Language and Parol

Questions page 36.-

-Which come first: thought or language?
-Can we think without language?
-Is it possible the we think in images?

I think that though comes first because before speaking we have a thought that we transmitted with sounds. Also if we start thinking about it we realise that when they speak to us we start thinking in images and not words, for example when someone say "door" we imagine the image of a door, not the word itself. So in my opinion, we actually think and to express to the environment our needs and ideas, we use this tool call language, with differs according to each society.

Extract from a very interesting page about the theme :

Do we learn to think before we speak, or does language shape our thoughts? New experiments with five-month-olds favor the conclusion that thought comes first “Infants are born with a language-independent system for thinking about objects,” says Elizabeth Spelke

LINK:  http://www.kingcountydirectory.com/king-county-business-directory-resources/which-comes-first-language-or-thought/

                Relation between language and thought

(Part of language and parol activity)

Sometimes thought is described as having a conscious mind, a reasoning ability, remembering experiences and making rational decisions but thought is so much more. We do not always use words when we think, a lot of the time thinking can be done using pictures or emotions.

According to Platon, thought is reality because it is a reflection of reality. It is his notion that language is not a coincidence but a reflection of thought and that the words are limited by thought. Platon even felt that there was a danger of language moving to far away from reality, especially the written word. Platon preferred the spoken rather then the written word since he felt it would resemble thought more due to it being more spontaneous

 Another theory much later developed is:

"Language is the formative organ of thought. Intellectual activity, entirely mental, entirely internal, and to some extent passing without trace, becomes through sound, externalised speech and perceptible to the senses. Thought and language are therefore one and inseparable from each other."

Willhem von Hamboldt.

Willhelm von Hamboldt here states that language and though are closely related, that they complement themselves. This states that when we use language, we are complementing it with our thoughts that help us express our ideas to our environments, and on the other side we think and develop ideas in our minds using language.

ACTIVITY PAGE 35

THE POWER OF LANGUAGE

1. What does the image, and the story, suggest about the benefits of everyone speaking the same language? What are the drawbacks?

It`s benefits is that people could understand among themselves better, there would be more cooperation and not much cultural problems. The drawbacks of these are first that there would be a lack of identity and minor ethnical groups would have more problems. Another drawback is that to unify language, cultures and a huge variety of languages should be destroyed and there would be disputes to choose the "dominant" language.

2. What does the story suggest about the social functions of language?

The story suggest that language gives basically identity, it unites a group of people and is essentially what maked one group of people different of another one.

Mind map

                        HISTORY OF LANGUAGE


1.-History of language


1. Why is it said that people in East Africa developed more than the rest?


Because they were able to develop a better and more structure language than  the rest of the African tribes.


2. What happened to the earlier languages on Earth? 


This languages are actually extinguished and were lost because  language constantly change. They disappear and no one speak it anymore.


3. According to Dr Johanna Nichols, what were the first utterances made by Humans? 



The first utterances were to get attention from others, to "call" others for help with for example hunting or gathering.




2.-Language: Constant change




1. What is the biblical story of "the Tower of Babel"? 


It`s the story about how humans wanted to reach the sky (heaven) so they began constructing a  very high tower. For this God punishes them for being too ambitious, so they make people speak different languages and spread them through the world.


2. What does historical evidence tell us of this biblical event? 


In those times people, humans, start spreading through the world and because of the distances, new languages start appearing.


3. What's the relationship between genes and language? 


Genes change much slowly than language. It can be see that people with similar genes that are close in geographical locations, almost always speak the same language.


4. Why do languages constantly change? 


Language is a creative and flexible tool. As such its always in constant change,  because every new generation learn a slightly different form of words and language than the previous one.

1. Which is the 'trick' (process) that enables us to communicate something to others?


The tool that enables us to communicate with others, the process that is unique to humans and make us what we are is language.


2. Do animals talk? If not, What do they do to communicate?


Talking is an ability unique to humans. Animals can`t talk, although  they still can communicate  by sounds.


3. What do we express when we talk?


We express our thoughts through language, we can express what we think or feel, we express our needs also.




4. What did Dr Deb Roy try to achieve in his house?


Dr. Deb Roy make an experiment on his house installing cameras everywhere filming 24 hours a day. He uses his own baby son as his test subject. His objective was to discover how do you humans learn to speak.


5. Which are the earliest stages in language for a child?


A baby first stage of language is bubbling, then quickly he began to use single words to express needs.




6. What external and internal factors made the data recollected in the experiment into something they could use?




7. How did the parent's speech change from their son's first word until he could utter more complex structures?


The parent`s unconsciously and essentially simplifies there language in order to help and reinforce the baby`s learning process to speak. As the baby grow`s and develops its language, the parent`s begin to gradually use more complex sentences and words in order to keep helping the baby to learn how to speak properly. Basically parents act as teachers of babys in the language  learning process.


8. What does Dr Deb Roy compare the "blossoming" of a speech form?


Dr. Deb Roy  compares the blossoming of a flower  to the blossoming of a speech form to express how slowly and consistently  the baby star to incorporate a new word and how he star approaching the correct form until he make it, just like a blossoming flower

"Language surrounds us every day and we know how to recognise it" 


- On this statement  we can see and realise that  in  any single act of communication there is always language involve, of any type, of any form, but is still language.  From the common act of going to the market to realising a test there is a sort of language involve. Everyone on a specific community  has  understand and recognise the words that  form part of that specific language.




"A word is one or more sounds that in combination have a specific meaning assigned by the language"


- After thinking  for some time,  you realise that words are conformed of  letters, and to say letters you need to make sounds, so words are a combination of sounds that a specific society assigned to name something, for example  the world "chair", everyone who speaks English will understand the same thing.




"The most powerful tool known is the one we use to build every other tool"




- This one states that without language we would not be where we are now. Without language there would not exist communities, therefore there could be no type of organisation to build a fabric or something else more important. We could not express what we know, so there would be no education and everyone will have to make things on their own. Basically here is state that language is a fundamental tool for the progress and development of society.

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