Although a strong form of linguistic relativity would predict
that the Pirahã would be limited in their ability to evaluate exact
quantities, Pirahã speakers have been shown to have the ability to
match large quantities of objects based on number (Frank et al.,
2008). However, the lack of linguistic number does negatively
impact their ability to make matches that require the use of
memory. Frank et al. (2008) argued that linguistic number serves
as a cognitive technology, with language acting as a tool for
creating mental representations that facilitate subsequent memory
processing. Although recent studies have challenged the notion
that the Pirahã can compare quantities with the same accuracy as
speakers of numeric languages (C. Everett & Madora, 2012), the
notion that language may function as a cognitive tool, either for
memory or for comparison purposes, is still a useful hypothesis.