Communication is key to understanding the world around us and
everything within it. I agree that language creates links in the brain that
allow us to think more complex thoughts. As Elizabeth Spelke described, infants
and children have little language, they don’t understand things the way adult
do until around the age of six and it’s not just because children are stupid
which is what I would think, but because they can not piece together spatial
concepts such as “left of the blue wall”. Our brains sadly do not become equipped
with the latest and most updated word software, we have to gain it over time
from the people around us, for example it took me month to figure out my left
from my right. In school kids are taught tricks like sticking out your hands;
the one making the L shape is your left while the other is the right but did we
really know what this meant? I, personally, took a while to learn it because I didn’t
see the point at the time, what’s a left? Why would I need to know references
to two different sides when I could just point at what I’m talking about,
right? Of course growing meant I needed to start growing my reading level which
meant going to clubs and reading a certain number of books for a pizza party and
I quickly learned how in books spatial concept such as: left, under, through, painted
a more understandable picture in the brain for one to follow the story along
easier, because more of these words created a more distinct, explainable and
vivid picture.
Additionally, I think that more complex words allow more
complex thoughts. With growing up we stop using the words “thingy” and “stuff”
to describe things, desperately hoping the other person gets it, and we gain
more descriptive words that both parties can understand the exact implication
of what is being talked about. Remember that romantic awakening in middle
school when everyone started dating and you probably got your first crush? My
parents would call that “puppy love”. My friends would call it “like-likeing”. With
these being the only two concepts presented to me at the time it was all I knew,
either you like someone or you love them, just as the original group of signers
only had few signs to describe what they were trying to communicate. Now as adult
we understand the differences between infatuation, obsession, love, lust, etc. because
we were finally given more complex words to describe these concepts. Language
can completely change the way we think as I glad that I don’t think in the
simplistic way I did as a kid, and I can understand now that it didn’t mean
that young me and all other children are just stupid, but language as a whole
takes time to learn and as you gain it, either personally or even as a society
growing with new language for universal concepts, we can understand and think
about much more.
I agree language is something we learn over time and from the people around us. Our language is forever evolving and progressing. We are able to add more into our language because of the people around us. Also, we are able to add to our language from the information we intake over the years. Like the example you gave about knowing your " left from right". At the time you didn't understand why you had to learn it but it made sense later. That's exactly what language is learning it and figuring it out later. Language is a communication trait that we learn and can always be improved.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLanguage is a tool to communicate and the tool for complex thoughts. I agree that language helps us understand thing easier and that when we are children we cannot think about things the way we can when we are older and have obtained language. When I was younger and I was in the car before I was able to read, we would pass by places and I could not think about what the sign said or what it was. Maybe I was curious about what the sign or restaurant we were passing by was, but I was not able to think about it. Once I learned how to read, driving in the car became much more interesting and I was able to look out the window and be intrigued by the outside world. I also agree that our ability to put words together in sentences is what makes us skilled enough to describe locations and other complex ideas to each other. The concept of right and left also makes this possible. For example we can give our friends directions to our house by saying turn right on this street and then turn left on this street, making it possible to travel to each other with ease.
ReplyDeleteI also think that we use language as our primary source to communicate with one another and use it to help process our thought and emotions throughout our lives. As children we use language to see the world differently then what it really is, we see all the negatives throughout our lives but we don't really understand what really going on. nine eleven happened through our life time, and even though we were young the phrase "Remember nine eleven" finds it self repeated every year, but when we were kids, the phrase meant nothing to most of us, i didn't even know the truth about the day until i was it my teens. When we become older we are able to understand with these phrases mean, and we can get intone with deeper conversations with deeper meaning. So yes i agree with you, that language helps us understand certain things thought out our lives.
ReplyDeleteLanguage is simply an instrument we use to convey our thoughts to others, but it has limits. if you were to talk to someone from a foreign country its unlikely you would be able to understand each other. I agree with most of your ideas like it takes time for the brain to develop enough to actually interpret language but i don't agree that the more complex the words the more complex a thought. if you are a master of language then you can convey your meaning in the simplest way so others can understand. complicated words are just for aesthetic, its nice to know them and use them in our language, but are they completely necessary? The ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphs to get in depth thought across and they only contained symbols smeared on a wall or papyrus. i like to think of every modern language like that as well, our alphabet are the hieroglyphs we piece together into words.so the complex language inst exactly needed when describing something becasue we can decipher what someone is saying though personal experience. you used the example of the children using "like-like" which seems rudimentary to adults (sadly we fall into this category), but it is the children's language and they understand what the other means. overall i thought you had great points and good examples to back them up.
ReplyDeleteI agree that complex thoughts come from language. The example you used regarding infants and school children not being unintelligent, but simply unequipped helped me determine my position on this topic. Complex thoughts occur without language but we can't seem to access them without the right words provided by language. There is a sort of road block in the way of reaching these thoughts that can only be cleared by language. A further explanation of my previous statement is that I believe that we as people have a deep sense of differences between words such as love and lust, it just takes a while to find the right word to incorporate the new founded meaning. It is almost like the evolution of language and communication acts the same way as scientific evolution does. A species goes along being a certain species until a notable change is detected. That species then undergoes speciation and becomes an entirely different species because of the small change. I believe language works in the same way. It evolves along with us to give us a more diverse realm of thought.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree that language is the only we way we communicate in this world. We use everyday to go through every day life. We teach our youth , so they can communicate with each other. People often use Rosetta Stone to learn different languages of different countries, to connect and learn from the people of those foreign countries. Language barriers to me , is the only way we cannot learn or speak with someone. Everyone at a young age learns a certain language. For example , at an UN meeting , some may know the language or some may use the earpiece, so they can understand what the person is saying. And they can decide on world issues. If we didn't have that , our world couldn't learn and speak to each other. This is why language is very important to the world. It creates partnerships. It creates corporations and relationships all over the world.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you with the fact that language is one of the only true and uncontested ways that people can communicate in normal everyday life. Language helps to build on to basic thoughts and opinions, making rudimentary concepts more and more complex. Language can create strong bonds between people of different backgrounds that wouldn't even normally exist or wouldn't be as strong as it would be if people couldn't properly communicate with words: be it literal spoken word or sign language. As culture and life progresses, language evolves to fit each of the newer generations. Every child learns a specific language from the people that surround them at a young age. They hear a language and once they have a hold of that certain language, they adapt that language into a newer and updated version of the one they've known since birth. Without words, people can only exchange the most basic of ideas. But with the help of language, people are able to be more intricate with their descriptions of things, making their ideas more certain and less vague.
ReplyDelete