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The study of how language influences thought, and vice-versa, has a long history in a variety of fields. There are two bodies of thought forming around this debate. One body of thought stems from linguistics and is known as the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis. There is a strong and a weak version of the hypothesis which argue for more or less influence of language on thought. The strong version, linguistic determinism, argues that without language there is and can be no thought (a largely discredited idea), while the weak version, linguistic relativity, supports the idea that there are some influences from language on thought.[1] And on the opposing side, there are 'language of thought' theories (LOTH) which believe that public language is inessential to private thought (though the possibility remains that private thought when infused with inessential language diverges in predilection, emphasis, tone, or subsequent recollection). LOTH theories address the debate of whether thought is possible without language which is related to the question of whether language evolved for thought. These ideas are difficult to study because it proves challenging to parse the effects of culture versus thought versus language in all academic fields.
The main use of language is to convey information. It can be used to transfer thoughts from one mind, to another mind, and it can also be used to modify and explore thoughts within a mind. The bits of linguistic information that enter into one person's mind, from another, cause people to entertain a new thought with profound effects on their world knowledge, inferencing, and subsequent behavior. In the act of speaking, thought comes first, while spoken or written language is an expression that follows. There are certain limitations among language, and humans cannot express all that they think.[2] Writing was a powerful new invention because it enabled revision of language, allowing an initial thought to be conveyed, reviewed and revised before expression.
Language can also be used for thought, framing and modifying thinking with a precision that was not possible without language.
- ^ Kaplan, Abby (2016). Women Talk More than Men: … And Other Myths about Language Explained. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9781316027141.011. ISBN 978-1-316-02714-1.
- ^ Gleitman, Lila; Papafragou, Anna (2005). "26. Language and Thought". Cambridge Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning (PDF). pp. 633–661. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-17.