The creative power of language in social cognition and intergroup relations.

This book chapter reviews the relation of language to thought and its implications for intergroup relations. Following recent advances in social psychology, the chapter argues that language, far from merely being a medium for the transmission of stereotypes and prejudices, has the power to create, augment, and transform them. In particular, I examine the implications of the ability of language to contain thought (like a vessel), to focus thought (like a lens), and to reveal thought (like a barometer).