For generations, Alaska Native communities described the northern lights as more than something you could see. They also described hearing them crackle, rustle, hiss, even speak. These weren’t isolated stories. Similar accounts appear across Inuit and other Arctic oral traditions, long before scientists took the idea seriously.
Scientists dismissed those stories for years. The aurora dances 60 to 200 miles above Earth, where the air is too thin for sound to travel. More recent research, however, suggests that intense geomagnetic activity may trigger electrical discharges much closer to the ground, offering one possible explanation for at least some of the sounds people have reported hearing. The mystery isn’t completely solved, but it isn’t dismissed anymore.
If you don’t have language for something, you’re less likely to recognize it—even if it’s right in front of you.
Most people never go outside to look at the sky expecting the aurora to make a sound. But if someone tells you to stop, listen, and pay attention, you’ll notice things you never would have noticed before.
Language works the same way.
Once that idea exists—once there’s language for it—you start paying attention differently. A core idea in linguistics is called linguistic relativity: language doesn’t just describe what we experience. It shapes what we notice in the first place.
That’s one of the reasons I love linguistics. Language doesn’t only give us labels. It changes what we’re capable of perceiving.
The aurora didn’t suddenly start making sound. We just finally learned how to listen.
A quick note on working together
Most advanced English users aren’t stuck on grammar. They’re stuck on how their English comes across. That’s the space I work in.
Free workshops
I run small, free workshops where you can bring real examples and get honest feedback.
Upcoming:
- Why Humor Is So Hard in English (and How to Get It Right) — September 1, 2026
- Advanced English for ESL Teachers: Your Questions, Real English — October 6, 2026
- What Your English Signals to Other People — November 3, 2026
Join here: https://one-s-jes.com/workshops/
✨Don’t forget to register for every workshop you want to attend✨
Direct help
I also work 1:1 with a small number of people. This is for you if:
- your English is already strong
- but it doesn’t sound like you yet
- or you’re not sure how it’s landing at work
You bring your real writing or speaking. I tell you exactly what works, what doesn’t, and why.
Reach out if that’s what you need!
A closing thought
Ever noticed something only after you had the language for it? I’d love to hear about it!!