Language as a Way of Knowing

Hwa Chong InstitutionEL Strand One 2012

Prepared by Mrs Jenny Wong

“ What is in a name? That which we call a rose By another name would smell as sweet.” -William Shakespeare.

Would it have made a difference to the story had Romeo fallen

in love with “Harriet” or “Edith,” not “Juliet”?

Language as a Way of Knowing

When you hear names like “Ah Keong,” “Hussein,” or “Balakrishnan”, do particular associations come to mind?

Where do these connotations come from?

Are these assumptions true in the same way that saying triangles have three sides is true?

What would your view be of someone you just met who presents you with a business card with a name accompanied by MD? CEO? Miss/Mr? Ph.D?

How might others’ preconceptions of your name (or nationality, religion, skin color, etc.) affect how they perceive you?

Language as a Way of Knowing

“ With a knowledge of the name comes a distincter recognition and knowledge of the thing.”

-Henry David Thoreau.

Language as a Way of Knowing

American author, poet, philosopher

By the end of this lecture, students should be able to understand:

Language is a rich and complex thing;

Language can be non-verbal;

Language can be an objective and transparent tool for communication AS WELL AS a value-laden system of persuasion with varying implications;

Language may not correlate perfectly to the `real world’;

The subtleties and difficulties associated with the concept `meaning’ in language;

The arguments for and against the position that language can affect thought;

The possible links between language, experience and identity.

Aims and Objectives

First, decide what language is.

Second, consider the functions of language.

Third, consider how important language is in the transmission of knowledge.

Fourth, consider how well/accurately can language transmit knowledge.

Fifth, consider where does thinking fit in.

What Role does Language Play in the Acquisition of Knowledge?

Which of the following may be classified as Language?

Snoring Talking in your sleep Reading poetry aloud, alone on a mountain Unintentional screaming in pain Screaming for help A dog barking A three week old baby crying A traffic light working Jargon, slang, dialects

What is Language?

Basic Description of Language

A method of communication using a system of symbolic representations, either spoken, written or in gestures, where signs stand for things or ideas which might have no direct connections. They refer to things or ideas, stir associations of ideas and create stimulus and response of language behaviour. They have culturally agreed meanings.

What is Language?

Must language communicate? What can it communicate?

Are there means of communication other than language?

Is there anything that cannot be communicated by language?

Must language be an activity using the vocal chords?

Can language be compared with other human forms of symbolic representation, such as conventionalized gestures, sign language for the deaf, dance, painting, music or mathematics?

What do `the Chinese or English language’, `body language’ and `the language of bees’ have in common?

What is Language?

Exercises (to show the strength and limitation of using written

language):

“It’s a hot day and I would like a cold drink of water.” Express this sentence in picture language or sign

language.  Write a list of instructions for tying a shoelace.

What is Language?

A `black man’ and `nigger’ might refer to the same person, but one is clearly considered offensive and unacceptable (although it is interesting to note that black people use the word `nigger’ themselves but in this context it is not considered racist).

Denotation: The most literal and limited meaning of a word, regardless of

what one may feel about it or the suggestions and ideas it implies.

Connotation: The suggestion or implication evoked by a word or phrase over

and above what they actually mean or denote. A connotation may be personal and individual, or general and universal.

The denotation of the word `nigger’ is a black person, but the word has racist connotations.

 

Language and Values

Word Choice Does it seem to be appropriate to the purpose of the description? Is it denotative, factual language, or is it connotative and

suggestive? What emotions are expressed? What values, positive or negative, are expressed or suggested? Is

there evidence of bias?

The choice of words in the description may tell you more aboutthe writer or speaker’s values than about the person, thing oridea being described.

Context In what context has the description been placed, and how might

this framing affect the overall meaning of the description? What does its purpose seem to be?

Language and Values

Match up the different words which mean the same thing:

Language and ValuesUs ThemSettlement InvasionMaximise marketing potential Manipulate vulnerable

consumersLegitimate force Acts of terrorismCuddly FatAn unfortunate incident A callous massacreProvide enhanced employment opportunities

Exploit workers

Committed FanaticalFree-thinking ImmoralThrifty MiserlySecurity assistance Arms SalesClever Cunning

Language could be:

Informative-affirms or denies propositions, describe or reason about the world.

