Time and Language in Ted Chiang’s Story of Your Life and Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival
Time and Language in Ted Chiang’s Story of Your Life and Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the complex relationship between language, time and cognition in Ted Chiang’s Story of Your Life and Denis Villeneuve’s film Arrival. Both the novella and the film are based on the Sapir-Worf hypothesis, illustrating how linguistic structure determines perception and redefines human existence. The paper shows that the process of learning an alien language (Heptapod B) involves an ontological transformation, as the main character’s cognition and temporal awareness are modified and her perception of life events changes from sequentiality to simultaneity. The analysis compares Chiang’s restrained, objective prose with Villeneuve’s cinematic translation of language, time, consciousness and communication, by pointing out the main elements of scientific inquiry, circular imagery and minimalist dialogue. Both works suggest that by learning to think in a language beyond human linguistic norms, communication is not merely an exchange of information, but an act of empathy and self-discovery.

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