Does language effect the way we perceive the world? [Chomsky; Sapir-Whorf hypothesis; 1984]
Date Submitted: 09/11/2002 18:27:15
Category: / Social Sciences / Philosophy
Length: 2 pages (473 words)
Category: / Social Sciences / Philosophy
Length: 2 pages (473 words)
How do you define what a language is? Is it simply a means of communication, or does it function as much more than that? Is there a connection between our language and our culture?
The general impression is that language functions as a sign of the condition of a culture. For instance,if a society's concept of the role of the woman changes, the language that the particular society uses to refer to women will …
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…In '1984' we see how the deterioration of language results in the deterioration of thought:
"The whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought. In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it" - (1984, pp 45)
As we have seen in this essay, it is language that brings the world into existence. There are as many worlds as there are languages.
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