Language and Thought

[CDarwin]

You may be familiar with the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. It posits that one's language intimately effects one's worldview.

 

The classic demonstration of this is a study conducted with Finnish, American, and Israeli children. The languages Finnish, English, and Hebrew have increasing degrees of gender-specific phrases. The study tested how quickly children of these three cultures understood gender-concepts (for example, recognizing that you can't change your gender by wearing the clothes of the opposite sex). True enough, the Hebrew children were first, followed by the Americans and then finally the Finns.

 

Alexander Z. Guiora, Benjamin Beit-Hallahami, Risto Fried, and Cecelia Yoder, "Language Environment and Gender Identity Attainment," Language Learning, 32 (1982): 289-304.

 

I was interested in if any one has any opinions or knows of any more work that's been done on the connection between language and thought. Is recognition of the future and the past dependent on syntactic language? Is language necessary to conscious thought? I realize I'm being ridiculously vague, but I'm hoping to provoke some sort of discussion here more than I'm simply asking a question. Perhaps nothing will come of this.

[bascule]

I would say language (and semiotics in general) are integral to the thought process and our brains use several different types of language internally, including natural language.

[SkepticLance]

Which came first : chicken or egg?

Which came first : concepts later introduced into language or the language itself.

 

Did language generate the mental ability, or was the mental ability there first, and influenced the language?

 

Inuit are said to have over 100 words for snow. You can absolutely guarantee that Inuit have a great mental ability to appreciate the differences between different kinds of snow. However, did that come from the language, or did they appreciate the snow first, and introduce their appreciation into language later?

[Reaper]

I know that in literature, George Orwell explored something similar to this in his book 1984 with his "Newspeak", which was designed by the state to limit the range of thought.

 

It also has an impact in political sciences and politics in general, because the way you phrase a given sentence will convey different meanings.

[aguiora]

If you can give me an e-mail address I'll send you another old paper of mine, addressing some of your questions.

 

A.z. Guiora

 

My e-mail address is aguiora@umich.edu

[shinken]

can i use this with affirmation?

 

with love

Shinken Shobu

[1veedo]

Did language generate the mental ability, or was the mental ability there first, and influenced the language?

Have you not studied the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis? Helen Keller said something to the effect that she never had a whole thought until she learned language.

[dichotomy]

My initial assumption is that conceptual and abstract thought occurred way before any form of language developed. Internal languages used by the brain would have developed from primitive sense data.

 

Star fish, fish and reptiles don’t use a vocalized language, to my knowledge. Birds do. Mammals do. Maybe this is a clue to the evolution of thought into language? language and thought into the recognition of a possible future?

 

Is recognition of the future and the past dependent on syntactic language?

I wouldn't think recog' of the past depends on syntatic language. A starfish knows from past experience what it can successfully eat. Recognition of the future might be a solely human thing. Afterall, the future (as assumed in the mind) doesn't exist in reality.

 

Cheers.

[geoguy]

I grew up in a home in which I spoke English to my mother and French to my father and a mix of both on the outside. Language use had a subtle impact on viewing the world around me. My siblings and I would switch back and forth and it was often subject related. It's not a rule but the norm that happens is subjects related to creativity, the arts, music, feelings, disputes and so on are in French and 'practical' subjects (the grocery list, bicycle repairs)) in English. It's almost the reverse of what one would expect as one is tied more emotionally with one's mother as a child (in my case English language).

 

French has a 'texture' to it that adds to one's 'spice of life'. English has a functional richness to tackle 'getting the job done'. The difference, of course, is on a continuum and a matter of degree and not extremes. It makes me wonder, however, just how different an oriental or East Indian might be influenced in their view of the world partially due to use of their language.

[pioneer]

That is an interesting point, that language can affect perception of the world. Language not only allows us to convey meaning, but language can also be used to confuse meaning. It adds both objectivity and subjectivity to the human mind. It can help focus us to clarity, or else confuse clarity so we can go off into tangents.

 

To a child, this is the leaf of a tree. To a metaphysical person, this is temporal expression of the eternal essense. To the homeowner in the fall, this is one of these waste things, I have to rake and put in the trash. Without language, we pick it up and say uug!. It is only uug! Add complex language and we can focus with the clarity of the scientist, or drift off in the subjectivity of metaphysical philosophy. Language has helped to clarify and confuse at the same time. It is a two edged sword.

[geoguy]

That is an interesting point, that language can affect perception of the world. Language not only allows us to convey meaning, but language can also be used to confuse meaning. It adds both objectivity and subjectivity to the human mind. It can help focus us to clarity, or else confuse clarity so we can go off into tangents.

 

To a child, this is the leaf of a tree. To a metaphysical person, this is temporal expression of the eternal essense. To the homeowner in the fall, this is one of these waste things, I have to rake and put in the trash. Without language, we pick it up and say uug!. It is only uug! Add complex language and we can focus with the clarity of the scientist, or drift off in the subjectivity of metaphysical philosophy. Language has helped to clarify and confuse at the same time. It is a two edged sword.

 

You mention the scientist. There is a seminal series of paleontolgy that is focused on the Devonian of Morocco....first started under the French and then continued under the Moroccans. The publications are in French and despite being written by various researchers 'never quite seem clear'. There is just something not expansive enough about the French language that doesn't lend itself to the preciseness of English, German or Russian (the other principal languages in Devonian study). I get requests to translate a few lines here and there and going from French into English is much less accurate than German or Russian into English. It's not onlya positive that a universal language (English) has dominated scientific publications in thel ast 50 years but that the language of domination, by chance, is precise and unambiguous. I prefer French in novels, poetry, songs, etc. but it's a pain in the butt when describing the minutia often needed in taxonomy.