and the future as uphill. Meanwhile, the Kuuk Thaayorre people in Australia view time as moving from east to west. The direction they choose depends on which way they’re facing.
Imagine a Kuuk Thaayorre person facing north. They would arrange pictures from their right (east) to their left (west). If they turned south, they’d switch to left-to-right, since east would now be on their left. Facing east, they’d arrange time from front to back, and facing west, from back to front.
You might also think about time as moving from front to back, especially when talking about events you’re involved in. For example, you might gesture backward when talking about the past, literally putting the past behind you. This makes sense because you’re moving forward into the future.
Interestingly, the Aymara people of the Andes have a unique view: they see the past as in front of them and the future as behind. They can “see” the past because it’s known, but the future is unknown, like something behind them. That’s something to think about for tomorrow—whichever direction that might be!
Imagine you are a cartographer of time! Create a map that shows how different cultures perceive the flow of time. Use arrows to indicate the direction of time for each culture mentioned in the article. Share your map with the class and explain why each culture might view time in that particular way.
Get into groups and role-play as members of different cultures. Each group will represent a culture from the article. Act out how you would arrange a series of events based on your cultural perspective on time. Discuss how this perspective might influence daily life and decision-making.
Create an art piece that represents your personal perception of time. Use drawings, paintings, or digital art to show how you visualize the flow of time. Consider incorporating elements from the article, such as different directions or spatial concepts. Present your artwork to the class and explain your choices.
Work in pairs to create an interactive timeline using a digital tool. Choose a series of historical events and arrange them according to different cultural perspectives on time. Present your timeline to the class and discuss how the arrangement changes the way we perceive the sequence of events.
Participate in a class debate on the best way to visualize time. Divide into teams, each advocating for a different cultural perspective from the article. Use arguments based on cultural, practical, and psychological reasons to support your viewpoint. Conclude with a reflection on how understanding different perspectives can enrich our view of time.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
—
Hi, this is Kate from MinuteEarth. You may have heard phrases like “the following day,” “a point in time,” and “behind schedule” — these all represent time as if it’s a spatial concept. Humans around the world use space to represent time, and we tend to agree that the passage of time resembles a line or curve through space. However, we disagree on the direction in which time flows.
You might think, “Obviously, time should be represented from left to right.” We understand that perspective; in our MinuteEarth videos, we generally depict time progressing from the left side of the screen to the right. This is likely influenced by the fact that our team primarily speaks English and Spanish.
When people who speak languages that flow from left to right are asked to arrange a set of pictures in sequential order, they almost universally do so from left to right, with the earliest images on the left and the latest on the right. In contrast, speakers of Arabic, Hebrew, and other right-to-left languages typically represent time as unfolding from right to left, placing earlier images on the right and later ones on the left.
Native speakers of Mandarin, a language that traditionally flows downwards on the page, are likely to arrange pictures from top to bottom, diverging from the horizontal trend altogether. Writing direction significantly influences how people represent time; bilingual speakers often organize pictures differently based on the language they are using.
However, it’s not just about writing direction; many cultures without a history of written language still represent time spatially. For example, the Yupno tribe in Papua New Guinea views the past as downhill and the future as uphill. The Australian Kuuk Thaayorre perceive time as flowing from east to west. In these systems, the direction of time depends on a person’s current orientation.
For instance, a member of the Kuuk Thaayorre facing North would arrange sequential pictures from their right (East) to their left (West). If they turned to face South, they would organize the pictures from left to right, as East would then be on their left. Facing East, they would arrange time from front to back, and facing West, from back to front.
You might also represent time along a front-back dimension, especially for events you’re involved in, such as gesturing backward when discussing things that have already happened; you literally put your past behind you. This makes sense when considering that you are moving forward into the future.
Interestingly, the Aymara people of the Andes view the past as being ahead of them and the future as behind; they can see what’s in front of them (the past) and don’t know what the future holds (what’s behind them). That’s something I’ll have to keep pondering tomorrow, which direction was that again?
—
Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Time – The ongoing sequence of events taking place, which can be measured in seconds, minutes, hours, etc. – In civics class, we learned how important it is to understand the time period in which historical events occurred.
Culture – The beliefs, customs, arts, and way of life of a particular society or group of people. – Our sociology project focused on how culture influences the way communities celebrate holidays.
Language – A system of communication used by a particular country or community. – Studying different languages helps us understand the diverse ways people express their thoughts and ideas.
Direction – The course or path on which something is moving or pointing. – In civics, we discussed the direction our country is heading in terms of social policies.
Space – An area or expanse that is free, available, or unoccupied. – The sociology class examined how public space is used differently in urban and rural areas.
Past – The time before the present; events that have already happened. – Understanding the past helps us learn from previous mistakes and make better decisions for the future.
Future – The time yet to come; events that will happen after the present. – In civics, we discussed how today’s decisions can impact the future of our society.
People – Human beings making up a group or community. – Sociology studies how people interact within different social structures and environments.
Arrange – To put things in a neat, attractive, or required order. – We had to arrange the historical events in chronological order for our civics timeline project.
Think – To use one’s mind to consider or reason about something. – Our teacher encouraged us to think critically about the social issues discussed in class.
