Mladen Stojak

Can you imagine a world where there is no before and after, no cause and effect? A world where time is not linear, but circular? This is exactly like the world that linguist Louise Banks encounters in the science-fiction movie Arrival. Louise is called in to try and communicate with an alien species that has landed in several locations around the world. While getting to know them, she realizes that the species’ orthography is not linear. Their written language moves in circles, their sentences have no beginning or end. This is also reflected in their notion of time, which is also non-linear. Although establishing contact with aliens is currently a matter of sci-fi, the movie touches upon a very interesting topic: how our language shapes the way we perceive the world.