Expressive- depends on attitude, mood, a way of expressing feelings, direct expression of thought.

Directive- causing or preventing certain action.

Ceremonial- rituals, no meaning away from the ceremony.

Performative- An action performed with words, such as the act of thanking when someone says, “Thank you.” A speech act, also called an illocutionary act. Such active expression could be linked to one’s identity or position.

Rhetorical-a question asked for a purpose other than to obtain the information the question asks. No response intended.

Functions of Language

In other words, Language could be a Way to:

transmit information

express emotion

give commands

make requests

show honour and respect, or disdain and disapproval

register an opinion or to make a statement

Functions of Language

“ One of the most powerful aspects of language is the way it is used to make simple classifications: `animals’; `courage’; `blue’.

One of the most dangerous aspects of language is the way it is used to make simplistic classifications: `Third World ’; `fascist’; `terrorist’; `communist’.”

-Anonymous

Functions of Language

“If thought corrupts language, language can corrupt thought.”

-George Orwell  An English Author and Journalist

“Language is not only the vehicle of thought, it is a great and efficient instrument in thinking.”

-Sir Humphrey Davy A British Chemist and Inventor

Role of Language in the Transmission of Knowledge.

"Socrates held that if a man knew anything, he could give an account of it to others ..."

Xenophon, Memorabilia iv, 6, 1, tr. Guthrie.

"And that which we know we must surely be able to tell?" Plato, Laches 190c, tr. Jowett.

Can Knowledge Be Transmitted Without Language?

Michael Polanyi, a philosopher of sciences, argues that informed guesses, hunches and imaginings are part of exploratory acts that are motivated by what he describes as 'passions'. They might well be aimed at discovering 'truth', but they are not necessarily in a form that can be stated in propositional or formal terms. As Michael Polanyi wrote in The Tacit Dimension (1967), we should start from the fact that 'we can know more than we can tell '. He termed this pre-logical phase of knowing as 'tacit knowledge'.

Tacit knowledge comprises a range of conceptual and sensory information and images that can be brought to bear in an attempt to make sense of something.

According to Michael Polanyi, many bits of tacit knowledge can be brought together to help form a new model or theory.

Source: http://www.infed.org/thinkers/polanyi.htm

Can we know something without being able to say we know? Do we know more than we can say?

If we speak a different language, do we see a different world?

Is a translation from one language to another really possible?

Three Problems of Translation: Context Untranslatable Idioms

How Well Can Language Transmit Knowledge?

Context:

The meaning of a word in a language is partly determined by its relation to other words.

For example, to understand what the word `chat’ means in English, we also need to be aware of related words such as

`talk’, and `gossip’, and `discuss’; each of which has a different shade of meaning.

Three Problems of Translation

Untranslatable Words

Every language contains words that have no equivalent in other languages, and can only be translated by lengthy and inelegant paraphrase.

For example, the English word `quaint’ has no very precise equivalent in other languages.

`Schlimmbesserung’ (German) means an improvement that actually makes things worse.

`Rojong’ (Indonesian) means the relationship among a group of people committed to accomplishing a task of mutual benefit.

Three Problems of Translation

Idioms

A colloquial expression whose meaning cannot be workedout from the meanings of the words it contains. Forexample,

“Don’t beat about the bush” or “He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth”.

How could we translate the following idioms into another language?

“David is barking up the wrong tree.”

“Samuel was only pulling your leg.”

“Danielle is resting on her laurels.”

Three Problems of Translation

It was claimed that when Pepsi Cola ran an advertising campaign inTaiwan, they translated the slogan: “Come Alive with Pepsi” intoChinese. The campaign was deemed a flop because when the sloganwas translated back into English, it read, “Pepsi brings your ancestorsback from the dead.”( Source: http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/ancestor.asp )

More problems with translation:

The manager has personally passed all the water served here. (Mexican hotel)

  The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that

you will be unbearable. (Romanian hotel)

Ladies may have a fit upstairs .(Hong Kong tailor shop)

Problem with Translation

Fine food expertly served by waitresses in appetizing forms.

