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Linguist Dr. Helena Vance argues that the preservation of endangered languages is essential for understanding the full range of human cognitive potential. Vance notes that certain languages, such as the Guugu Yimithirr of Australia, use absolute cardinal directions (North, South) rather than relative ones (Left, Right) to describe space. This linguistic feature requires speakers to maintain a constant, subconscious awareness of their geographic orientation, a cognitive feat that is absent in speakers of languages using relative spatial coordinates. Based on the text, how does the Guugu Yimithirr language affect its speakers?
- It makes them consciously calculate their bearing before each utterance.
- It prevents them from understanding the concept of 'left' or 'right' in any context.
- It obliges them to keep an ongoing internal sense of their position relative to the compass points.
- It allows them to move across vast distances without the use of any external navigational tools.
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