Language and Thinking

Believe it or not, language plays a massive role in shaping our minds and thoughts. 

To investigate this, we must first explore the meaning of language, what is it? is it just a means of communication? Well, the basic definition of language is a system of words or signs that people use to express thoughts and feelings to each other. However, I believe that languageis more than what meets the eye. Think of body language, sign language, etc. These are all languages that do not use words nor signs and yet they communicate thoughts and feelings. This is why I have been led to believe that language has no rigid definition and is a more flexible term that can be used to refer to multiple means of interaction.

Then again, I look back and ponder about the theory that language is more than just communication and interaction. Then suddenly it hits me, as I am thinking I realize that I have an inner voice, somewhere I had heard that bilinguals do not possess an inner voice and yet I realize that I think to myself in both of my languages. This is when I began to wonder if there truly was a strong connection between language and the way we think. My first step to discovering more about this relationship was to understand why we even think of an inner voice, and what the language bilinguals speak to themselves in says about the way that person thinks. Well according to Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, inner speech is developed by the internalization of external speech. However, it has become very difficult – even in recent years – to understand why inner speech occurs and where it stems from due to the inability of capturing the spontaneity of inner speech in a scientific environment. As for what the language of the inner voice is, not much has been proven, although trends have shown that depending on the situation different languages are used. For example, for motivation and logic people often went with a second language or a new language that was learned, however, at times of trouble and bad situations, people would look towards their mother tongue.

While on the topic of bilingualism I wanted to know more about how people see the world depending on the language they speak. Do people that speak different languages inhabit different worlds? It is common knowledge that different languages have words that don’t have translations in other languages or define a phenomenon that is not defined in another language. If someone does not possess the words to describe a concept, will they not have the ability to understand it? For example, a tribe named the Piraha tribe do not have words for colors, or numbers, and when one scientist attempted to teach them how to count, after days of trying they could not understand the concept. On the other hand, in German, there is a word that defines feeling homesick for a place you have never been, which I definitely have felt before. However, I feel that the language we speak can still limit us in this sense as there are things that we feel that we cannot explicitly express in its fullest meaning. This may be one of the most common reasons of misunderstandings or miscommunication.

Languages also play a major role in shaping a person’s identity. this is due to the fact that with language comes the culture, the emotion, and the relationships with people. different languages can produce different meanings within the same context and of course, varying traditions and cultures. A person cannot translate poetry from one language to another - but even on a more relatable level – jokes can also lose their meaning when translated.

Overall I think that I have delved into the study of language and attempted to understand it to my fullest abilities. I think it is safe to conclude by saying that language is definitely not just a means of communication and that it plays a large part in the way we know and think.