If one wasn't taught a language would one be able to have constructive thought?

Answer 1

I presume the reason why we have language is to communicate, if one wasn't taught language then it can only be due to total isolation, in which case i'm guessing he/she would form some kind of recognition system mentally in order to have 'constructive' thought as a method of survival, ie. what to eat, what to avoid etc. Language is a form of expressing this recognition in harmony with someone else. It's an interesting thought though...

Answer 2

I think Portuguese may be slightly more similar to Spanish than Italian but both are pretty similar (as much as languages can be anyway) I do agree with some of the others though that it is probably better you learn a language that isn't too similar (although maybe not too disimilar either, so maybe not korean etc unless you really wanted to!) I learn Spanish too and I think i'm going to start teaching myself German so I won't get mixed up between them (since ones romantic and the other germanic) but I do want to start French (another romance language) pretty soon as well since I have lots of friends in Paris. Most important thing though when choosing a language is one that your interested in and will use in the future. No point in learning a language you will never use Of course make sure you still dedicate most of your time to improving your Spanish Good luck x

Answer 3

Does anybody actually have constructive thoughts ?
My view is we have instinctive thoughts that become constructive thoughts through experience of life.
For example, when babies are young, they cry when they are hungry, so we feed them.They learn to associate feeding with crying, which extends to getting attention by crying, because that is the only way that they can make themselves understood.
They learn by associating with the response to their actions, not by any spoken language.
They don't understand the spoken word,nor can they use them, but they still communicate their thoughts in other ways. Crying, laughing, facial expression etc.
Do we class these as constructive thoughts, or are they just instinctive ?
I don't think that its a question that can be given a definitive answer , but I would say that we don't need to know a language to develop as a species.

Excellent question. Thank you for making me think of something I had never really thought about before.

Answer 4

Thought would be very much restricted but I wouldn't suggest that ALL constructive thought would be impossible. The absence of communication would eliminate the possibility of forming/expressing/sharing ideas and most knowledge. On an individual level however, as experience is gained, planning would be possible, for survival purposes etc. Although this probably isn't constructive on the level that you mean.

Answer 5

That is a great one, thank you, it will keep me and my collegue going for ages. At this moment, i would argue that if you look at animals whose language is instinctive, then their only thoughts are that of instinct and not constructive as we would term it. Do we need to clarify the term constructive? Afterall Beavers for example are constructive in their actions, but is this instinctive? It would be interesting to investigate further, those individuals who have been deprived a 'normal' upbringing, whereby language has not entered into their education.

Answer 6

first wot is "construtive thought" f u do not know then u have no need to know! if for instance u were brought up n a wolf pack
u r constructive thought would be of a wolf nature: n wot s that? i think anyone who who purports to have the anwser is a liar; but for instance people who have been raised by animals i feel they can have constructive thoughts; because no matter wot ; the individual s wot makes the world go round

Answer 7

There have been numerous accounts of abuse - where a child has been deprived of human contact and subsequently never learn a language. There is always some kind of cognition but that may differ from how we think. Like autistic savants (think Rain-man) where the cognition patterns are different and stimuli are interpreted differently resulting in amazing abilities.(in the case of savants)

Answer 8

No. This is the reason why babies and very young children cannot remember actually being babies or anything before the age of two. Without words, one only remembers feelings. Once words come, memory comes, and with memory, thought and structure.

Answer 9

I should think you could think in impressions, ideas don't necessarily need words. Or perhaps thought-pictures. Abstract thought, possibly...an interesting question...as an insomniac I like to have things to mull over in the still watches of the night...good one!

Answer 10

Oh yes, we would use images and sounds to make logical comparisons to make sense of our world.

A computer uses Boolean expressions to make logical comparisons, to reason. e.g. If 'a' is true then carry on if 'a' is false then go back to the beginning.

We dream in images and colours and sounds, in our sub conscious, and our dreams help us make sense of things we cannot understand with words alone.