Does language inhibit our thinking?

Question

I think in words as if I was talking to myself in my head. Does everyone think like that? Do artists or religious people or autistics think in symbols and colours and numbers? Do the limitations of language limit what we can think about?

Answer 1

We think in images or pictures.

If I say "elephant" you don't see the word or letters e-l-e-p-h-a-n-t, but rather a large gray behemoth with tusks and long trunk. If I say "Asian elephant", your mind envisions a smaller breed with smaller ears. If I say "African elephant", you see a gray towering beast with huge ears.

If I say "dog" you don't see the word "d-o-g" in your mind. You see your little friend waging his tail. If I say "loud, barking, nasty, stupid dog", then your mind sees that ugly mut next door that belongs to your obnoxious neighbor.

We use our words to describe the images we see in our minds. They are like paint and brushes that create portraits.

GEORGE WASHINGTON!

What did you see in your mind?

Was it the image of George that is on the US dollar bill that is so familiar to us? Or perhaps your saw the painting of him standing in a boat while crossing the Delaware River?

BLUE FORD MUSTANG!
With headlights on!

.

Answer 2

What an amazing question, the best I've read thus far. I would say I think much along the same lines as you, but I also think in images. Perhaps not shapes or symbols, but images...even if it's something I've never seen before and then I try to analyze those to see what they may mean. English may not be the most beautiful or descriptive language and it's often times difficult to get your thoughts across with mere words even if your vocabulary is astounding, so yes I would say that we are not only limited by language, but also by lack of knowledge. Wow, I'm very impressed.

Answer 3

Language came long, long after the thinking started. I can imagine two prehistoric humans sitting side by side , with pumice stones in hand , lighting the fire for the first time. "Ssto Ssto " mumbled the first man showing the stones." effe.. effee" growled the other, seeing the glow.Where was the language?

The logical next step was some form of communication to convey the thinking.We have come a long way from that today.Nothing can inhibit the thinking, least of all the languages.. If anything language gives WINGS to the thinking.

Answer 4

You're lucky to have very good answers in a very good question. I agree with many answers so I'll not repeat their views. It's true that we all think in words, images, colors and numbers. Reasoning is made manly on words and numbers while dreaming is made mainly of the rest. I would guess that you are a logical person most of the time.
Do the limitations of language limit what we can think about? I would say the opposite. The limitations of thought and experience limit our vocabulary.

Answer 5

There is a hypothesis/theory (I only say this because scholars are debating this) called the Saphir-Whorf Hypothesis. It states that language directly affects the way we think. Some believe that without language, we would not be able to think as clearly as we do or even at all. I agree that the limitation of language will limit the way we think, and that without language we could not think as clearly as we do. However, without language, I believe thoughts could be formed--the thoughts would be more animalistic as others have said earlier. Saphir-Whorf is a great theory. Look it up sometime. :)

Answer 6

I like your question. I was just thinking the same thing over the weekend.

I wonder if animals are actually more intelligent and/or more happy than humans because they only have a basic way of life and communication wherease us humans have complicated everything.

For all the accounting systems and It systems Enron still managed to over-ride the lot. Not only are our systems complicated but they blind people so much that they cannot see what is real and what it not anymore. They especially can't see what is wrong without what they are doing.

Answer 7

To a certain extent yes, probably. But it helps, too, with giving us referencepoints in thinking. So I think starting to become better verbally has more advantages to your thinking than disadvantages. Of course we lose something because there are things that cannot be verbalised but we need the braking effect of words for our thoughts to become clearer. And the same thing happens when writing but it's even stronger. So whenever I have too much to think about I start writing. Of course Dumbledore's pensieve would be very cosy, but I think I'll make do with my pen/computer.

To Tao Barbie: Not everybody thinks in images. There are people who "hear" their thoughts rather than "see" them and there are people who memorise a poem as if it was written down. Similarly, there can be people who think in movements or at least in moving images (me), and visualising a standing picture would be very difficult for them. (Perhaps this is why I need the braking effect of writing.) So the way of information processing is not the same in everyone.

Answer 8

Hello Friend,
Words play a very important factor in our lives. So, Language definitely inhibit our thinking. It is our thinking that will create a positive or negative image of others in our mind and if we do not use a balance language for others then every body will appear as a devil in our mind cause basically a human is very selfish in his own........mean it.

Answer 9

the respond is an absolute confident and no. You communicate approximately thinking in photos yet how do you describe or assign meaning to those photos? My wager is which you employ language. as quickly as we use language we then are limited as to the meaning we provide a theory or adventure. this occurs purely interior of ourselves much less attempting to communicate with yet another person. as quickly as we as English audio device examine the be conscious like it calls up particular (frequently many diverse) innovations in our minds. The Greek language had diverse words for romance (sexual love, family contributors love, etc.) so as that they have got been sparkling (a minimum of clearer) in what they have been describing yet our language (English) limits our understand-a thank you to finding for meaning by ability of the context. Michael Foucault is his e book "The Archeology of wisdom & The Discourse on Language" (link under) supplies this concept an in intensity look. Michael John Weaver, M.S.

Answer 10

I think everyone thinks in words. But I think composers must think in music too. And some autistic people see numbers as colours etc.
Without language, how would we be able to think? Language enables us to think.