Language and thought are interrelated phenomena. One cannot
separate these entities. Without thought, one cannot have language and vice
versa. And to express our thoughts, we need language. Therefore, language is a
medium of expression for one's thoughts and perceptions. The history of
influence and relation of these entities goes far back. However, various
concepts need to be kept in mind.
Firstly, to determine the
relationship between language and thought, we need to understand Sapir-Whorf
Hypothesis. This hypothesis is linguistically based and has weaker and stronger
versions. The stronger version known as linguistic determinism argues, without
language one cannot have any thoughts while the weaker version, linguistic
relativity claims that language influences our thought process.
Other than the Sapir-Whorf
hypothesis, certain theories question the evolution of language and claim that
it evolved for thought.
However, it is undeniable that language is a carrier of thoughts from one able mind to another. The linguistic information that is coherent and is communicable allows the thoughts to transgress from one mind to another.
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Edward Sapir was an anthropologist and Benjamin Lee Whorf was his student, though he was an engineer. Both of them developed the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis to understand the relation of thought and language.
Whorf studies Hopi Native American Tribe in the southwest and they are said to be the representatives or inspiration behind the hypothesis. Hopi people did not have any specific structure and constructions in their language regarding the concept of 'time'.
Hence, Whorf
claimed that the basic thought process of Hopi people does not have any concept
of time and it was not transitioned into their language. This idea soon became
famous and many world views were altered to fit the Whorfian concept of thought
perception.
Two concepts are important in the
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis; linguistic determinism and linguistic relativity, as
mentioned earlier.
In linguistic relativity, we
focus on the meanings that are grammatically marked in the language to learn it.
For example; In English, we use verbs to mark or indicate the time and
occurrence of any event: it's snowing, it snowed, and it will snow. However,
the Turkish language has more than one past tense. One for direct reporting and
the other for indirect reporting. Hence, if you saw it snowing yourself, it
will be direct reporting but if you see snow on the ground but not falling
actually, you will use indirect reporting past-tense.
These language differences have
been on the intriguing facts list of many linguists and anthropologists. It is
fascinating to look at the exotic differences of different languages. These
relativity differences are relevant and particular to language and its speakers
and make the said language unique. English itself has some linguistic
relativism.
For example; John F. Kennedy has worked in Washington is wrong but Obama
has worked in Washington is correct. The reason is that in English, the present
perfect tense is restricted to assert about people who are alive only.
Language determinism claims that
these differences in linguistic relativity influence the thoughts of people.
That is, language determines thoughts. That is why it is said that language is
the representation of cultures. In this regard Whorf stated,
'We cut nature up, organize it
into concepts, and ascribe significances as we do, largely because we are
parties to an agreement to organize it in this way—an agreement that holds
throughout our speech community and is codified in the patterns of our language'
And Sapir included,
'Human beings...are very much at
the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression
for their society. ...The fact of the matter is that the "real world"
is to a large extent unconsciously built up on the language habits of the
group'.
However, it is not always the
case that language demonstrates or represents the thoughts of a group. There
are many other factors working side by side. Linguistic determinism is only
observable in cases where language holds the power to draw people's attention
towards a particular experience.
For example; In Spanish, we have two forms for second-person address. 'tu'
and 'usted'. The first form is used informally and the second one is informal
situations or to give respect. This is a social dimension of the Spanish
language and describes its linguistic determinism.
Yet these are some cases that
support the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Language is not the only factor that determines
or influences thought. Various other cognitive and behavioral aspects are
related to it.
Chomsky’s view — Universal Grammar
Noam Chomsky presents another
case in the same debate. He is of the view that all the languages of the world
share universal or fundamental grammar. Moreover, humans have this inborn
ability to learn any language they want, with consistent exposure. This
contrasts the Sapir-Whorf view of language determining what people are
thinking, Chomsky's view implies that language is not the only thing that holds
the merit to determine human thoughts. The concept of human thought and
perception is a far deeper phenomenon than any surface-level language.
Chomsky’s view is far more
accepted in linguistic realms because of its relatable and grounding to the
basic human cognitive factors.
Where do Language and Thought Meet?
Language and thought are aligned and observed in a few cases. One
such case is that of gender. For example; In English, if I were to say, I went to meet a friend, I do not have to specify and share the gender of that particular friend. But in the Spanish language, I would have to share the gender of my friend as well because they have masculine and feminine forms for every word. Hence, gendered languages usually relate language and thought and unintentionally convey much more than the intended meaning of the conversation.
Another case where language is related to thoughts is tense and non-tensed verbs in the language. For example; If I state that I am meeting a friend, in English I will have to state the time, past, present, or future. But in Chinese the verb is non-tensed, so stating I am meeting a friend will suffice.
Some tribes in Northern Australia
have language based upon cardinals. For example; If I say, something in in front or behind me in English, the tribe people will say that; something is North to you, or southwest to him.
The examples and cases
demonstrate that language differences depict the thoughts and behaviors of
people who use them. Whether the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis holds merit or not, the
view is present and has affected in understanding of the cognitive abilities and
linguistic apprehension of people. It has also paved the way for research on
language acquisition and understanding of language development.
This article is written by Umm-e-Rumman Syed, one of the contributors at the School of Literature.