For sale: an antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers.

Wanted. Man to take care of cow that does not smoke or drink.

Have several very old dresses from grandmother in beautiful condition.

Mixing bowl set designed to please a cook with round bottom for efficient beating.

Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.

Problem of Ambiguity

To what extent can grammar and sentence structure help toreduce the ambiguity of the following sentences?

Dinner Special ─Turkey $2.35; Chicken or Beef $2.25; Children $2.00.

Now is your chance to have your ears pierced and get an extra pair to take home, too.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Don't let worry kill you ─ let the church help.

The hotel has bowling alleys, tennis courts, comfortable beds, and other athletic facilities.

Problem with Ambiguity

IronySaying one thing in order to mean the opposite. It adds

anotherlayer of ambiguity to language.  Nice weather, heh?

Any more bright ideas, Einstein?

Mother will be so happy to hear what you have done now.

Problem with Ambiguity

Language has implied meanings. For example, figurative language.

Metaphors and similesExplain the difference between the two following sentences:

“My brother is a butcher.”

“My dentist is a butcher.”

Language and Meaning

Which of the following are qualities of the mind, and in whichcases are they properties of the objects?

Language and Meaning

The drink is sweet. She is sweet.

The knife is sharp. He is as sharp as a knife.

It is a hot day. This curry is hot.

We are in love. This drink is fizzy.

This is an excellent film. Here is a hard chair.

This is a hard exam. He is intelligent.

Weasel words Empty words designed to deceive or mask, rather thancommunicate.

Explain how weasel words are used in each of the following:

“Our product can restore up to 25% of lost hair.”

“Probably the best beer in the world.”

“Dentifresh toothpaste helps fight tooth decay.”

“If Timothy works hard, he should do himself justice in the final exam.”

Language and Meaning

EuphemismsMild, indirect, or vague terms used to substitute what areconsidered harsh, blunt, or offensive

List some euphemisms for `lazy’, `ugly’ and `stupid’. And then

try to explain why the substituted words are more `acceptable’

terms.

Language and Meaning

Strengths WeaknessesEfficient ManipulativeQuick Lies- fallaciesPrecise Limited-refer to translationsFlexible MisunderstoodCreative AmbiguousEmotive Jargon

Strengths and Weaknesses of Language as a Way of Knowing

“If you can’t say it, you don’t know it.” -Hans Reichenbach(Philosopher of science, educator and proponent of logical empiricism)

Must we use language to think?

Does/ Can language restrict our thinking? If so, how? If not, why not?

Argue for or against Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis.

In its simplest form, Sapir-Whorf hypothesis theorises that theway we experience the world is shaped by our pattern oflanguage , that is, we organise the world in accordance with asocially-agreed scheme that is encoded in our native language,and that we have no choice but to organise our world in this way.

Language and Thought

Sapir –Whorf’s Language Determinism Hypothesis:(American linguists and anthropologists Edward Sapir andBenjamin Lee Whorf)

Language determines our experience of reality.

We can see and think ONLY what our language allows us to see and think.

Questions: Is it the case that the more we know, the more we see?

How does a deaf person learn language? How well can such a person learn language?

Language and Thought

Linguistic determinism is the idea that our thoughts are completely limited by our language.

This theory posits that we live in different worlds when we speak different languages. And that this accounts for the differences in answers, attitudes and thoughts. Thus, if your native language is English, you think in English. And if Chinese, you think in Chinese. Our language shapes our entire world view.

(Refer to the examples from the interview of bilingual Japanese women living in America and the Inuit who have many different words for `snow’ ).

Linguistic Determinism

There is some merit to the claim that aspects of language need to be developed before certain skills.

Consider the role of language in our everyday lives. If we have words for certain things then it makes effective communication and easier action.

For example, a surgeon, would require a highly specialised and technical sub language to effectively communicate with those in the same field. The training of the professionals requires the learning of this sub language or dialect to be skilful.

Likewise, a complex mathematical equation cannot be discussed without employing the symbolic language of algebra.

In the same way, we cannot imagine a lawyer arguing a case without being familiar with legal language.

