Does language have limits to what it can describe?

Question

What do we do if it fails?

Answer 1

Oh I totally know what you mean. . . I am so in love with my fiance and "I love you" doesn't even begin to cover it. . .
so I show him I love him by my actions. . .almost everything I do is for him in some way and I know he appreciates me and loves me too for doing it. . .
Great question

Answer 2

Sure it has limits. Describe what chocolate tastes like. Describe what falling in love feels like. Describe a sunset or a kiss so another person can feel they have experienced it.

I often think this is the hardest part of this existence, actually. I think we are used to being energy beings in our natural state, where we can communicate more clearly with each other with thoughts and shared feelings. Then we come here and encase ourselves in these bodies and cannot share that kind of closeness - and yet somehow we still expect that we can. It can be very hard learning that no matter how much you may feel that someone else is in sync with you, for all the conversation you have shared, common interests, values and beliefs - ultimately we are all different and separate. Language often falls far short of actually conveying what we actually feel or think or see.

What do we do when it fails? We keep on keeping on. We continue to learn and try to express ourselves more and more clearly. We reach out through non-verbal communication. We paint and turn to other creative, expressive arts. What else can we do?

Peace!

Answer 3

Of course language has limitations, as evidenced by some languages having words which convey concepts not found in other languages. Every message, even between native speakers, is an interpretation and an approximation. When language fails we rephrase, we expound, and we try other forms of communication, such as art, music, body language, and action.

This really isn't a religious or spiritual question at all.

Answer 4

Language has serious limitations in what is can describe. The simple act of translation can strip away meaning. For example, the hebrew "sheol" is sometimes translated into "hell" in some Bibles because we have no better English word for "the common grave of mankind," which is one description of sheol. We have no concept like that in our culture, so we developed no word for it, and I am confident that "common grave of mankind" is still only partially correct in describing it.

THere are some ideas that just can't be accurately described in words. We can try, but they become rough approximations. One example could be a profound religious experience, which people have difficulty describing. We can also use other means of communication such as images or allegories. Of course, neither of these are going to fully describe the idea either, but they sometimes comes closer, or at least get the reader/listener thinking in the right direction so they might figure the idea out on their own.

Answer 5

Yes. Let's say we are talking on the phone, I say something, but you can't see my body language to help interpret what I said to mean what I want it to mean. Sure, I can explain it to you, but body language is over 50% of communication.

Also written word is really hard to interpret if you don't know the person writing. It's the same as with body language. You don't get the intonation, or the inflection that you do with voice communication.

Forgot something, so *EDIT*-

Think about this: How do you describe to a blind person what the color blue is? You can't say the sky, or water, or that flower. Since they can't see that would mean nothing to them. Also, explain what salt tastes like to someone who has never tried it.

Answer 6

By language I assume you mean written or spoken words.
Yes, it's very limited, but it's getting better.
Language has been evolving too, and people are getting better at articulating the finer points of the abstract. The languages of science, spirituality, poetry, philosophy, law (the list is endless) mix and merge to create newer and better ways to express nonlinear, spacial, invisible, multidimensional and simultaneous psychological events. (you know what I mean ;-)

If it fails then use images and symbols or try gestures and facial expressions, or eye contact or touch.

Did you know that telepathy operates constantly, and without it, verbal communication would be meaningless?

Have you tried that?


-----there's some pretty good answers here.

Answer 7

There are systems of reality that exist all around us, but we do not perceive them...but we CAN perceive them...systems and ideologies and schools of thought/consciousness that cannot be described using any language as we know it.

If language fails, we go beyond it, to the direct experience, to that reality language tries to define. Say a word, then sense the meaning behind it, then "say" it again without saying the word itself, do you see? Say, "Up", then feel what "Up" means...go behind the word.

Answer 8

Absolutely.

When language fails, we try to find new ways to describe things. Create new words.

Infinity, for example means something very specific but humans really have no way of truly comprehending infinity. It's just too large for us to even begin to understand how big it really is. But we all know what we mean by saying infinity.

Answer 9

Human language does fail. And when it does, the best thing to do is go back to the original translations and decipher the true meaning.

Ex.:
"love" in English is applied to a wide variety of situations.

In the Greek, love is:
agape'.......Goldy, unconditional love
phileo.........Brotherly conditional love
eros............Physical, intimate love
and a few others, all convey different kinds of love.

But in English, there is just a single word, love.

Answer 10

yes, of course it has limits. that's why we have the visual arts. when language fails all we can do is draw pictures in the sand or hand someone a flower or give them a smile.

Answer 11

Let's get the to the beginning, my friend.

Every one of us is born with a clear brain with no single piece of information, and by time we get informed till we have a huge knowledge that if needed to be stored in computer, it would need a very very huge capacity storage device.

Then, where did all this knowledge come from?
Your brain is all what you really have, you hear by your brain through your ears, you see by your brain through your eyes, you taste by your brain through your tongue, sense by your brain through your skin and smell by your brain through your nose. So, all what you have learned through your past life and whatever you will in your future is by your brain.
Then comes the second point, expressing your self, you do by using your past experience ONLY, so tell me now where can you get ability to express somethin' you actually didn't experience?
Let's clarify this by an example, suppose someone that born blind, how can you describe RED color to him, will you tell him that "It's the color of the blood" or may be "it's the apple's color", then can he imagine this, of course not, I think it's clear now, friend. LANGUAGE, WITH ITS CAPABILITY, IS STILL LIMITED TO YOUR EXPERIENCE.