Are you looking to explore the ways that language frames how we think, and how we view and interact with the world around us? Try this idea with your learners, peers, or colleagues! 

One Frame, Multiple Languages 

1. Pick Two Languages: Choose two languages to compare. These can be any two languages you speak, write, or sign, and that you have at least some familiarity with. You can choose to compare your L1 to an L2 you are learning, or compare two different languages you are learning.
2. Choose a Frame: Choose one frame to explore. What is one concept that intrigues you about how humans see or understand the world? For example, choose a linguistic or interpersonal frame like asking a favor, extending an invitation, or making an apology. Or choose a theoretical frame like time, space, sound/volume, or community relationships or structures.
3. Gather Evidence: Look for ways your frame appears in each of the two languages you chose, and record what you find. You can keep a written, audio, or video journal of what you notice, take screenshots of language use in digital spaces, make lists or drawings, etc.
4. Compare: Examine the evidence you collected. What similarities and differences exist in how each language frames the concept you are exploring? How does this frame in each language impact cognition, sense of self, interpersonal interactions? How does it signal what is considered valued or important? 
5. Expand: Compare what you noticed with peers or colleagues. As you compare, consider these questions:
   • Are there certain frames you all find interesting or meaningful?
   • What similarities and differences exist in these frames across all of the languages you all have explored?
   • Are there commonalities in the frames utilized by different languages and communities?
   • Are there commonalities in communicative goals within different languages, relationships, or frames?
   • What have you all noticed about the ways your multiple languages shape your senses of self, knowing, and how to understand and interact with the world around you?