Linguistic Determinism

The previous examples suggest that we need to develop relevant aspects of language before we are able to think or be skilled in the various areas of knowledge.

It does seem unimaginable for one to be an expert in certain skills without having the language developed for them. Does it then mean that one’s skills and thoughts are dependent on language?

If so, it would then suggest that different natural languages will lead their users to thinking about nature in completely different ways.

And if so, it would then suggest that native speakers of different languages see the world in a completely different way from each other.

This would support linguistic determinism.

Language Determinism

Critics of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis have argued that thought is possible without language.

It’s been argued that the reason there are not many words for `snow’ in English is that it doesn’t snow very often in England. Should people require a more discriminating `snow’ vocabulary, they do invent words or borrow them from other languages.

Critics also disagree that the Inuit have different experiences of reality because they have lots of different words for `snow’. They argue that such assumption is fallacious as it would be like saying printers have different experiences of reality because they have different kinds of words for different print fonts.

If language determines thought, it is unclear how new words ever enter a language, or how language could have arisen in the first place.

However, just because it seems that Sapir-Whorf’s argument is invalid, it does not mean that its conclusion is totally wrong.

Argument Against Linguistic Determinism

Critics of Sapir-Whorf hypothesis would rather posit that language influences rather than determines thought.

Studies have shown that babies can think without the benefit of language. That babies have significant amount of 'core knowledge' hardwired into their brains. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3341166/Harvards-baby-brain-research-lab.html

Some creative people claim that language plays only a secondary role in their thinking and that their ideas first come to them in images. As Albert Einstein himself said, “ The words of a language as they are written and spoken do not seem to play any role in the mechanisms of my thought….Conventional words or other signs have to be sought for laboriously only in a secondary stage.”

When we say, “No, that’s not quite what I want to say” and then try to express with greater clarity, it suggests that our thoughts are there prior to language and that we are simply trying to find the right words to express them.

Argument for Linguistic Relativism

So, while it is true that studies have shown that some kind of pre-linguistic thought is possible, it does not determine thoughts. A baby having a basic concept of number before speech would still need the appropriate mathematical vocabulary to do multiplication or equations.

Complex thinking is closely connected to language. It would be hard to have abstract ideas if we did not have the appropriate vocabulary to convey them.

Therefore, although language may not determine our experience of reality, as claimed by Sapir- Whorf hypothesis, it certainly influences it.

Argument for Linguistic Relativism

Language is far from simple and straightforward.

Language has no intrinsic value, but a socially-constructed purpose.

Humans are unique in their ability to use language. Animals have signs and signals for certain biological needs and functions (and arguably even emotions), but none develops a subtle and nuanced system of spoken language as humans.

Human language is multi-faceted and intimately related to the human experience.

Language can be a means of communication AND miscommunication.

Language is linked to values.

Language is linked to thought.

The relationship between language and meaning is complex.  

Key Points

Knowledge Issues:

In most statements heard, spoken, read or written, facts are blended with values. How can an examination of language distinguish the subjective biases and values which factual reports may contain? Why might such an examination be desirable?

Language as a Way of Knowing

Alchin , Nicholas. Theory of Knowledge. London: Hodder Murray, 2006. Boyce, Craig . `Problems of language and language and thought’

( November 2006) Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness:

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/articles/Results%20of%20Poor%20Cross%20Cultural%20Awareness.html

ToK Ways of Knowing: Language http://bhs.davis.k12.ut.us/pdf/IB/Ways_of_Knowing_language.pdf [Accessed 26th January 2012]

Way of Knowing Language by dbrooker http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/dbrooker-805704-way-of-knowing-language/ [Accessed 26th January 2012]

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Identify_and_dicuss_the_functions_of_language [Accessed 26th January 2012]

References:

“A Way with Words: Do languages help mold the way we think?” By JR Minkel

http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~lera/press/sciam/

“Japanese Politeness: The Interplay of Language, Culture, and Thought” by Eileen Dombrowski and Lester B Pearson College: http://www.historyhaven.com/TOK/Japanese%20language.htm

“Today’s World: The Baby Lab” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3341166/Harvards-baby-brain-research-lab.html

Readings: