just tell me what do u think?? thx.
2007-08-16 03:39:47 · 4 answers · asked by Gooooooaaaaaaalllllllll 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Knowledge is "shaped" by language. As an example people who natively speak a language that doesn't differentiate between blue and green, have a harder time recognizing or differentiating them. Another example, vocabulary is taught as part of many of the subjects in school as without the right words, you can not talk about the concept i.e. in biology imagine someone referring to a heart as "that throbbing red thing".
2007-08-16 03:49:00 · answer #1 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is widely claimed that language influences thought, and this seems probable, though the research seems far from conclusive. What is certainly true is that to use language correctly one must possess all manner of knowledge of the world because both the choice of words (e.g., stool vs. chair or prime minister vs. premier vs. chancellor) and the choice of grammatical constructions and forms can demand that you know all kinds of obscure facts about ... well ... about just about anything. F.ex., in the example above to use prime minister, premier, and chancellor you have to know that the second is used for either (1) provincial heads of government in some countries like canada (but not india, where it is chief minister) or (2) informally for heads of govt of (this is a rough rule) of non-english-speaking countries, and that chancellor is used for head of govt in some german-speaking countries.
2007-08-16 04:04:46 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We think and understand reality in terms of language. Language is a system of symbols that coorelate to reality, so we are confined to it in a sense. Saying the word "water" and taking a shower or going swimming are two very different experiences, which reflect the gap between our understanding of reality and our ability to express our understanding. In truth, the two are connotatively tied. How we represent reality through language can also tell us how we view it.
If you want an interesting account of how language can reflect understanding of reality, check this out: http://whyfiles.org/shorties/160number_lang/
2007-08-16 03:56:14 · answer #3 · answered by stage_poi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Knowledge precedes language. You have the idea then you give it an identity. Rot in hell, Chomsky!
2007-08-16 03:45:27 · answer #4 · answered by scheidemann2007 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